Automate All The Things🤖🦾
Last updated
Last updated
Automation as a philosophy and approach to work is in full effect in our society. Lets just consider what Mark Andreessen wrote in his essay titled “Software is eating the world.”. We can look at the world now and see that software indeed has eaten the world. Remember when we used to walk into a store that existed for the purpose of borrowing movies and video games. Well now all of this has been virtualized and automated. All we have to do is pay a small monthly fee for access to unlimited libraries of movies, shows, video games and music. Oh and those sites you use have incredible algorithms running to power custom tailored recommendations to help you as you explore this vast Internet we spend so much time on. Speaking of the Internet, Google automated the process of searching for websites and content on the web. In a way you could say they automated the process of finding what you want on the World Wide Web, they continue to dominate in the search engine business and I get the sneaky suspicion that they always will. Perhaps this ease of usability Google added to the Internet drove the wide spread adoption of the Internet as one of the most important inventions in human history.
Soon we will be calling our cars to come pick us up using AI powered Digital Assistants. The command we issue will travel over high-speed networks to the car which will be driven to us by algortithms in the same way a pilot works alongside algorithms to fly an air-plane thousands of feet in the skies. Consider the work Tesla is doing as they continue to position their vehicle product line to receive updates over the Internet which will eventually lead to a rolling computer that can drive entirely on its own. While I don’t own a Tesla myself I’ve driven one and witnessed it’s capabilities first hand. They are a glimpse of the future of autonomous systems, not just cars. Tesla’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy is powered by automated systems working together in a beautiful symphony of orchestrated computer systems.
Even the field of IT is continuously iterating towards automated systems to free up IT operations teams (Network & System admins, SOC analysts, Software developers, the list goes on…) to move organizations forward. I personally believe it is part of who we are to automate processes so we can do more. Some important books in human history declare that we are to be fruitful and multiply. We can examine reality and make a strong case that this is what tech moguls like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are doing as they break the mold in all they do. It’s almost as if they have found an algorithm in life that works at least as it relates to the economy and generating financial wealth. Speaking of Jeff Bezos, did you know his company Amazon has an IT Automation engine called Amazon Web Services (also known as AWS). Some shoot me strange looks when I say that AWS is IT automation, think about it for a bit. Here is this platform anyone can use to install, configure, manage and automate countless IT systems (client OSs, server OSs and entire network infrastructures) from anywhere in the world. This is including but not limited to being in your pajamas at home.
Most of us are carrying around a super computer in our pockets that we can verbally call on for assistance. Don't believe me!? Try it for yourself! If you have an iPhone say “Hey Siri, text my mom and tell her I love her”. Siri interfaces with iMessage to send the text message to your mom or whatever loved one you just texted. If you do not have an iPhone you probably are running an OS that runs Google’s AI assistant. To use Google’s AI assistant just say “Ok, Google” and Google assistant uses Google Maps to navigate to your favorite restaurant. People….. this is amazing stuff why aren’t more of us using it. Get better at using it and you actually become more employable. Just look at technical careers, they pay well because they require more skills. Guess what!? The Internet and the World Wide Web has made it easier than ever to gain skills, knowledge and even find paid work. We must have the confidence to learn what it takes to do the work we are called to do and the Internet is a wonderful tool to enable this.
As a technologist myself when I am administering the systems I use for mass instruction I like to implement automation wherever I see the opportunity. I’ve listed below examples of IT Automation scripts I use and teach others how to use:
In industry and higher education many large sized organizations decided many many years ago to go with Cisco for their network infrastructure. You’ll find many Cisco Switches, Routers and wireless access points out in the wilderness. One of the most appealing features of a Cisco product is many of them run their proprietary OS called IOS (Internetwork Operating System). It’s got an amazing command line interface that if learned properly you’ll breeze through configurations and even have the ability to automate tasks on a large scale. I’m growing more and more intrigued by the promises of Red Hat’s Ansible but you really should learn IOS as a good baseline. Ansible is an automation langauge that allows you to automate tasks on several IT platforms including but not limited to: Cisco IOS, Windows desktop OS, Windows server and countless Linux distros, you’ll find some useful Ansible playbooks further down this page.
Many networking vendors still include CLIs in their operating systems. The latest trend is to build a cloud-based controller model where all configurations are done on a web-based GUI often called a Northbound interface that will send configuration changes over the Internet to the networking devices on site. This model can lower the learning curve for IT professionals to manage networks and even makes it easier for non-technical decision makers to visualize what’s happening on a network. Examples of companies that have done this are Cisco Meraki, Ubiquiti Networks, and Palo Alto Networks just to name a few. As a side note, new cybersecurity concerns arise as organizations decide to host their networking controller on websites over the Internet. This model creates a larger target and can make it easier for attackers to get access to critical systems as the commands and configurations must travel over the open Internet where there could be packet capture devices at multiple connection points. Overall, it is my belief that cloud-based network controller models are a good for the industry but it still requires a fundamental understanding of networking to use of the platforms I mentioned.
Early in this lesson I mentioned Red Hat’s automation engine Ansible. I believe this technology will become a force in IT Operations (Network and System administration) affording all IT professionals a fun and easy way to automate some of the mundane tasks that are taking too long to complete. These tasks are distracting from more important matters like making sure users are empowered, trained, secured and organizations can keep evolving with the technology. Ansible does have a slight learning curve so it would be in your best interest to start learning it directly from the developers. Ansible is free and open source so you’ll find a great community backing the project with exceptional education based documentation.
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