Server virtualization is now ubiquitous. Furthermore, most enterprises have dug in and created an environment that is fully defined by software. Therefore, this environment encompasses networking, storage, and even desktops. Moving from a hardware-centric to a software-centric approach toward provisioning and management of resources has unlocked huge opportunities for improving productivity. But this is only possible if organizations take cloud automation tools seriously.
Hybrid Cloud
This is true for the hybrid cloud as well. Almost 70 percent of enterprises have adopted the hybrid model in their cloud strategies. This trend is bound to continue well into the foreseeable future. Hybrid cloud architecture allows organizations to shift critical workloads between private and public clouds. This helps improve performance, lower costs, meet regulatory guidelines, and scale-up capacity. But the hybrid cloud can become confusing and expensive to run without automation. It is similar to running an understaffed data center.
The Case for Cloud Automation
Software-centric infrastructure is programmable. Code takes the place of wires and switches, which improves reliability and reduces cost. In the same vein, IT professionals get a powerful set of cloud automation tools to optimize and speed up the businesses.
For instance, developers usually have to wait for days to access development environments. This is because virtual machines need provisioning and setting up. Through automation, container libraries store these tasks. Or, they become templates. The execution of the tasks now takes just a few seconds. Developers are, then, able to focus on building software instead of wasting time waiting for resources.
Hybrid Cloud Tools & Orchestration
Hybrid cloud orchestrator tools can help IT to shift and balance workloads in the hybrid cloud based on preset rules. This can improve utilization rates, improve response times, and save labor costs. The orchestrator weighs all the variables—storage, security, database performance, and computing. It, then, makes a decision on when and where to deploy the resources. This is a superhuman feat that IT cannot possibly handle manually.
Here are some of the benefits of automating the hybrid cloud:
Advantages of Cloud Automation
Consistency and Repeatability
Enterprises can create consistency and repeatability in their operations through automation. Automated processes are replicable across multiple environments. This is particularly important in the hybrid cloud where different environments exist across multiple clouds. It deploys processes in the same way each time. This means the configurations and settings are consistent. This is why it is important to invest in cloud automation tools that work across all your cloud environments.
Improved Security
Security measures vary from one cloud to the other. When administrators automate processes, they codify security policies into the processes. So, now, each environment follows the required security best practice. Consequently, administrators are able to react with speed to new security vulnerabilities. It’s also possible to automate environment configuration in the hybrid cloud. This simplifies the updating of environments. Administrators can now deploy the changes required to deal with the security threats much faster.
Lower Costs
More than $60 million of cloud spending goes to waste. This is because of the underutilization and inefficiency in the use of cloud resources. This is an example of another problem that automation can solve. Cloud automation tools help to monitor resource utilization and shift workloads between private and public servers. Administrators can program these tools to shut down cloud servers during idle times. As a result, enterprises do not have to incur the cost of unutilized resources.
Increased Resiliency and Stability
The hybrid cloud has high availability and disaster recovery built-in. Servers are usually situated in different locations. Some of the servers host a standby copy of critical business systems. The copy provides a safety net in the event of a disaster. Cloud automation tools can help with recovery where trained IT staff may struggle to perform critical tasks. The tools can reduce recovery time and improve the overall stability of your cloud deployment.
Streamlining the Focus of IT
The hybrid cloud is complex and can be a major headache for IT. Cloud automation tools can help to streamline IT operations. They liberate unused resources and ensure optimum utilization of critical ones. The system sends an alert when it needs human intervention. This makes the work of IT much easier.
Conclusion
Hybrid cloud automation tools bring with them a host of benefits for enterprises looking to build and maintain streamlined operational processes. They help the enterprise get the most out of its cloud deployments without doing all the donkey work. With AI and machine learning, cloud automation is moving to the next level. It will take variables, such as cloud provider price changes, and forecast resource needs based on historical usage. You can use powerful open-source automation tools to experiment with automation before moving to a commercial tool.