‘Cloud computing is rapidly becoming the status quo for many companies and businesses of all shapes and sizes. With 94% of businesses today using a cloud Automation service, this technology is shaping how people live and work, and it’s here to stay.
But note, the ever-growing consumer demands and a highly dynamic IT landscape seen the size of business workloads in the cloud environment increase tenfold.
This has, in turn, spurred the need for cloud automation, as this is the only way businesses can efficiently manage their growing cloud environments and, at the same time, reap the benefits of advanced cloud-based IT infrastructure.
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What Exactly is Cloud Automation?
Cloud automation refers to all the specialized software and processes that organizations use to automate all or some of the manual tasks associated with cloud computing infrastructures.
In layman’s terms, automation refers to the tools an organization uses to reduce or even eliminate manual intervention in the installation, configuration, and management of cloud-based IT infrastructure.
The goal of automation is to ease the complexity that comes with orchestration.
Benefits of Automation
Some of the benefits of automation are outlined below.
1. Lower Overhead Costs and Improved Productivity of IT Teams
The main reason why cloud computing was and is still such a promising technology is that it was developed as an on-demand service that could be used if and when needed. When it started, many organizations back then had small workloads, so cloud technologies could efficiently meet their purpose.
However, the growing consumer demands and changing IT landscapes have seen the size of workloads moving to the cloud increase tremendously.
As a result, IT teams are now forced to spend a significant amount of time manually managing cloud systems. For example, every time a storage cluster is required, your IT personnel has to direct their time and energy deploying, configuring, and managing a new instance.
However, through automation, your IT team can now create parameters that automatically perform such functions. This greatly reduces the amount of time they would have otherwise spent on such tasks and enables them to direct their focus on other high-level business activities. Ultimately, this improves the productivity of your IT teams and the company as a whole.
2. Eliminates Operational Configuration Errors
Automation takes over tasks like the installation, configuration, and maintenance of virtual infrastructures such as servers and data warehouses. Usually, this is something any skilled IT person can manage singlehandedly.
However, to err is human, and these processes, although uncomplicated, are repetitive, which means there’s a high chance of configuration errors when handled manually. By automating your cloud, you reduce the need for human engagement and, as such, reduce these errors.
3. Enhanced Control
Cloud automation standardizes and simplifies complex network operations. This puts the business in control over its IT and it can incorporate or define strategies and policies used in its IT environments.
This means that it becomes easier to modify these policies in response to business changes and requirements. This is especially beneficial to organizations that are subject to constants audits and stringent industry protocols.
In a nutshell, cloud automation is essential if businesses are to enjoy what cloud computing has to offer. However, automation isn’t part of the cloud; it calls for expertise and the use of specialized tools.
