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Tag: IT infrastructure management

System Initiative Adds AI Agents to Infrastructure Automation Platform

System Initiative today announced it has added autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents to its infrastructure automation platform

Company CEO Adam Jacob said AI agents will now be able to interact with digital twins of IT infrastructure environments that System Initiative creates to enable DevOps teams to propose and safely execute changes to IT infrastructure.

DevOps engineers using natural language prompts can simply tell the System Initiative platform what outcome they want and the AI agent determines how best to accomplish that task. DevOps engineers then review that plan, which, if approved, will be executed by the AI agent, said Jacob.

AI agents will be able to complete tasks in a matter of minutes that previously would have required weeks for DevOps teams to manually perform, he added. AI agents will also be able to propose validated changes to IT infrastructure environments to optimize workflows and eliminate bottlenecks, said Jacob.

Additionally, DevOps teams can import existing infrastructure into the System Initiative platform to create a real‑time digital twin of every element of their IT environment that they can then use AI agents to help them explore and uncover hidden relationships between resources, noted Jacob. The digital twin platform created by System Initiative essentially functions as a knowledge graph that AI agents can use to understand the relationships between resources, he added.

DevOps teams will also be able to define custom guardrails and rules to limit the scope of the functions any AI agent is allowed to perform, noted Jacob. Built‑in policy checks and tests ensure every change adheres to compliance and operational requirements, he said.

In effect, AI agents will be integrated into existing DevOps teams without requiring any changes to existing workflows, added Jacob.

Ultimately, the goal is to make it much simpler for DevOps teams to employ AI agents to consistently employ best infrastructure management practices in a way that, for example, eliminates misconfigurations that might be exploited by cybercriminals, said Jacob.

As more menial infrastructure management tasks are automated, DevOps teams should also have more time to research how to optimize their environments for complex applications, he added.

It’s not clear to what degree DevOps teams are ready to rely on AI agents to manage IT infrastructure, but it’s apparent that, given the number of misconfigurations that exist, existing workflows are deeply flawed. It’s simply too easy for developers using tools such as Terraform to make a mistake. Of course, AI agents might also be prone to making mistakes, but hopefully, there will be fewer of them, especially as those AI agents become more familiar with the specific IT environment they have been tasked to automate.

No matter how IT infrastructure is provisioned, there will always be a requirement for it to be reviewed by a DevOps engineer. The challenge and the opportunity now is to automate the management of IT infrastructure at a level of scale that might not have not too long ago seem unimaginable.

August 27, 2025
Cloud Orchestration and its Impact on DevOps Teams
Cloud orchestration refers to the coordination and management of various interconnected cloud services and resources to automate and streamline complex IT processes. In simple terms, it is the process of integrating, synchronizing, and automating various cloud-based components to create a seamless and unified workflow.

Cloud orchestration aims to optimize the deployment, management, and use of resources in a cloud environment, improving efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring that cloud services are delivered in a timely and effective manner. It is related to the concept of CloudOps (cloud operations), which uses cloud orchestration concepts to allow more efficient management of cloud resources. Cloud orchestration is a critical aspect of modern IT infrastructure management, as it enables organizations to manage and control their cloud resources more effectively.

Difference between Cloud Orchestration and Cloud Automation

Though the terms cloud orchestration and cloud automation are often used interchangeably, they have distinct differences.

Cloud automation refers to the process of automating individual tasks and processes within the cloud environment. It involves the use of scripts, templates and other tools to automate repetitive tasks, such as provisioning resources, deploying applications and configuring environments. The primary goal of cloud automation is to reduce the time and effort needed to manage cloud resources.

Cloud orchestration is a broader concept that encompasses not only the automation of tasks but also the coordination and management of the entire cloud ecosystem. It involves the integration of various cloud services, tools and resources to create a unified, streamlined workflow. Cloud orchestration ensures that all components in the cloud environment work together seamlessly, automating complex processes and managing dependencies between tasks.

In essence, cloud automation is a subset of cloud orchestration. While cloud automation focuses on automating individual tasks, cloud orchestration takes a more holistic approach, orchestrating multiple tasks and resources to achieve a higher level of automation and efficiency.

How Cloud Orchestration Enhances DevOps Practices

Increased Efficiency and Speed

One of the main benefits of cloud orchestration in a DevOps context is the ability to increase efficiency and speed in the software development and deployment process. By automating and streamlining various tasks, cloud orchestration eliminates manual processes, reduces the potential for human error and accelerates the overall development cycle.

