Let’s face it: managing IT operations today feels a bit like spinning plates in a hurricane. Alerts are pinging, systems are stalling, users are shouting (as if that’ll help), and all the while, you’re drowning in a sea of repetitive, manual tasks. Sound familiar? Welcome to the wonderfully chaotic world of IT. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Every operating system has its quirks, and Linux security is no different. Whether you’re on Team Penguin or running mostly Windows boxes (or a bit of both), you’ll need to take different steps to manage security on different OSes. Like any OS, Linux security comes with its own peculiarities, pitfalls, and best practices.

Given the sophisticated nature of modern IT, today’s operations teams require more than simple step-by-step instructions—they need intelligent automation that boosts efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility throughout the organization. Runbook automation transforms traditional, manual processes into automated workflows, empowering operators to execute complex, multi-step tasks quickly and reliably.

Looking for a tool to help you format your CFEngine policy? Have you heard of cffmt? You might recall that we had a chat with the author, Miek Gieben in The agent is in - Episode 24.1 In case you missed it, cffmt is a command line tool for formatting CFEngine policy files, like gofmt for.cf files.2 Let’s take a look. Consistent formatting can really ease reading of policy, but sometimes editors are configured differently and you can end up with inconsistently formatted policy.

As telecom providers evolve to support 5G and beyond, network complexity skyrockets. That’s where a “Dark NOC” comes into play. Contrary to what it might sound like, a Dark NOC doesn’t mean a completely deserted control room. Instead, it’s a NOC that can operate with minimal human oversight thanks to advanced automation. Routine and even some complex processes run autonomously, leaving human intervention only for specific, high-stakes scenarios.

In the evolving landscape of telecommunications, terms like Digital Service Provider (DSP), Communications Service Provider (CSP), and Technology Company (TechCo) are reshaping how the industry approaches service delivery. As customer needs grow and network complexities increase, telecom network automation becomes central to meeting these demands.

It's expensive when you don't comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) controls — take for example the €310 million fine (equivalent to $335 million dollars) that LinkedIn received from the GDPR. In this case, they shared users’ personal data for targeted advertising and behavioural analyses, without asking for user consent. Can you afford €310 million? It might be time to automate GDPR controls for 24/7 compliance.

With the shift toward 5G and the forthcoming 6G evolution, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are under increasing pressure to keep up with the complexities of modern telecommunications. At the heart of this evolution is the Radio Access Network (RAN), which has developed from supporting basic voice services to enabling the high-speed, low-latency networks essential for IoT, smart cities, and autonomous vehicles.

Have you seen the new Groups feature in CFEngine Enterprise Mission Portal? It was first released in 3.23.0 and it’s part of the 3.24 LTS series released earlier this year, let’s check it out. Groups in Mission Portal can be based on any host reported data. They can be dynamic (hosts can come and go from a group) or they can be static and tied to specific hosts by hostname, mac address, IP or CFEngine’s public key.