IT Automation: The Quest for Lights Out [Hardcover]

Howie Lyke (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130137863 | ISBN-13: 978-0130137869 | Publication Date: December 24, 1999 | Edition: 1

Everyone wants a "lights out" data center, but in an era of distributed, Internet-centered computing, that's tougher to accomplish than ever. This book can get you close! It helps managers define realistic expectations and goals for automating IT, then presents a systematic, enterprise-level methodology that incorporates today's best approaches to achieving those goals. Analyze your own data center, identify gaps and requirements for automation; and review the steps, operations, and considerations of automation design, in depth. Review organizational and staffing challenges associated with data center automation; learn how to redefine your technical architecture and administrative processes; evaluate and justify the cost of new systems; communicate and present the plan; and much more. You'll find detailed coverage of the actual deployment, as well as post-implementation continuous improvement techniques for making your "lights out" data center even more effective. The book contains sample project plans, process flows, IT organization charts, and other valuable resources for getting from where you areto where you want to be.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

1378F-9

• Maximize reliability, address downtime, and maintenance costs!
• Planning, analyzing, and implementing your appropriate level of automated data centers and infrastructure operations
• Real-world guidelines, methodology, and best practices
• Organization, staffing, technology, deployment, and management tips from the experts!

Data center automation in distributed environments: practical advice and proven tools!

Everyone wants a "lights out" data center and infrastructure operation-but in an era of distributed, Internet-centered computing, that's tougher to accomplish than ever. IT Automation: The Quest for Lights Out can get you remarkably close to the level that's right for you. In this book, a leading IT consultant, with the help of his number-one supporting cast, helps you define realistic goals for automating your IT data center and infrastructure, and then delivers a systematic, enterprise-level methodology that encompasses today's best approaches to achieving those goals, from planning through deployment and management. Coverage includes:

• Analyzing your own operation to identify gaps and requirements for automation
• Designing IT automation: steps, operations, and key considerations
• Addressing the organizational and staffing challenges associated with data center and infrastructure automation
• Redefining your technical architecture and administrative processes for maximum efficiency
• Selling your IT automation plan throughout the organization
• Post-deployment continuous improvement techniques for enhancing your "lights out" operation

IT Automation: The Quest for Lights Out contains all the hands-on resources you need to get results: sample project plans, process flows, IT org charts, and more. If you're an IT executive, operations manager, consultant, or vendor seeking to enhance the value of enterprise data centers, or even an IT Management graduate student, this is the one book that will get you there.

About the Author

Howie L. Lyke is CEO and Acting VP of IT Architecture for Bluewater Technology, Inc., which provides leading edge services for companies such as GE Capital, US Satellite Broadcasting, the Weather Channel, and 3M. He is co-author of Networking the New Enterprise (Prentice Hall PTR, 1997).

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 190 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (December 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130137863
• ISBN-13: 978-0130137869
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,067,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sound Processes and Clear Roadmap to Operations Excellence, January 25, 2001

By 

Linda Zarate "IT Ops Consultant" (Azusa, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: IT Automation: The Quest for Lights Out (Hardcover)

This book provides a coherent roadmap to "lights out" data center operations. It also provides a roadmap to developing a sound organization and processes to support data center operations regardless of whether they are "lights out", 24x7 or less demanding normal working hours support.

In fact, this book is misnamed because the real focus is on data center operations and the support requirements of running a data center in accordance with a set of best practices that the author has acquired over the years.

The roadmap that is used in this book appears to assume that operations will be outsourced. A good deal of the analysis and planning, and the roadmap milestones seems to lead to that objective. However, it will also support in-house operations after you align the people and process sides of the equation to the book's processes.

Real strengths of the author's approach are in the processes. He addresses the key process areas that need to be in place and the level of maturity needed to operate an effective and efficient data center. These same processes are the foundation of service delivery - which is the foundation of customer satisfaction. They are:

- Production Acceptance

- Problem Management

- Change Management

- Asset Management

- Disaster Recovery

Each of the above are essential processes. The author's approach validates my 24 years of mainframe experience. I especially like the production acceptance process that is conspicuously missing from most non-mainframe shops.

There are some potential problems with some of the processes that my current experience in distributed and e-commerce environments is uncovering.

Let's start with problem management. The author's approach is good for the here and now, but has a limited future. For example, the call center experts are rapidly integrating customer relationship management with internet technologies. External customers are benefiting from technologies and associated processes that we IT experts are designing and implementing while our internal customers are limited to more traditional kinds. Another issue is there is no clear linkage between problem management and disaster recovery. At what point does a problem trigger either business continuity or disaster recovery processes? This, as far as I can tell, has been adroitly sidestepped in every book and white paper addressing problem management, so the author cannot be faulted here. However, it is something you should consider as you read this section of the book.

The change management process is sound and works well in mainframe and traditional operational settings. However, the realities that we are faced with today are going to make the traditional approach to change management obsolete. It is not responsive enough to today's dynamic environments that are characterized by competitive pressures and the sheer complexity of data center environments. There has to be a streamlined approach, and the one proposed by the author will probably be an anachronism in the next two years. Managing changes in the Internet environment needs to happen quickly to respond to pressures, but with controls to ensure that you do not affect half the world. Consider something as simple as a new DNS server - mistakes in the tables can get propagated that make it look like you are hijacking web site traffic (this really happened!) While this particular process is well developed and meets today's needs, I hope the author will revisit this in the next edition and come up with a process that provides the speed that marketing demands, and the controls that we practitioners need.

Overall, this book is a very valuable source of ideas and comes with ready-made processes that can be implemented and managed to provide a mature operational support environment. The shortcomings that I cited do not detract from this book - they only underscore the fact that the world is rapidly changing and what works well today is not going to work well tomorrow. As the co-developer of the Tarrani-Zarate Information Technology Management Model, I can attest that there are no clear answers or solutions to these shortcomings. I can only hope that the author addresses these gaps in the next edition. In the meantime, the processes and approach provided in the book will give you the tools and techniques with which to build a mature operational support organization that is based on true best practices.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent treatment of essential core processes, October 6, 2002

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IT Automation: The Quest for Lights Out (Hardcover)

The practices outlined in this book are the foundation of IT operational service, availability and support. This book covers the key elements necessary for achieving a high level of IT operational excellence in great detail. I especially like the way production acceptance criteria is emphasized - this is an often overlooked topic that merits its own book - and the clear outline of how to implement change control (often talked about, but sadly missing in many organizations), and the clear distinction between problem management and the much narrower scope of help desk support operations.

Some of the issues raised by the previous reviewer regarding updating the core processes and procedures for contemporary operations in e-commerce and web-based environments are addressed in the newest book in this series titled "Web-Based Infrastructures: A 4-D Framework" by Sanmay Mukhopadhyay and Cooper Smith (ISBN 0130329894). Although that book does address the gaps noted, this book is still invaluable because it focuses strictly on the core elements while the newer book has a wider scope.

If you are a member of an IT operations management team or are involved with service level management this book will prove to be an invaluable resource, and is one that I highly recommend.