How IT automation enables network administrators to do more

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Many IT tasks are repetitive and consume hours of IT teams' time; for instance, checking if a server has sufficient free space to retrieve stored logs is an everyday task that can be time-consuming. Some of these tasks are relatively easy to automate, which allows network admins to become more agile and flexible and effectively support modern business demands. 

IT automation is the use of software to create repeatable instructions and processes to reduce human interaction with IT systems. Rather than a network admin completing a task in the IT environment, the automation platform does it instead. With the help of an automation tool, you can increase productivity and ensure a more effective system overall.

Here are a few ways IT automation can help you do more:

1. Automation brings order and integration to network fault management 

Network fault management helps keep connectivity, applications, and services running at optimum levels and minimizes downtime. A network fault management system can be configured to automatically resolve or even prevent certain events using workflow automation. 

ManageEngine OpManager, a powerful network fault management solution, not only simplifies the process of network alarm management but also makes network automations easier thanks to its Workflow feature. Workflows in OpManager are simple, code-free processes that can be quickly designed and implemented effortlessly just by dragging and dropping the required actions.

Workflows also make it easy to smoothly integrate OpManager’s fault management capabilities with other third-party IT management applications like ManageEngine Service Desk Plus, which helps address issues more quickly and reduces the mean time to repair.

Consider a situation where you need to keep an eye on the availability of a business-critical server in your network. To create a Workflow, first identify the corrective activities you would perform manually if the server were to go down, such as:

• Rebooting the system if the server is unavailable after the first ping.
• Raising a ticket if the server is still unavailable after rebooting.

In the above illustration, you can see how a Workflow integrates with a service desk to resolve a fault.

2. Automation introduces simplicity to complex network administration tasks

Automations can help in creating a more efficient system for handling daily tasks. For instance, tasks like pinging a device for availability, checking for available disk space, listing all processes, stopping a process, checking whether a folder exists, creating a folder, identifying the size of a folder, compressing a folder, or rebooting a slow device are complex and laborious.

These tasks can be difficult to execute because they involve numerous discretionary considerations such as when to ping a device. However, using OpManager's Workflow feature, all you have to do is specify which action you want to be performed and when, and the Workflow will handle the rest.

3. Automation keeps track of workflow results for reference 

Keeping track of the tasks executed through automations ensures that the intended tasks have been performed while you're away. OpManager's Workflow feature helps you keep track of tasks executed through Workflows and stores them as Workflow Logs for future verification. The Workflow Logs tab provides information about the Workflow name, the time when the tasks were executed, the status of the Workflow, and more. You can also schedule the Workflow using the Schedule Trigger option.

Create Workflows with OpManager's drag-and-drop Workflow builder
If you're looking to simplify your IT tasks, OpManager is the way to go. With OpManager's enterprise workflow automation, you can start, stop, or resume services and processes and automate other tasks with over 70 workflow actions based on user-defined conditions. 

You can also design your own Workflows using OpManager to manage repetitive tasks and record the IT workflow procedures as an XML file.

To learn how to set up your Workflow for your IT operations using OpManager, check out the link below.