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IT automation is key to IT efficiency, agility and control. Here are some of my recent thoughts on this topic. Please feel free to share yours.

People and Automation  Read more... (285 words, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)

• All automations ultimately start from people, not the other way around.
• Although automation has a role, it never takes the place of a good system administrator.
• Not everything can be automated, and not everything is worth being automated.

Just finished reading the book The Art of Scalability: Scalable Web Architecture, Processes, and Organizations for the Modern Enterprise by Martin Abbott, Michael Fisher. The book draws on authors’ experiences working at PayPal/eBay and other Internet companies, and covers many aspects of scalability including people, organization, process, and technology. According to Yishan Wong, who used to work under the authors and is now an engineering director at Facebook, “the opportunity to directly absorb the lessons and experiences presented in this book is invaluable to me now working at Facebook.”  Read more... (470 words, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)

ComputerWorld just released its 17th annual report Best Places to Work in IT 2010. The criteria used for the selection include diversity, career development, retention, benefits and training. It does not include cutting edge technology though. I think that is pretty important but hard to measure and compare at the same time.

The top 100 companies come from different industries ranging from technology vendors like SAS, salesforce.com, to the customers. The list does not cover companies from other parts of the world. I am sure many companies from Europe, Canada, etc. would have made the list otherwise.

Ready for the list?  Read more... (509 words, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)