This is the sixth part of a 7-part series on the salient features that IT professionals should look for in high-performing IT infrastructure orchestration platforms for enterprise use cases.
Automation is the driving force behind the digital age, with event-driven automation leading the charge to new horizons. It enables organizations to automate processes, reduce manual intervention, and leverage real-time insights for swift decision-making. This is the sixth installment in our series on defining the essential features of IT orchestration platforms. Event-driven automation could be considered the most dire need for IT operations, and as such it is a must-have for any modern IT Orchestration Platform. In this edition, we’ll uncover the transformative power of event-driven automation and the critical roles that rule-based systems and ITSM tools play in revolutionizing enterprise technology.
Key Benefits of Unlocking the Power of Event-Driven Automation in Enterprise Technology:
Event-driven automation is automation evolved. By utilizing rules and real-time event processing, event-driven automation allows for quick, intelligent responses to diverse scenarios sans human intervention. For instance, in a situation where a network server suddenly becomes unresponsive, event-driven automation can initiate an automated response to divert traffic to an operational server, preventing any service disruption. This not only lowers operational expenses and amplifies efficiency but also enhances system reliability.
Consider a popular use case in the e-commerce sector, where website performance directly affects sales and customer satisfaction, event-driven automation can be a lifesaver. For example, during high-traffic events such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday, an e-commerce website might experience an enormous influx of traffic, leading to potential system overload. An event-driven automation solution can detect these traffic spikes in real-time and, using rule-based automation, automatically provision additional resources or servers to handle the increased demand, ensuring the website stays online and customers enjoy a seamless shopping experience.
Rule-based systems form the bedrock of event-driven automation. They employ a pre-determined set of conditions to assess events and prescribe the appropriate responses. For instance, a rule might state, “if server CPU usage exceeds 90% for five minutes, initiate resource reallocation.” The evolution of these systems over the years, from simple if-then statements to complex, layered rules, reflects the growing sophistication of automation needs. Their inherent customizability allows organizations to adapt automation workflows to align with their unique operational necessities, boosting responsiveness and flexibility.
With the growth of AI and the maturation of observability tools rule-based systems are more powerful than ever. Levering ai-enhanced recommendation engines and live full-stack observability platforms, rule-based systems now allow event-driven automation to have a layer of intelligence built in. As new waves of ai such as generative ai come into the fold, automation teams will start to chase the idea of automatically generating corrective decisions utilizing the combination of ai, rule-based systems, full stack observability and adaptive IT orchestration platforms.
Auto-remediation and automated provisioning are central to IT infrastructure event-driven automation. Auto-remediation is the automated process that identifies and rectifies system irregularities, while automated provisioning pertains to the automated allocation of resources as dictated by real-time requirements. For example, in a network security scenario, if an intrusion is detected, auto-remediation workflows can immediately isolate the affected network segment, while automated provisioning can spin up additional security resources to handle the threat.
Monitoring services in an event-driven automation system can be conducted through several methods, each with its strengths and considerations:
Each method has its strengths and weaknesses, and organizations must assess their specific requirements to choose the best fit.
ITSM tools play an integral role in the successful implementation of event-driven automation within an enterprise setting. As critical components of the automation ecosystem, they function as a central data repository, consolidating information from a myriad of systems, such as databases, servers, and other IT assets. This aggregated data is crucial as it forms the basis upon which automated responses are determined and enacted.
However, while ITSM tools gather and centralize data, it’s the IT orchestration platforms that harness this information to perform meaningful automation on target-end systems. When an event is detected, such as a system failure or a spike in network traffic, the ITSM tools forward the relevant data to the orchestration platform. This platform, powered by pre-set rules and policies, analyses the event data, makes decisions, and initiates the appropriate automated actions.
For instance, if a server becomes unresponsive, the ITSM tool will recognize the event, collate the necessary data, and forward it to the orchestration platform. This platform, in turn, will trigger an automated workflow to reroute traffic to an operational server, mitigating any potential service disruption.
In essence, while ITSM tools form the nerve center, receiving and processing event information, it’s the IT orchestration platforms that act as the executive arm, performing the actual automations that keep systems running smoothly. Together, they form a powerful duo that enhances event-driven automation’s efficacy, simplifies processes, and boosts overall operational efficiency.
By acknowledging the interdependent roles of ITSM tools and IT orchestration platforms, organizations can better leverage the transformative power of event-driven automation, ensuring a resilient and adaptive IT infrastructure.
As we continue to ride the wave of digital transformation, event-driven automation is the surfboard helping us navigate the swelling tide. It’s paving the way for the future of enterprise technology, powered by rule-based systems and ITSM tools, promoting customization, enhancing efficiency, and facilitating seamless data management.
With emerging technologies such as AI, ML, and IoT, the potential for event-driven automation is vast. AI can improve rule-based decision-making, ML can enhance automated processes, and IoT can provide a rich source of event data for event-driven automation systems. In an era defined by the speedy and intelligent use of data, organizations must harness the potential of event-driven automation to stay ahead of the curve. By doing so, they can tackle the challenges of the digital age, improve operational efficiency, cut costs, and maintain a competitive edge in an ever-evolving landscape.
In Part VII of this series, we will delve into the importance of application history and metrics, uncovering their role in the successful operation of orchestration platforms. Stay tuned!