Azure Automation is a cloud-based automation and configuration platform that helps with the consistent management of your Azure and non-Azure environments.
It is a cost-effective automation platform that provides expansive automation services. It allows you to automate tasks using machines and reduce human intervention. Tasks that would otherwise take IT personnel’s valuable time could be done by machines, increasing output and lowering operating costs. (Automation is to assign machines to repeat frequent, time-consuming, and error-prone tasks performed manually by humans.)
Azure automation tools assist organizations by simplifying and reducing IT-related workloads, lowering the necessity for manual attention, and automating backups. Scalability adjustment in accordance with usage is the most crucial feature.
Azure Automation is built using PowerShell Workflow and is based on it. This makes it reconciliable with different cloud platforms and on-premise systems. The component that allows Azure Automation to interact and automate on-premise infrastructure is called Azure Hybrid Runbook Worker.
What is Runbook in Azure?
An Azure runbook is a compilation of IT procedures and operations. Runbooks in Azure run on cloud platforms. Their access to on-premise resources is only limited, unless using the Hybrid runbook worker feature which allows you to run Runbook, hosting the role on a computer.
Benefits of Azure Automation
With Azure Automation you can simplify your cloud management tasks. Here are some of the benefits of Azure Automation:
- Cloud management tasks are often time-consuming and error-prone. Azure automation help to increase work efficiency by reducing errors.
- You can use the already existing workflows to make your task easier or customize your own. Azure Automation allows users to keep records and even deploy their own Runbooks, as required.
- Azure automation improves your performance and saves you time by handling systems and tools. It works seamlessly with servers, storage, and other Azure-provided services.
Why should enterprises use Azure Automation?
Manual dependency in enterprises with multiple organizational setups increases the chances of human errors. Because such organizations require huge networks and regular maintenance, hence they recruit professionals to handle the systems.
Azure Automation cuts downs the hiring requirement, also cutting the cost.
Azure Automation has secure backup and recovery methods. That simply means, your data can be retrieved in case of any accident or unforeseen disaster.
Special Features of Azure Automation
Along with a simple and speedy cloud platform, Azure offers some features such as:
- Integration with existing systems by building PowerShell modules or integrating with other systems.
- Flexible workflow and acceleration of the process.
- Increasing reliability in services among systems and tools.
- Error detection & correction notices.
- Runbooks to help in automating tasks that require time to execute, also reducing frequent errors.
- Graphical Authoring allows linking activities from Runbooks to the workflows, without writing a very complex script.
Conclusion
Azure Automation is a SaaS (Software-as-a-service). It provides a reliable automation process for IT-related tasks in organizations, allowing multi-user access and configuration management changes from Windows to Linux.