Improved Collaboration and Communication

Cloud orchestration fosters better collaboration and communication between development and operations teams by providing a unified platform for managing cloud resources. This shared platform enables teams to work together more effectively, breaking down traditional silos and ensuring that all stakeholders have visibility into the development and deployment process.

Enhanced Infrastructure and Application Management

Cloud orchestration simplifies the management of complex cloud infrastructure by providing a single, unified platform for cloud optimization—improving the management of resources, applications and services in the cloud.

This centralized management approach enables organizations to more easily monitor, control and optimize their cloud environment, ensuring that resources are used effectively and that applications are running smoothly. With cloud orchestration, organizations can more easily scale their infrastructure to meet changing demands, ensuring that they have the resources they need when they need them.

Improved Monitoring and Troubleshooting

Cloud orchestration provides improved monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities, enabling organizations to more effectively identify and address issues in their cloud environment. With comprehensive monitoring tools and dashboards, teams can gain insight into the performance of their applications, identify bottlenecks and pinpoint potential issues before they become critical.

Challenges of Integrating Cloud Orchestration With DevOps

Despite the numerous benefits of cloud orchestration, integrating it into DevOps practices can present several challenges. Some of the common challenges include:
- Complexity: Cloud orchestration involves the integration of various cloud services, tools and resources, which can be complex and time-consuming. Organizations may struggle with complexity, particularly if they lack the necessary expertise or resources to effectively implement and manage the solution.
- Resistance to change: Implementing cloud orchestration requires a change in mindset and approach to software development and deployment. As your organization migrates more systems to the cloud, some team members may be resistant to adopting new processes and tools, making it difficult to fully embrace and realize the benefits of cloud orchestration.
- Security concerns: As with any cloud-based solution, security is a critical concern when integrating cloud orchestration into DevOps practices. Organizations must ensure that their solution is secure and that they have the necessary policies and procedures in place to protect their sensitive data and resources.
- Cost and resource constraints: Implementing and managing a Cloud Orchestration solution can be resource-intensive, requiring significant investment in infrastructure, tools, and personnel. Organizations must carefully consider the costs and resources required to implement cloud orchestration and determine whether the benefits outweigh the investment.
Best Practices to Integrate Cloud Orchestration Into DevOps

To successfully integrate cloud orchestration into DevOps practices and overcome the challenges mentioned above, organizations should consider the following best practices:
- Assess your organization’s readiness: Before implementation, evaluate your organization’s readiness for change. This includes assessing your existing infrastructure, processes and tools, as well as your team’s willingness and ability to adopt new practices and technologies.
- Develop a clear strategy: Develop a clear strategy for integrating cloud orchestration into your DevOps practices. This should include defining your goals and objectives, identifying the tools and resources you will need and establishing a timeline for implementation.
- Choose the right tools and technologies: Select the appropriate tools and technologies that best meet your organization’s needs and requirements. Consider factors such as ease of integration, scalability, security and cost when evaluating potential solutions.
- Train and educate your team: Ensure that your team has the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively implement and manage cloud orchestration. This may involve providing training and education on new tools, processes and best practices, as well as fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
- Monitor and measure success: Continuously monitor and measure the success of your implementation. This includes tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), such as deployment speed, resource utilization and application performance, to ensure that your solution is delivering the desired results.
Conclusion

Cloud orchestration is an essential tool for organizations looking to streamline and optimize their IT infrastructure, particularly in the context of DevOps practices. By automating and coordinating complex cloud processes, organizations can improve efficiency, speed, collaboration and overall performance.

However, successfully integrating with DevOps can be challenging, requiring a clear strategy, the right tools and technologies and a commitment to continuous improvement. By following the best practices outlined in this guide, organizations can overcome these challenges and fully realize the benefits.
July 6, 2023
More Than Half of DevOps Pros Have Backdoor Access to IT Infrastructure

A survey of 600 DevOps professionals conducted by strongDM, a platform for managing access to IT infrastructure, found nearly two-thirds (64%) had productivity impacted on a daily or weekly basis because of access issues.

It’s not surprising that, as a result, DevOps teams created a number of workarounds to gain access, even though those methods don’t comply with cybersecurity best practices, according to the survey. More than half of respondents (55%) maintained backdoor access to systems, and 42% have embraced shadow IT to get access to tools and systems they needed for their roles, the survey found.

