Monthly Archives: June 2017

The highest performing organizations have automated 72 percent of all configuration management processes. And those same high performers spend much less time (28 percent) in manual configuration processes that stall innovation and deployments.

In comparison, low performers are spending almost half of their time (46 percent) on manual configuration. These are among the findings of the latest State of DevOps Report by Puppet Labs, which surveyed 3,200 respondents from organizations of all sizes and across multiple industries.

For the first time, the report also considered leadership types and how they affect performance. The results show that high-performing teams have leaders with the strongest behaviors across five characteristics. These include vision, inspirational communication, intellectual stimulation, supportive leadership and personal recognition. Leaders that exhibit a lower percentage of these characteristics tend to have lower performing teams.

Lean product management practices come under the spotlight too, and the report concludes that they help teams ship features that customers want, more frequently. This faster delivery cycle lets teams experiment, creating a feedback loop with customers, ultimately benefiting the entire organization.

"Every company relies on software to make its business more powerful, forcing IT organizations to evolve and ship software on demand," says Nigel Kersten, chief technical strategist at Puppet. "The results of the 2017 State of DevOps Report show that high-performing IT teams are deploying more frequently and recovering faster than ever before, yet the automation gap between high and low performing teams continues to grow. The report will help organizations understand how to identify their own inhibitors and embrace change on their DevOps journey."

You can find out more in the full report which is available to download from the Puppet website.

Photo Credit: anathomy/Shutterstock

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DevOps automation boosts performance - BetaNews

This Axios headline is problematic: Summers: Automation is the middle class worst enemy.

The accompanying piece doesnt actually quote economist Larry Summers making that declaration. Rather it summarizes an interview in which Summers indeed points out the challenge automation poses for workers. Hes right. Of course thats been the case for the past 200 years and will likely be the case for the next 200. But in exchange for a degree of instability and disruption, technological progress has dramatically raised living standards for workers.

Technicians build LEAP engines for jetliners at a new, highly automated General Electric (GE) factory in Lafayette, Indiana, on March 29, 2017. REUTERS/Alwyn Scott.

Automation is kind of like alcohol, which, as Homer Simpson putsit,is the cause of, and solution to, all of lifes problems. Its the job of policymakers to make sure workers are ready to climb to the next footholdor ledge as the waters of automation continue to rise. Its also their job to make sure policy is as supportive as possible of innovation. Indeed, we need more tech progress, not less. The U.S. economy currently suffers not from too much automation, but rather from too little investment in the sort of technology that would raise the countrys lackluster productivity, writesDerek Thompson in an excellent new piece at the Atlantic.

Technology will erase jobs but also create them. Unfortunately, as Kevin Kelly writes, we cant see those jobs from here because we cant yet see the machines and technologies that will make them.

The piece also includes this chart, which shows lower US labor force participation than other advanced economies:

But I doubt whether Summers blames automation vs. the lack of USpolicies that center-left economists see as supporting workers, such as paid leave, and high USincarceration rates. And here is economist David Autor on the net impact of automation on jobs this century:

A final observation is that while much contemporary economic pessimism attributes the labor market woes of the past decade to the adverse impacts of computerization, I remain skeptical of this inference. Clearly, computerization has shaped the structure of occupational change and the evolution of skill demands. But it is harder to see the channel through which computerization could have dramatically reduced labor demand after 1999. My suspicion is that the deceleration of the U.S. labor market after 2000, and further after 2007, is more closely associated with two other macroeconomic events. A first is the bursting of the dot-com bubble, followed by the collapse of the housing market and the ensuing financial crisis, both of which curtailed investment and innovative activity. A second is the employment dislocations in the U.S. labor market brought about by rapid globalization, particularly the sharp rise of import penetration from China following its accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001.

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Is automation really the worst enemy of the US middle class? - American Enterprise Institute

Cisco is a software company. Surprised? Dont be. In this series well explore APIs, tools and techniques that developers are using to add collaboration, security, network priority, and more!

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In 1994 and 1995 it was Boyz II Men,Pulp Fiction, and the TV showFriends. I was working as a network technical support engineer, and my team had two key accounts for which we were on the hook, 24x7. One was a large financial institution, and the other was a big healthcare organization. Both kept us very busy all the time. Looking back, and thinking about where we are now, I wish I knew how to do some of the network automation available today. Our lives could have been so much easier. Whats cool is you can start learning about network automation and coding today if you havent already. And that will put you way ahead of the game.

In 1995, like most everyone, we configured switches and routers by using a terminal emulator on a PC, connected via the console cable. 96, 8, 1 and None right?! For the financial institution, we had an interesting situation where we had outsourced on-site visits to a 3rdparty provider, which didnt know how to do configuration. They were strictly rack and stack. So I wrote some software. We created a little kit that would connect a laptop to the router in question and pull the configuration files off of it. Then, after the tech replaced the hardware, they could then push those configurations onto the new box. The technology included some simple scripts, an FTP server on the PC, and both Ethernet and console connections. This enabled people to swap a router who didnt know how to configure it. It was a pretty big deal at the time.

