Automation in cloud computing has become increasingly important in the management of data centers. By leveraging automation tools, data centers can efficiently manage and optimize resources while reducing operational costs. Automation in data centers can involve the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to automate tasks such as resource allocation, workload management, and capacity planning. Automation has enabled data center operators to improve performance, reduce costs, and enhance security, while also enabling them to adapt quickly to changing business needs.
Looking forward, what are the emerging trends in automation in cloud computing that can further assist industries and organisations? According to David Forden, customer engineering head at Google Cloud, it can be broken down into 5 main points.
- The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
According to David, AI and ML are becoming more complex and developers should embrace AI to fully leverage on the capability of automation.
“AI and ML are going to accentuate capability. AI and ML are becoming really sophisticated and are already being applied to automate task in cloud computing especially in generative AI,” said David.
The concept of generative AI is the automation and production of different types of content and code.
“For basic infrastructure for example, you can automate tasks like provisioning, managing cloud resources, detecting and responding to security threats. This is one of the main areas of emerging trends in automation in cloud,” he added.
- The growth of hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments
Looking at the different setups end users have at data centers, David mentioned that the hybrid and multi cloud environments are much more complex than traditional on-premise setup when it comes to cloud computing.
“Organisations are adopting the hybrid and multi cloud but it could inject complexity into their environment. These environments are becoming more complex as compared to single cloud or traditional on-premise environment. This requires automation like deployment of apps across multi app environments. It becomes an issue if you can’t rely on individuals or developers to get things done without automation.
“It is a time and cost related issue. The developer would need to understand how the application interacts and there is a manual process involved to assess impact for example. If these things are to be done at scale, automation is the best way,” said David.
- The increasing focus on security and compliance
Cybersecurity remains a priority for data centers. In 2022, it was reported that researchers found over 20,000 vulnerable data center infrastructure management software. Automation can play a role in providing for a more secured environment if applied correctly, according to David.
“Most companies that run things on-premise don’t have the level of security they desire. What it comes down to is to evaluate the on-premise environment and how to patch it for a more secured environment. As cloud becomes more adopted, companies are becoming more aware of security and compliance. Security and compliance is driving high demand in automation. For example, AI being used in vulnerability scanning, compliance reporting and applying policies,” said David.
- The emergence of cloud-native automation
Cloud native apps are programmes built for cloud computing architecture and having this approach automated would remove the risk of having obsolete, unpatched legacy products that may be vulnerable to attacks.
“Having a cloud native automation reduces the risk of interfacing with a legacy product on cloud. It also provides the facility to get a more secure build. Automation in this context automates deployments,” he added.
- The democratization of automation
“Thanks to the development of low code or no code platforms, anyone with minimal skills can automate tasks in the cloud. This has opened a new window of opportunities in automation in a wide range of industries and organisations and it allows the team members to focus more on the functionality of business applications,” mentioned David.
These are some of the key trends in automation that may impact cloud computing in the coming years and affect how data centers operate in the future. As cloud computing continues to evolve, there will be more automation developments happening that is expected to further drive efficiency, reduce cost, improve performance and enhance security.