Worse yet, the survey found that 53% of respondents admitted they are sharing credentials across teams.

Well over half (57%) of respondents said it could take days or weeks for access requests to be approved, with 40% reporting it takes days to add tools to existing access solutions. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents also noted it requires 15 minutes or more to gain access to infrastructure.

More than half of respondents (52%) said they have missed deadlines due to issues with accessing infrastructure, with 53% of those respondents being held accountable for the missed deadline even if it was caused by their lack of access to infrastructure.

Justin McCarthy, CTO for strongDM, said despite all the hype surrounding identity management and zero-trust IT, it’s clear many organizations are still struggling with the basics of access control. That issue has been further exacerbated by the need to enable more DevOps professionals to work from home since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago, he added.

Many of those organizations are still relying on virtual private networks (VPNs) even though it’s been shown that stealing the credentials to access those VPNs is relatively trivial, McCarthy added.

In place of those approaches to access IT infrastructure, strongDM is making a case for a dedicated infrastructure access platform that manages and audits access to databases, servers, clusters and web apps. It is based on local client software, a gateway intermediary and configuration tools that track roles and permissions.

The benefits of that approach span everything from lower IT support costs to faster onboarding of new IT staff, noted McCarthy.

Managing infrastructure access for DevOps teams is, of course, always going to be a challenge. DevOps teams are made up of engineers—among the most challenging types of end users to support. Many of them will use their own expertise to circumvent any process they deem to be inefficient. The trouble is, many of those end-runs would not pass muster with cybersecurity teams responsible for access management. The challenge each of those cybersecurity teams needs to come to terms with is the amount of time they want to spend time looking for these cybersecurity policy workarounds versus making it easier to securely access IT infrastructure.

The sad truth is both DevOps and cybersecurity professionals are wasting a lot of time and effort trying to outwit each other when that time could be put to better use.

July 5, 2022
HashiCorp Tools Bridge DevOps, Legacy IT Environments

At its HashiConf EU 2019 conference this week, HashiCorp extended the reach of its Terraform Enterprise tools for automating the management of IT infrastructure beyond the realm of DevOps into legacy IT environments.

Via integration with the Service Catalog from ServiceNow, IT administrators working with a traditional ITIL-based framework now can invoke Terraform Enterprise to provision IT services. HashiCorp CTO Armon Dadgar said rather than requiring organizations to hire an infrastructure engineer to automate the provisioning of IT infrastructure, IT administrators now can do the job.

At the same time this week, HashiCorp announced that policy sets may now be configured using the source policies available in multiple version control systems (VCSs), including GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket. The goal is to make it simpler to enforce policies that would limit, for example, the number of virtual machines a developer might be allowed to spin up within the context of a set of GitOps processes, said Dadgar.

Finally, HashiCorp also announced that HashiCorp Consul service mesh networking software has been enhanced to include Layer 7 application traffic management capabilities alongside integration with the HashiCorp Nomad application and cluster scheduler software.

In general, Dadgar said HashiCorp is moving toward enabling its portfolio of offerings to span multiple types and classes of IT environments. HashiCorp Consul, for example, can be run across both legacy IT environments as well as Kubernetes. Most organizations will need to support both legacy monolithic and microservices applications using a combination of DevOps and legacy ITIL processes, noted Dagar. Rather than having to master new tools for each environment, HashiCorp is making a case for a common set of tooling that can be applied across multiple IT classes of processes.

While some organizations have fully transitioned to DevOps, many more organizations are still struggling to make the transition. Reasons for not making that transition faster range from simple inertia to a lack of skills. Rather than having to take an all-or-nothing approach to modernizing IT processes, Dadgar said HashiCorp is enabling each IT department to embrace IT automation wherever they happen to be on that journey, including being able to embrace new platforms as they become available.

Dadgar noted that level of extensibility is critical because most tools are still being brought into organizations from the bottom up by individual members of the IT staff, rather than being championed from the top down. In the absence of an executive mandate, Dagar said the path of least resistance is to make IT automation tools as accessible as possible to members of the IT team regardless of skill level.

There will, of course, come a day when IT leaders will try to rationalize processes around a common standard set of practices. The degree to which any IT organization has been able to achieve that goal, however, has been mixed at best. In the meantime, IT organizations will always need to keep their options as open and flexible as possible.

— Mike Vizard

July 10, 2019