Figure 1 - 1995 Network Automation

Fast-forward about 20 years and, as we all know, things have changed. In todays world, there are still people doing manual, line-by-line configuration. But a lot of people are using the latest tools to automate not only configuration generation, but also to change them automatically, based on network conditions. Further, replacing a hardware device, and then having the new hardware behave like the old, is easier than ever. Even so, some folks are still not sold on network automation for one reason or another. While its still somewhat true that you cant automate everything, things are changing fast, and I think its time to take another look if you havent done so in a while.

So Im going to point out a couple of things that might be interesting, and then provide links to some more information that will help you get going if youve been hesitating about network automation. First, a little disclosure. I do work for Cisco, and these will be examples using Cisco software and hardware. That said, you can download the Cisco SDN Controller, APIC-EM,for free. And you can try out the things we talk about here without owning Cisco hardware. Keep reading and Ill explain how.

Given that Im trying to convince you to try out network automation, heres the best place to start: Plug and Play (PnP). Imagine my use case above from 1995 using PnP. In that case, youd simply rip out the old device, plug in the new one, and it would configure itself. OK, Im over-simplifying, but its actually a lot easier than you might think. Adam Radford, a Cisco distinguished engineer, has written an entire series on PnP, starting off with the basics and going further and deeper over eight individual blogs. If youre even thinking about jumping into network automation, check out Adams PnP blog series on ourDNA Community of Interest page.Heres the first one.

If youre looking for something a little more advanced, heres another surprise for you. With the release of Ciscos IOS-XE version 16.5, you can write and run Python scripts right on the box. Yes, the Cisco router that box. One of the easy examples you could start with are the learning labs on ourDevNet Beginner Track. Thats where you could actually learn to have network events trigger spark bots!

Another way to learn more about this is to read a blog by Hank Preston, a technical leader in Ciscos DevNet group.You can find his blog here. What I find particularly exciting is that you dont actually have to own Cisco gear in order to start learning to use Python for network automation.DevNet has a page on Python!

If youre not sure where to start and you just want to dip your foot in to check it out a little, then you might want to exploreNetwork Programmability for Network Engineers.

If youve been wondering about network automation and/or network programmability, its time to take a look. If you took a look a year ago and didnt think it was mature, maybe its time for another look. Network automation is changing monthly. You wont be wasting your time if you take a look at it from time to time. And Ciscos developer community is the place to do it.

If you would like to talk about this, you can direct message me@coggerin

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Network Automation Confessions of a Support Engineer - InfoWorld

Legislators should be more upfront with constituents about the fate of their jobs, according to California Sen.Kamala Harris.

People are feeling a sense of distrust of authority, of institutions, of their government, she said at the Code Conference hosted by Recode in California. Lawmakers need to be clear about how automation like driverless cars will eliminate jobs.

The jobs that employed large numbers of people around driving something on wheels will not exist, be it a truck, be it a UPS driver or a postal worker or a cab driver," she said. "We have to speak truth about that."

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Harris called for members of Congress to be transparent about the future of coal-mining jobs. Even if they prioritize the coal industry over other renewable energy sources to preserve jobs, were going to automate that even if were going to keep coal mines open," she said.

Widespread automation is inevitable, Harris said.

We need to have a better plan for Americas workforce that transitions them into the 21st-[century] economy, including high-skilled technology or renewable energy jobs, she said.

Harris also urged lawmakers and senior officials to meet with immigrants before drafting bills and executive orders restricting their entry into the United States. President Donald Trump issued an executive order tasking the Homeland Security Department with reforming the H-1B visa program, which allows domestic businesses to hire foreign workers instead of citizens or residents for certain high-skilled jobs. Trumps White House, along with lawmakers including Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, have advocated for reducing the number of H-1B visas assigned.

As home to one of the nations largest population of immigrants, California has an outsize stake in the outcome of this conversation, Harris said. Yet, many legislators do not have any experience with this population and they also seem[to] have just forgotten the history of our country," she said.

Too often lawmakers often the public a false choice, she said. The inference is, those people are taking your jobs so were going to build a wall and cut off H-1B visas.' And because those people have taken your jobs, by virtue of sealing them off, were now going to give them back to you.

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Lawmaker: 'We Need to Speak the Truth' About Automation - Nextgov

Whether youve embraced digital manufacturing or are wondering where to start, there are things you can do right now to move closer to the future. Manufacturing execution systems (MESs), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gateways, Industry 4.0, factory information systems (FISs) and manufacturing analytics might sound daunting, but that world is becoming simpler and more affordable all the time.

No matter where you are in this process, you probably know more than you think you do. Three key steps can help get you where you want to go: 1) envision the future, 2) know your pain, and 3) enlist your suppliers.

