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Special Issue--IT Automation: Best Practices: Page 2 of 14

Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulations have also stepped up the pressure on IT. If you run a data center, you are not only expected to protect it and keep it running smoothly, but also required to keep extensive records on everything that has happened there. This is a major increase in workload at a time of diminishing budgets.

The idea of automating certain IT processes is certainly not new. Scripting--even JCL in the old IBM mainframe days--is one example. But as IT operations grow more complex, scripting wears out its utility. Scripts are proving too time-consuming to maintain and are often dependent upon one individual who understands their logic.

Point products, such as network tools, provisioning tools and job schedulers, also have failed to live up to the promises of reducing the cost of IT operations. In fact, in some ways they've added to the burden of the IT infrastructure staff. They're viewed in many shops as having limited functionality coupled with complicated, expensive deployments. However, the latest automation tools are a marked improvement over earlier generations. Most can provide an integrated view of the IT infrastructure.

But despite the reticence on the part of some IT staffs, increasing pressures on the infrastructure staff coupled with newer, better designed and better integrated products, means that IT automation may finally be ready to achieve its promise.

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Beginning The Automation Process