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1 | 1 | --- |
2 | | -title: Azure Automation Overview |
| 2 | +title: Azure Automation overview |
3 | 3 | description: Learn how to use Azure Automation to automate the lifecycle of infrastructure and applications. |
4 | 4 | services: automation |
5 | 5 | ms.subservice: process-automation |
6 | | -keywords: azure automation, DSC, powershell, desired state configuration, update management, change tracking, inventory, runbooks, python, graphical |
| 6 | +keywords: azure automation, DSC, powershell, state configuration, update management, change tracking, DSC, inventory, runbooks, python, graphical |
7 | 7 | ms.date: 10/18/2018 |
8 | 8 | ms.custom: mvc |
9 | 9 | ms.topic: overview |
10 | 10 | --- |
11 | 11 | # An introduction to Azure Automation |
12 | 12 |
|
13 | | -Azure Automation delivers a cloud-based automation and configuration service that provides consistent management across your Azure and non-Azure environments. It consists of process automation, update management, and configuration features. Azure Automation provides complete control during deployment, operations, and decommissioning of workloads and resources. |
14 | 13 | This article provides a brief overview of Azure Automation and answers some common questions. For more information about the different capabilities, visit the links throughout this overview. |
15 | 14 |
|
16 | | -## Azure Automation capabilities |
| 15 | +## About Azure Automation |
17 | 16 |
|
18 | | - |
| 17 | +Azure Automation delivers a cloud-based automation and configuration service that supports consistent management across your Azure and non-Azure environments. It comprises process automation, configuration management, update management, shared capabilities, and heterogeneous features. Automation gives you complete control during deployment, operations, and decommissioning of workloads and resources. |
19 | 18 |
|
20 | | -### Process automation |
| 19 | + |
21 | 20 |
|
22 | | -Azure Automation provides you the ability to automate frequent, time-consuming, and error-prone cloud management tasks. This automation helps you focus on work that adds business value. By reducing errors and boosting efficiency, it also helps to lower your operational costs. You can integrate Azure services and other public systems that are required in deploying, configuring, and managing your end to end processes. The service allows you to [author runbooks](automation-runbook-types.md) graphically, in PowerShell, or Python. By using a hybrid Runbook worker, you can unify management by orchestrating across on-premises environments. [Webhooks](automation-webhooks.md) provide a way to fulfill requests and ensure continuous delivery and operations by triggering automation from ITSM, DevOps, and monitoring systems. |
| 21 | +## Process automation |
23 | 22 |
|
24 | | -### Configuration management |
| 23 | +Process automation in Azure Automation allows you to automate frequent, time-consuming, and error-prone cloud management tasks. This service helps you focus on work that adds business value. By reducing errors and boosting efficiency, it also helps to lower your operational costs. The process automation operating environment is detailed in [Runbook execution in Azure Automation](automation-runbook-execution.md). |
25 | 24 |
|
26 | | -Azure Automation [desired state configuration](automation-dsc-overview.md) is a cloud-based solution for PowerShell DSC that provides services required for enterprise environments. Manage your DSC resources in Azure Automation and apply configurations to virtual or physical machines from a DSC Pull Server in the Azure cloud. It provides rich reports that inform you of important events such as when nodes have deviated from their assigned configuration. You can monitor and automatically update machine configuration across physical and virtual machines, Windows or Linux, in the cloud or on-premises. |
| 25 | +Process automation supports the integration of Azure services and other public systems required in deploying, configuring, and managing your end-to-end processes. The service allows you to author [runbooks](automation-runbook-types.md) graphically, in PowerShell, or using Python. By using a [Hybrid Runbook Worker](automation-hybrid-runbook-worker.md), you can unify management by orchestrating across on-premises environments. [Webhooks](automation-webhooks.md) let you fulfill requests and ensure continuous delivery and operations by triggering automation from ITSM, DevOps, and monitoring systems. |
27 | 26 |
|
28 | | -You can get inventory about in-guest resources for visibility into installed applications and other configuration items. A rich reporting and search capabilities are available to quickly find detailed information to help understand what is configured within the operating system. You can track changes across services, daemons, software, registry, and files to quickly identify what might be causing issues. Additionally, DSC can help you diagnose and alert when unwanted changes occur in your environment. |
| 27 | +## Configuration management |
29 | 28 |
|
30 | | -### Update management |