1. Envision the future

It sounds obvious, but no matter where you are in digital data management, it pays to keep an updated inventory of your data sources and uses to support your vision of the future.

Even if youre in the early stages of digitalization, start by thinking more comprehensively about where your data resides and what youd ultimately like it to do for you. For example, are you expecting your customers to start asking for traceability data in the future? Consider questions that your customers will want answered about their traceable parts or products. For example, they might want to ask questions about specific process data on a specific part assembly. Youll be asking different questions internally, such as those focused on machine-to-machine or shift-to-shift process variability.

By identifying ahead of time those questions that your tracking system will need to answer, youre creating a requirements list for traceable parts and processes. Catalog the ability of your parts, machines and processes to provide data to answer those questions, and use the resulting gap analysis to guide your next steps.

Do you rely heavily on the knowledge of experienced operators who will be retiring soon? Start to capture that knowledge now with interviews, photos, even video. At a minimum, youll have training for new employees, but even better, youll have the raw material for automated work instructions and digital error-proofing.

Dont worry about the degree of automation you have in place today. Checklists on clipboards can move to tablets, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) arent a prerequisite anymore. Regardless of your datas source or capture method, this data collection and inventory process will help guide your future manufacturing software and communications decisions.

Consider future staffing. If youre further along, and youve got a combination of manual and automated data collection, be careful not to lock yourself into a path that could limit your options in the future. Do you plan to expand your in-house operations technology (OT) and IT staff? If so, consider having them first build specifications to use in a standard MES toolbox solution.

If youre not planning to have staff thats dedicated to one particular type of MES toolbox, you should keep your sights set on systems with a more open architecture, or look for options that focus on the applications you care about most.

Is cloud an option? If youre firmly established in digital manufacturing, consider where you could move to cloud hosting. If youre going to need to consolidate data from multiple systems and locations, youll want to consider the cloud because it provides better phased integration and centralized control. Were doing it for our customers now, and its more secure and less expensive than you might expect.

2. Know your pain

If youre ready to move forward with any kind of digitization or manufacturing system, its tempting to look at software first because there are so many options. Instead, I recommend you start by identifying whats costing you the most pain in terms of unplanned downtime, product recalls or assembly errors.

Here are the solutions that our customers usually prioritize:

Tracking and traceability: Tracks every relevant part, process and final product to quickly isolate defects. Helps to stop from adding value to defective work in process, and limits the impact of recalls.

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)/FIS: Process data, like throughput tracking, bottlenecks and starved stations, equipment health monitoring and maintenance alerts.

Automated work instructions: Gives consistent assembly information to operators, usually with a graphical interface tied to the sequence of operations. This is especially valuable for complex assembly and repair processes.

Error-proofing systems: Gated processes for part placement, torque verifications and more. These can be integrated with automated work instructions and traceability.

Once youve envisioned your future data structure and prioritized your pain points, start investigating software options.

If youre new to digital manufacturing, or are integrating machines, lines or plants, ask for the ability to have anything to anything communications, including API calls and MQTT communications. Insist on a supplier who understands IIoT. Keep your options open for future technologies.

If you already have a significant MES investment, youll probably want to stick with your current supplier and integrators who have experience working with your form of MES. A good MES integrator will know how to work within your expanding system to integrate multiple control architectures and communication networks.

3. Enlist your suppliers

Digital tools can empower traditional partnerships, and your suppliers can and should be part of your move toward Industry 4.0. It can start with something as simple as adding barcodes to their packaging or parts. Even if all youre doing is scanning them on arrival and storing the information in an Excel spreadsheet, thats data that can one day become part of a traceability record, line replenishment schedule or error proofing gate.

One of our customers is currently integrating supplier data into their serial number generation process, so theyll both have the same tracking number for a given part. If one of the suppliers parts is found to be faulty, both the supplier and the customer will be able to quickly isolate the defects.

Part and product identifiers are being used in applications beyond traceability as well. Physical markings can support proper part positioning, barcodes can be used to load work instructions and trigger quality assurance gates, and RFID tags can follow the complete lifecycle of a complex product.

For example, our dynamic test systems group uses an RFID tag on helicopter transmissions to identify the individual transmission and its repair history. The transmissions unique test profile is linked to the test stands on which it ran, and maintains a trackable record for all of its future incidents and repairs.

You know more than you think you do

I started out by saying you probably know more than you think you do, and I hope Ive convinced you. No matter where you are in terms of data capture and analysis, there are things you can do right now to move closer to Industry 4.0.

Greg Giles,ggiles@redviking.com, is an executive director ofmanufacturing execution systems (MES) and ArgonautforRedViking. RedViking is a member of theControl System Integrators Association (CSIA). Visit RedVikings profile onThe Industrial Exchange.

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3 Steps Toward Industry 4.0 - Automation World