How do you stay current with automation techniques?

1 Read blogs and newsletters

Staying up to date with automation techniques is simple with blogs and newsletters dedicated to operating system topics. You can find helpful advice, tutorials, news, and insights from experts and practitioners in the field. For example, The Automate OS blog covers Windows, Linux, and MacOS automation; the OS Automation newsletter curates the best content on operating system automation each week; and the Linux Automation blog offers insight into tools like Ansible, Puppet, Chef, and SaltStack for automating Linux tasks and configurations.

2 Join online communities and forums

Staying current with automation techniques can be achieved by joining online communities and forums. There are plenty of options available, such as the r/OSAutomation subreddit, the Stack Overflow Operating System Automation tag, and the OS Automation Slack channel. Here, you can interact with other operating system enthusiasts, ask questions, share ideas, and learn from others. Additionally, you can find communities and forums for different operating system platforms, tools, and languages. Joining these online communities can help you stay up-to-date on the latest automation techniques and network with other professionals and enthusiasts.

3 Take online courses and certifications

Staying current with automation techniques can be accomplished by taking online courses and certifications that teach the latest skills, concepts, and best practices in operating system automation. You can find courses and certifications for different operating system platforms, tools, and languages. For example, the Operating System Automation with Python course teaches how to use Python to automate operating system tasks such as file management, web scraping, and data analysis. Meanwhile, the Operating System Automation with PowerShell course helps you use PowerShell to automate Windows tasks like registry manipulation and service management. Additionally, the Operating System Automation with Ansible certification verifies your ability to use Ansible to automate Linux tasks such as configuration management and orchestration.

4 Experiment with different tools and projects

To stay up-to-date with automation techniques, you can experiment with different tools and projects that require you to apply your operating system automation skills. OSQuery, for instance, allows you to query your operating system as if it were a database, and use SQL for analysis, monitoring, and auditing. OSBot is a collection of scripts that automate various tasks such as backup, cleanup, update, and security. Additionally, the OSINT Framework project is a web-based tool that automates the process of gathering open source intelligence from sources like social media, web archives, and domain information. Experimenting with these tools and projects can help you stay current with automation techniques.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?