So why Ansible?
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I attended a virtual event called AnsibleFest 2021 and after attending I asked myself âSo why are so many people reluctant to try Ansible?â.
Ansible is an IT automation tool that can be used to help automate daily tasks. It is easy to use and is written in a human readable format. It will alleviate the mundane tasks which will allow the user more time to be productive in other areas.
So why the reluctance? I came away with one word: âFEARâ. Fear that by automating the userâs daily tasks that may make the userâs job obsolete. Fear that giving control to an automation tool you are giving up control of the task. Fear of âok what do we do now when the automation fails?â. And lastly fear of change, the âwe have done the same thing for thirty plus years so why change nowâ mindset.
How do you calm these fears? You calm them by addressing them.
There is a misconception that by automating your job tasks, you will make your job obsolete.
To me there will always be tasks to do, and these tasks will change. Evolution doesnât stop and task evolution doesnât either. The old tasks will be changed or deleted. It will take someone to design and implement these tasks. By automating existing tasks, the user will now have more time for design. When you think about it, the running of the task should be the simple part. The designing of a problem solution resulting in a task is the hard part.
Not having control over the task is also a misconception as you actually have more control.
When you are automating the task, you have control as you are the one writing the automation. If the automation design is done properly, you can control it to obtain consistent results with less errors and mistakes.
Ok what do we do now when the automation fails?
Automation is usually taking a set of tasks and combining them to create an overall task. My answer is âdocument document documentâ. What is it you are automating and how was it done before you automated it. Have it documented as to what existing process is your automation replacing. When writing the automation much like how you originally did the task there should be error handling routines in the event of failure. Remember you are not replacing a task you are automating the task so whatever error handling was implemented in the original task process should also be done in the automation.
The this is how we have done things for thirty plus years mindset also no longer applies.
For a lot of us thirty years ago we hired into the company we are still at, in my case that company is IBM, and I have been there forty plus years. I started as a computer operator, then a hardware installer before I became a software engineer. I have been an application developer working on the early stages of ISMF and after that came to work in device support as the ICKDSF (device support facilities developer) which has spanned most of my career.
In todayâs work environment you are lucky if you are able to get five years of service before the employee leaves for another company. Much like the tasks are always changing, so is the the work force. This in itself is a major reason for the âWhy Ansibleâ. As the workforce constantly changes, automation of the tasks into an industry standard like Ansible will help alleviate the problem of constantly having to train these new hires.
The greatest thing I have seen with Ansible is that it allows new employees to be productive quickly. By allowing the new employee to automate a task it allows them to better understand the task.
My take is automation is a way to modernize your processes now. Modernization will happen whether we want it to or not, and we can fully embrace it or not. Modernization however will not happen until it is made a priority and we educate ourselves on what is available to us on our journey to modernization.
Ansible is an industry standard and there now, so calm your fears. Make modernization a priority and educate yourself on Ansible, you wonât be disappointed.
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