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Automation is the Logical Next Step for Internal Cloud Environments

Contributed Article by Andrew Hillier, co-founder and CTO of CiRBA

2011 was definitely the year organizations turned their attention to planning internal clouds.  The private cloud offers the flexibility and ubiquity of cloud computing together with the security of on-premise management.  Unfortunately, as we've seen at CiRBA, to also achieve agility goals, necessitates some significant changes in management processes and tooling. As a result many organizations are taking a ready-fire-aim approach to automation in these environments.

As internal clouds mature, organizations will realize that they shouldn't turn the keys over to the machine too soon:  many aspects of IT operation need to be carefully controlled, and this doesn't change with the cloud.

In 2012, organizations will step back and rethink management processes, policies and roles based on the radical shifts that are occurring, including:

• Placement management
• Allocation management
• Capacity request management
• Common hosting platforms
• Shifting roles of Infrastructure Managers and Capacity Managers.

This will then drive the automation strategy in a way that doesn't jeopardize the business, including taking into account important issues such as:

• Adherence to maintenance windows and change freezes
• Proper communication (and potentially approval) with lines of business
• Airline-style rigor in managing capacity bookings
• Strict management of risk and operational volatility
• Focus on predictive analytics to drive the business of IT

Automation within these bounds will then become the target, with the goal of maximizing agility and operational efficiency -- not simply removing humans from equation.

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About the Author

Andrew Hillier is co-founder and CTO of CiRBA.  CiRBA Data Center Intelligence (DCI) is analytics software that enables smarter, faster, and safer decisions as organizations transform and control physical, virtual, and cloud server infrastructure. For more information, visit www.cirba.com.