As virtualization and cloud are getting more common, deploying more and more servers is really tempting for companies because it’s easier and needs less cost.

However it brings the subject of managing servers into attention. System administrators now should find solutions to decrease the time of deployment and applying changes in configurations and fixes. Under the influence of Cloud and Virtualization, business and product owners expect quick reaction from IT department; although cloud and hypervisor infrastructures provide easy and quick ways to deploy servers but still there are many tasks that require novel ideas to be automated and here is where sort of coding and logic meets system administration.

There are some tools designed for this purpose. Web giants like Google and Amazon have long used software that automatically configures the vast collection of machines driving their online services. But as Luke Kanies (CEO and Founder of  Puppet Labs) says: “Google does [things] differently, and in many cases, they do it better. Amazon is the same way. But what’s really frustrating is that no one else can use their software, I wanted to build a tool that would help other companies solve the same problem.”

Among them, Puppet is getting more attention and recent investments from big IT groups like VMware and Cisco make it attractive for companies who use virtualization and cloud. By the way, if you are a system administrator, sooner or later you will see the need for using either Puppet or any other management and automation software. Get ready!