| 29 | +Azure Automation [state configuration](automation-dsc-overview.md) is a cloud-based solution for PowerShell desired state configuration (DSC) that provides services for enterprise environments. Using this feature, you can manage your DSC resources in Azure Automation and apply configurations to virtual or physical machines from a DSC pull server in the Azure cloud. You can monitor and automatically update machine configurations across physical and virtual machines, on Windows or Linux, in the cloud or on-premises. Inventory support allows you to query in-guest resources for visibility into installed applications and other configuration items. |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +The Azure Automation state configuration service provides rich reporting and search capabilities. You can use these features to locate detailed information about what is configured within an operating system. The service supports change tracking across services, daemons, software, registry, and files in your environment to help you diagnose unwanted changes and raise alerts. An important related feature is the reporting of major events, for example, events issued when nodes deviate from their assigned configurations. |
31 | 32 |
|
32 | | -Update Windows and Linux systems across hybrid environments with Azure Automation. You get visibility of update compliance across Azure, on-premises, and other clouds. You can create schedule deployments to orchestrate the installation of updates within a defined maintenance window. If an update should not be installed on a machine, you can exclude those updates from a deployment. |
| 33 | +## Update management |
33 | 34 |
|
34 | | -### <a name="shared-resources"></a>Shared resources |
| 35 | +Azure Automation includes the [update management](automation-update-management.md) solution for Windows and Linux systems across hybrid environments. With this solution, you get visibility into update compliance across Azure and other clouds, and on-premises. Update management allows you to create scheduled deployments that orchestrate the installation of updates within a defined maintenance window. If an update shouldn't be installed on a machine, you can use update management features to exclude it from a deployment. |
35 | 36 |
|
36 | | -Azure Automation consists of a set of shared resources that make it easier to automate and configure your environments at scale. |
| 37 | +## Shared capabilities |
37 | 38 |
|
38 | | -* **[Schedules](automation-schedules.md)** - Used in the service to trigger automation on predefined times. |
39 | | -* **[Modules](automation-integration-modules.md)** - Modules are used to manage Azure and other systems. Import into the Automation Account for Microsoft, third party, community, or custom defined cmdlets and DSC resources. |
40 | | -* **[Modules gallery](automation-runbook-gallery.md)** - Native integration to the PowerShell Gallery to view runbooks and import them into the Automation Account. |
41 | | -* **[Python 2 packages](python-packages.md)** - Add Python 2 packages to your automation account to use in your Python runbooks. |
42 | | -* **[Credentials](automation-credentials.md)** - Securely store sensitive information that can be used by runbooks and configurations at runtime. |
43 | | -* **[Connections](automation-connections.md)** - Store a name / value pairs of information that contains common information when connecting to systems in connection resources. Connections are defined by the module author for use at runtime in runbooks and configurations. |
44 | | -* **[Certificates](automation-certificates.md)** - Store and make available at runtime so they can be used for authentication and securing deployed resources. |
45 | | -* **[Variables](automation-variables.md)** - Provide a way to hold content that can be used across runbooks and configurations. You can change values without having to modify any of the runbooks and configurations that reference them. |
| 39 | +Azure Automation offers a number of shared capabilities, including shared resources, role-based access control, flexible scheduling, source control integration, auditing, and tagging. |
46 | 40 |
|
47 | | -### Source control integration |
| 41 | +### <a name="shared-resources"></a>Shared resources |
48 | 42 |
|
49 | | -Azure Automation has the ability to [integrate with source control](source-control-integration.md) which promotes configuration as code where runbooks or configurations can be checked into a source control system. |
| 43 | +Azure Automation consists of a set of shared resources that make it easier to automate and configure your environments at scale. |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +* **[Schedules](automation-schedules.md)** - Trigger Automation operations at predefined times. |
| 46 | +* **[Modules](automation-integration-modules.md)** - Manage Azure and other systems. You can import modules into the Automation account for Microsoft, third-party, community, and custom-defined cmdlets and DSC resources. |
| 47 | +* **[Modules gallery](automation-runbook-gallery.md)** - Supports native integration with the PowerShell Gallery to let you view runbooks and import them into the Automation account. The gallery allows you to quickly get started integrating and authoring your processes from PowerShell gallery and Microsoft Script Center. |
| 48 | +* **[Python 2 packages](python-packages.md)** - Support Python 2 runbooks for your Automation account. |
| 49 | +* **[Credentials](automation-credentials.md)** - Securely store sensitive information that runbooks and configurations can use at runtime. |
| 50 | +* **[Connections](automation-connections.md)** - Store name-value pairs of common information for connections to systems. The module author defines connections in runbooks and configurations for use at runtime. |
