We use Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform for the automation of our servers and applications. We also use both Terraform and Ansible to automate our infrastructure.
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AAP rocks
What do you like best about the product?
The best feature of Red Hat Ansible Platform is its Automation Controller. It provides a centralized, easy-to-use interface for managing, scheduling, and scaling automation tasks across large environments. With role-based access control, graphical management, and the ability to orchestrate complex workflows, it ensures that automation is secure, repeatable, and scalable. This makes it ideal for organizations looking to streamline and standardize their IT processes across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
What do you dislike about the product?
One potential downside of Red Hat Ansible Platform is its complexity for newcomers. While Ansible itself is known for its simplicity with YAML-based playbooks, the enterprise-level features of the platform, such as the Automation Controller, Analytics, and Hub, can be overwhelming for new users or smaller teams. The advanced features and configurations require more in-depth knowledge and can present a steeper learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with enterprise IT environments. Additionally, the platform’s cost could be a factor for smaller organizations.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Using Ansible’s Automation Controller, our company fixed our entire automation process. A single playbook can be written to provision, configure, and secure the VMs in a consistent manner across both cloud environments. The Automation Controller schedules and monitors the process, ensuring that every VM is deployed correctly, reducing deployment time from days to hours, and eliminating human errors. This allows IT staff to focus on more strategic tasks, while ensuring consistent, compliant configurations across all environments.
Ansible-review
What do you like best about the product?
It's versatility and reliability makes it the most compelling option when building large, scalable infrastructure projects.
What do you dislike about the product?
The GUI is getting increasingly overcrowded.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Ansible is transversally integrated throughout many layers.
Success
What do you like best about the product?
Constant support and updates
What do you dislike about the product?
Some compatibilities have not yet been resolved
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Architecture
Great product
What do you like best about the product?
It is studying to implement. But we are starting the tests.
What do you dislike about the product?
For now, I still don't have information.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
As we are in the testing phase, we still don't have
Improvement of service desk with Ansible
What do you like best about the product?
The simplicity! I was able to reach all my SLAS with the help of Ansible.
What do you dislike about the product?
Nothing at all. Ansible meet all my needs.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Improve my service desk SLA.
Review from a associate technical engineer working on ansible
What do you like best about the product?
Ansible is widely appreciated for its simplicity and efficiency, making it one of the most helpful tools in automation and configuration management. One of its key features is its agentless architecture, which eliminates the need to install software on the managed nodes, reducing complexity and overhead. It uses straightforward YAML syntax in its playbooks, which makes it accessible even to those with limited programming experience. Ansible also supports idempotency, ensuring that tasks can be run repeatedly without causing unintended changes if the system is already in the desired state. With its strong community support and a wide range of modules, Ansible integrates well with various platforms and applications, allowing for seamless automation of repetitive tasks like provisioning, configuration management, and application deployment
What do you dislike about the product?
One common issue is the slow execution of playbooks, especially when managing large-scale environments or executing tasks over many nodes. Since Ansible is agentless, it relies on SSH connections for communication, which can introduce delays, particularly if multiple servers are involved or if there are network latency issues. Another challenge is that playbooks written inefficiently, with redundant tasks or complex loops, can further contribute to performance bottlenecks. Additionally, Ansible's default execution model is single-threaded, meaning it processes tasks sequentially, which can slow down operations when dealing with a high volume of servers. Debugging and troubleshooting can also be tricky at times, as verbose logs are sometimes needed to pinpoint issues, leading to an increase in execution time.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform solves critical challenges in IT automation, particularly in maintaining consistent and reliable environments across large-scale infrastructure. For your tasks, like running health scans and closing patching, it helps by automating repetitive, time-consuming processes, ensuring that patching and system checks are done efficiently and consistently across all servers.
One key benefit is the platform’s ability to orchestrate large-scale operations, reducing human error and ensuring that patches are applied uniformly. It also provides robust reporting and visibility into what tasks have been executed, making it easier to track patch compliance and health scan results. Additionally, its role-based access control (RBAC) ensures that only authorized personnel can make changes, improving security.
