IT infrastructure forms the bedrock of an enterprise. The demands placed on the IMS (Infrastructure Management and Security) team are many—to maintain the optimal level for service on a daily basis, reduce disruptions to avoid critical system failures and to enhance the user experience, and respond quickly to any new requests and changes that may arise. However, the ability to respond rapidly is often undermined by the sheer volume of routine tasks that must be undertaken to maintain service standards. Moreover, these can divert much of the effort and resources away from transforming the infrastructure to meet new demands. It is here that automation can play a significant role—routine processes and the maintenance of core assets can be automated, freeing the team to focus on application management, user experience, etc.; thus, reducing the burden on infrastructure management.