| 51 | +* **[Certificates](automation-certificates.md)** - Define information to be used in authentication and securing of deployed resources when accessed by runbooks or DSC configurations at runtime. |
| 52 | +* **[Variables](automation-variables.md)** - Hold content that can be used across runbooks and configurations. You can change variable values without having to modify any of the runbooks or configurations that reference them. |
50 | 53 |
|
51 | | -### Role based access control |
| 54 | +### Role-based access control |
52 | 55 |
|
53 | | -Azure Automation supports Role Based Access Control to control access to the Automation Account and its resources, to learn more about configuration RBAC on your Automation Account,runbooks, and jobs, see [Role-based access control for Azure Automation](automation-role-based-access-control.md). |
| 56 | +Azure Automation supports role-based access control (RBAC) to regulate access to the Automation account and its resources. To learn more about configuring RBAC on your Automation account, runbooks, and jobs, see [Role-based access control for Azure Automation](automation-role-based-access-control.md). |
54 | 57 |
|
55 | | -### Windows and Linux |
| 58 | +### Source control integration |
56 | 59 |
|
57 | | -Azure Automation is designed to work across your hybrid cloud environment and also for Windows & Linux. It delivers a consistent way to automate and configure workloads deployed and the operating system they are running on. |
| 60 | +Azure Automation allows [source control integration](source-control-integration.md). This feature promotes configuration as code where runbooks or configurations can be checked into a source control system. |
58 | 61 |
|
59 | | -### Community gallery |
| 62 | +## Heterogeneous support (Windows and Linux) |
60 | 63 |
|
61 | | -Browse the [Automation gallery](automation-runbook-gallery.md) for runbooks and modules to quickly get started integrating and authoring your processes from PowerShell gallery and Microsoft Script Center. |
| 64 | +Automation is designed to work across your hybrid cloud environment and also your Windows and Linux systems. It delivers a consistent way to automate and configure deployed workloads and the operating systems that run them. |
62 | 65 |
|
63 | 66 | ## Common scenarios for Automation |
64 | 67 |
|
65 | | -Azure Automation manages across the lifecycle of your infrastructure and applications. Transfer knowledge into the system on how the organization delivers and maintains workloads. Author in common languages like PowerShell, desired state configuration, Python, and graphical runbooks. Get a complete inventory of deployed resources for targeting, reporting, and compliance. Identify changes that can cause misconfiguration and improve operational compliance. |
| 68 | +Azure Automation supports management throughout the lifecycle of your infrastructure and applications. Common scenarios include: |
66 | 69 |
|
67 | | -* **Build / Deploy resources** - Deploy VMs across a hybrid environment using Runbooks and Azure Resource Manager templates. Integrate into development tools like Jenkins and Azure DevOps. |
68 | | -* **Configure VMs** - Assess and configure Windows and Linux machines with the desired configuration for the infrastructure and application. |
69 | | -* **Monitor** - Identify changes on machines that are causing issues and remediate or escalate to management systems. |
70 | | -* **Protect** - Quarantine VM if security alert is raised. Set in-guest requirements. |
71 | | -* **Govern** - Set up role-based access control for teams. Recover unused resources. |
| 70 | +* **Write runbooks** - Author PowerShell, PowerShell Workflow, graphical, Python 2, and DSC runbooks in common languages. |
| 71 | +* **Build and deploy resources** - Deploy virtual machines across a hybrid environment using runbooks and Azure Resource Manager templates. Integrate into development tools, such as Jenkins and Azure DevOps. |
| 72 | +* **Configure VMs** - Assess and configure Windows and Linux machines with configurations for the infrastructure and application. |
| 73 | +* **Share knowledge** - Transfer knowledge into the system on how your organization delivers and maintains workloads. |
| 74 | +* **Retrieve inventory** - Get a complete inventory of deployed resources for targeting, reporting, and compliance. |
| 75 | +* **Find changes** - Identify changes that can cause misconfiguration and improve operational compliance. |
| 76 | +* **Monitor** - Isolate machine changes that are causing issues and remediate or escalate them to management systems. |
| 77 | +* **Protect** - Quarantine machines if security alerts are raised. Set in-guest requirements. |
| 78 | +* **Govern** - Set up RBAC for teams. Recover unused resources. |
72 | 79 |
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73 | 80 | [!INCLUDE [azure-lighthouse-supported-service](../../includes/azure-lighthouse-supported-service.md)] |
74 | 81 |
|
75 | 82 | ## Pricing for Automation |
76 | 83 |
|
77 | | -You can review the price for Azure Automation on the [pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/automation/) page. |
| 84 | +You can review the prices associated with Azure Automation on the [pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/automation/) page. |
78 | 85 |
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79 | 86 | ## Next steps |
80 | 87 |
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