One key benefit is the platform’s ability to orchestrate large-scale operations, reducing human error and ensuring that patches are applied uniformly. It also provides robust reporting and visibility into what tasks have been executed, making it easier to track patch compliance and health scan results. Additionally, its role-based access control (RBAC) ensures that only authorized personnel can make changes, improving security.
Significant time savings and error reduction with enhanced automation capabilities
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform has saved our time and reduced errors in our processes. It used to take us two months to provide a server in our organization, and now it only takes a few minutes to have the same server. Automation has ensured that tasks are done in the same way every time, reducing the likelihood of errors.
What is most valuable?
The capacity to install products on the operating system is very valuable. Ansible is better at handling the final configuration of servers. We prefer Terraform for creating multiple resources in a project, but Ansible is better for final configurations.
What needs improvement?
Ansible's centric idea of servers needs to be changed. In modern infrastructure, there are more than just servers. The initial server-centric approach in Ansible is a bit strange. It should improve its functionality with cloud resources like Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud.
Ansible could also improve its capabilities in managing several resources at the same time, similar to Terraform. Moreover, more integration with other tools would be beneficial.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform for about three to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Ansible is rated high, around eight to nine on a scale of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't experienced any problems with Ansible's scalability. We use it at the project level and create around ten to 20 resources. We haven't tested it with thousands of servers, so it's difficult to say how it would perform in such scenarios.
How are customer service and support?
We are using the free version of Ansible, and so far, the support has been very high, considering that it is a free version. We are in discussions with Red Hat and IBM about possibly purchasing the commercial version when we start using Ansible for patching servers.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Ansible, we used BladeLogic from BMC. We switched to Ansible as it was easier to use, had more functionality, and there were more people in the market who knew Ansible compared to BladeLogic. Overall, Ansible is a much better product.
How was the initial setup?
The setup of Ansible is easy. It's faster to start working with Terraform. However. Ansible's setup is also straightforward. The basic installation process is quick and effortless.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend using both Ansible and Terraform for automation, especially now that both are under IBM.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Efficient server management and detailed reporting with flexible deployment capabilities
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Ansible allows us to manage a multitude of servers efficiently. We can deploy configurations and changes effectively and gather detailed reports. This means we have substantial control and flexibility in managing our servers.
What is most valuable?
I can do anything with Ansible. It allows control over thousands of servers, whether virtual or physical. The flexibility to manage deployments, configuration changes, and reporting is highly valuable. Ansible is containerized, making it easy to pull updated containers for automation.
What needs improvement?
There are challenges in using the graphical interface, particularly in open-source versions. The Subscription model presents some limitations, and there is room for improvement in making the Ansible navigator more flexible for open-source use. Installation can also be challenging, especially for graphical components.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Ansible since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Ansible is very stable. There are no issues concerning the system's stability when managed with Ansible.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Ansible provides fantastic scalability. This tool allows us to manage a significant number of clients without limitations, making it suitable for large-scale operations.
How are customer service and support?
I rate Red Hat's customer support for Ansible at nine points out of ten. Customer support for Ansible is excellent, and any issues we have encountered have been resolved promptly.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Ansible is relatively straightforward. Installing the core product takes about thirty minutes to an hour. However, fully setting up Ansible with additional servers might take around two to three hours.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation is handled by myself and one other colleague.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a need for more flexibility in the subscription model, but I do not have detailed insights into the pricing and licensing setup.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
Easy deployment
What do you like best about the product?
The integration with solutions like Dynatrace's observability
What do you dislike about the product?
Your interface. I suggest that you improve it to make it more user-friendly.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Problems of early identification and mitigation. Ansible solves this.
IT ADMINISTRATOR
What do you like best about the product?
make my work and life easier, help with with the automation.
What do you dislike about the product?
doesnt work with all the clouds providers
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
managing my entire data center
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