After a year filled with unprecedented, unexpected challenges for IT teams supporting mostly remote workforces, we wanted to show our support and appreciation. So we offered to build free automations for a few lucky customers in the hopes that we could help lighten their massive workloads. We recently held a sweepstakes and invited Resolve Actions customers to submit their automation wishlists.
The requests offered a window into the challenges you are tasked with addressing as we continue to evolve and transform our IT operations to meet today's unique (and changing) demands. While we extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you, our winners were chosen randomly and today we are thrilled to announce the automation recipients: HTC and NI!
Improving Data Visualization for Network Operations
HTC, or Horry Telephone Cooperative, is a telecommunications provider based in South Carolina, serving largely rural areas with internet, cable, phone, and digital video services. Their network operations team wanted to improve data visualization for the many devices they need to monitor every day and replace repetitive manual tasks with automation.
By automating lookups, pulling data from a Resolve custom table, and then converting the returned data to JSON, network health and device data can be pushed to a web page displayed on HTC’s intranet, ensuring the network operations team always knows what's happening and get ahead of issues.
The solution calls for interactive, user-driven automation - one of Resolve's most valued capabilities. Once the process is instituted, it will run on-demand. Initially, there will be a person initiating the execution of the process, but the automation is being built with the potential for closed-loop, autonomous usage in the future.
HTC estimates that the time savings will be significant. Without the automation, a NetOps team member has to log into each device and navigate to the correct sensor to display data. Some devices require significantly more steps. Conservatively, the team estimates the manual process takes an average of 5 to 10 minutes or more per device, with the process performed multiple times each day. In addition to saving the team valuable time, the improved data visualization that results from this automation will also improve their overall network operations.
Automatically Securing Communications Between Internal Services
NI, formerly National Instruments, manufactures automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. The IT Ops team was looking to ensure secure communication between internal services by automating the lifecycle of application certificates that they issue from their internal PKI (the public key infrastructure of their Microsoft Active Directory Services). The automation will be able to issue a certificate to a key vault and track the entire process for auditing and compliance.
Similar to the HTC example, the NI process will be an interactive, human-guided procedure. The automation will integrate with Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS), JIRA, and a forms-based self-service portal within Resolve. While the internal IT operations group will be primary beneficiaries, the automation has broad applicability and the potential to benefit other stakeholders long term. The automation will save NI an estimated four hours every day — representing more than 1000 hours every year.
A Glimpse into What’s Possible with IT Automation
The Automation Ninjas are hard at work building these automated processes. Once they’re ready for deployment, the automations will also be added to our Automation Exchange library where they’ll be available to download and deploy in any environment.
We are always fascinated to see the unique and innovative ways that IT teams use Resolve to make their lives easier and achieve so many different, positive results. Whether you are a sys admin looking to avoid repetitive, manual processes so you can focus on more complex problem solving, or a business executive driving digital transformation to streamline resources, the possibilities truly are endless.
