Discussion on: Digging into the DCAB 6’s functional areas: Configuration and Change http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/data-center-automation/digging-into-the-dcab-6s-functional-areas-configuration-and-change/ Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:47:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.1 By: Month in Review - January 2008 - Adventures in Data Center Automation http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/data-center-automation/digging-into-the-dcab-6s-functional-areas-configuration-and-change/#comment-89 Month in Review - January 2008 - Adventures in Data Center Automation Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:04:37 +0000 http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/data-center-automation/digging-into-the-dcab-6s-functional-areas-configuration-and-change/#comment-89 [...] Digging into the DCAB’s functional areas:  Configuration & Change - provisioning, patching, deployment, auditing, etc. [...] […] Digging into the DCAB’s functional areas:  Configuration & Change - provisioning, patching, deployment, auditing, etc. […]

]]> By: Ryan Shopp http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/data-center-automation/digging-into-the-dcab-6s-functional-areas-configuration-and-change/#comment-74 Ryan Shopp Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:54:54 +0000 http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/data-center-automation/digging-into-the-dcab-6s-functional-areas-configuration-and-change/#comment-74 Mark- thanks for the feedback, I was familiar with Ecora not doing bare metal provisioning but thought they offered some software/patch management capabilities with their Patch Manager product? Also great point about close loop process management for changes...there is probably some overlap here with what the Process Orchestration vendors are doing for a variety of processes, where vendors like Ecora focus that use case down to specific changes. Further thoughts? Mark-
thanks for the feedback, I was familiar with Ecora not doing bare metal provisioning but thought they offered some software/patch management capabilities with their Patch Manager product? Also great point about close loop process management for changes…there is probably some overlap here with what the Process Orchestration vendors are doing for a variety of processes, where vendors like Ecora focus that use case down to specific changes. Further thoughts?

]]> By: Mark Tordoff http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/data-center-automation/digging-into-the-dcab-6s-functional-areas-configuration-and-change/#comment-73 Mark Tordoff Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:30:53 +0000 http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/data-center-automation/digging-into-the-dcab-6s-functional-areas-configuration-and-change/#comment-73 Ryan - First, thanks for including Ecora in your list above. Ecora does not actually provide bare metal provisioning as part of its services, but does have the ability to validate that new hardware is configured to an established "gold standard." Another area that many configuration audit solutions are addressing is closed-loop change validation. By identifying all configuration changes in the environment and integrating with leading service and help desk solutions, approved changes can be validated and unauthorized changes can be identified and remediated. Similar integrations are possible with security event and log management solutions to prioritize the level of risk potentially associated with a change, whether approved or not. Collaborations like these should provide IT professionals with increasingly more proactive control over their environments. Ryan -

First, thanks for including Ecora in your list above. Ecora does not actually provide bare metal provisioning as part of its services, but does have the ability to validate that new hardware is configured to an established “gold standard.”

Another area that many configuration audit solutions are addressing is closed-loop change validation. By identifying all configuration changes in the environment and integrating with leading service and help desk solutions, approved changes can be validated and unauthorized changes can be identified and remediated.

Similar integrations are possible with security event and log management solutions to prioritize the level of risk potentially associated with a change, whether approved or not.

Collaborations like these should provide IT professionals with increasingly more proactive control over their environments.

]]>