Some vendors--such as Opalis Software and RealOps--emphasize "run book automation." In some ways, this is meant to appeal to more conventional mainframe operations managers. Whether run book automation is a good early target for your data center will depend upon whether you think your run books are adequate. If the run books are not adequate, then does the product provide a ready made cookbook that you can quickly adapt? If the products don't provide a good substitute, there will be lots of work to create the run books. Creating run books is certainly not a bad thing to do, but will add to the implementation time and significantly reduce the short-term ROI.
Because network monitoring tools from major vendors are fairly well entrenched at many sites, it's common not to focus on automation in this area. Companies like AlterPoint argue that this ignores a key benefit of their automation tools: the capability to save IT dollars by identifying over-provisioning of network equipment and incorrect assessment of maintenance fees by network equipment vendors.
Before you decide to focus on just one function or area as an initial step, consider the most significant benefit of the latest generation of IT automation tools. They provide an integrated view of your IT infrastructure and may ease deployment duties for staff who do not have the time and ambition to master several different tools.
The integration provided by some automation tools not only reduces the total number of tools, it can help identify problems that cut across different areas of the data center. For example, it can identify when network changes will affect applications or when server changes will cut off access to important network ports.
As a result, companies like Opsware and Optinuity have made an integrated product suite the basis of their market strategy. Opalis offers an "Integration Server." Other companies have teamed up to compete. For example, AlterPoint, which specializes in network automation, has alliances with BladeLogic, EMC and RealOps.
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