An Introduction to CFEngine 3 Nova for IT Managers


Next: , Previous: (dir), Up: (dir)

Nova for IT Mangagers

COMPLETE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Summary of contents


Next: , Previous: Top, Up: Top

Executive Summary


CFEngine 3 Nova automates IT operations and connects the conceptual dots between IT and business with its knowledge-oriented approach. Nova improves overall business performance directly, by:




Next: , Previous: Executive Summary, Up: Top

Handle complexity

According to Gartner Group, unplanned downtime is rising for mission-critical applications. The number and complexity of these applications are rising steadily. In large organizations, the average unplanned downtime is almost 15 hours per month, mostly due to unauthorized manual changes to the system. CFEngine 3 Nova's self-repair functionality automatically restores misconfigurations, ensuring that desired end-state is always maintained without intrusive downtime, thereby reducing the likelihood of an IT service outage.


Next: , Previous: Handle complexity, Up: Top

Desired-state through policy

CFEngine 3 Nova provides a policy-promise language, which allows IT operators to express their desires and intentions more strategically, delivering predictable expectations about the system. A policy change can be implemented in thousands of servers with zero-touch, making it consistent and rapid. A request to roll out a new application or process can be achieved effectively and securely using CFEngine policies.

Demonstrating control and ensuring effective and successful compliance audits is faster and easier with CFEngine – providing IT audits in hours instead of weeks. For organizations implementing regulations like SOX or IT best practices like ITIL, Cobit, or SAS70, our Web-based Nova 'Mission Portal' dashboard is an ideal way to define, maintain and demonstrate compliance.

Nova's high-level policy language allows you to trace business goals down to technical requirements, bringing improved business-IT-alignment and transparency for all parties.


Next: , Previous: Desired-state through policy, Up: Top

Reduce costs

Using CFEngine 3 Nova, one can expect direct costs savings related to reduced management time of up to $3,000 per server per year. The number of incidents due to mis-configurations and unauthorized changes will be reduced typically from 70%-90%. Continuous service availability is an added extra, saving you indirect costs related to outages or non-compliant behavior.


Next: , Previous: Reduce costs, Up: Top

Model-based knowledge brings transparency

CFEngine's proven theory-based approach makes automation processes understandable and sharable. Using patterns, even the most granular of definitions can be managed across a large heterogeneous environment.


Next: , Previous: Model-based knowledge brings transparency, Up: Top

CFEngine 3 Nova Highlights

CFEngine 3 is the most advanced open source configuration management platform available, able to precisely manage and automate all facets of large-scale IT infrastructure, including:



The recent major update of CFEngine 3 Nova includes these new and enhanced features:



Next: , Previous: CFEngine 3 Nova Highlights, Up: Top

About CFEngine

CFEngine software automates large-scale IT computing infrastructure: ensuring the availability, security and compliance of mission-critical applications and services. Based on a popular and flexible open source standard, CFEngine configuration management products are highly scalable through decentralized, autonomous agents that can continuously monitor, self-repair, and update a global multi-site enterprise every five minutes – with negligible impact on system resources or performance.

CFEngine solutions are used by global organizations such as Facebook, AT&T, Cisco, eBay, LinkedIn, AMD, the U.S. Navy, and five of the 10 largest banks on Wall Street to manage servers, desktops and other heterogeneous computing devices. Built upon well established theory and high-quality engineering practices, CFEngine enjoys an outstanding security record over its 18-year history.

The privately held company serves its global financial, technology and government customers from international offices in Oslo, Norway and Palo Alto, California.


Previous: About CFEngine, Up: Top

Learn more?

Go to http://www.CFEngine.com/nova

Table of Contents