Cloud automation vs orchestration: what's the difference?
In cloud computing, much is made of orchestration and automation. Learn the difference in our guide.
Today's world of cloud computing is all about diversity. Single data servers get replaced by patchworks of public and private cloud environments. Different APIs and pieces of software are integrated into a whole.
The name of the game is flexibility. No one, it seems, is tied any longer to a single piece of hardware or software.
But with this new dawn of diversity comes new challenges. How can you ensure that all the pieces of your puzzle fit together? In other words, how can you make sure those super-complicated business processes run smoothly?
There are lots of answers to this question – not all of them technical. Having a cloud-first or cloud-native work culture can certainly help. But at an operational level, two of the most significant contributing factors are automation and orchestration.
These words get bandied around a lot, often with subtly different meanings. They come as a pair – like cheese and pickle or Lennon and McCartney – but they're not joined at the hip. What, exactly, is the difference? And why does it matter to your business?
Here's one way of looking at it: automation is about single tasks, while orchestration is about workflows comprised of multiple tasks. Both can save you time and money and reduce the possibility of human error.
In this article, we break down automation and orchestration for you.
What is automation?
Automation is the process of removing humans from routine, repeatable tasks.
Let's say you have a friend who loves curry. Every time you get a promotional email that mentions a deal on curry, you forward it to her.
How many times would you perform this action before you got sick of it? Once a week? Once a day? Once an hour?
Once it becomes a burden, it's time to automate. In this case, you can do so by automating the task in your email settings.
Automation, then, is about executing simple, repeatable tasks without lifting a finger. But it's also about the opposite: executing complex, precise, irregular tasks that a computer can deal with better than you.
In the context of IT, those routine tasks could involve verifying devices, monitoring CPU, sending out email notifications, restarting services or communicating with third-party applications.
Crucially, one task equals one job. This is one of the key differences between automation and orchestration.
It's no different, really, from putting a slice of bread in a toaster rather than firing up the grill and making sure it doesn't burn. It gives you less to do. In business, it reduces the burden on your teams, saving time and reducing the possibility of human error.
At the end of the day, these benefits add up to one big benefit. Automation can save you money. And its operational cousin, orchestration, can save you even more.
What is orchestration?
Orchestration isn't as familiar a concept as automation. However, in the world of cloud computing, it's equally as important to the smooth running of complex systems.
Think of a musical orchestra. The conductor's job is to get dozens of musicians to work together as one and create a specific musical effect.
Orchestration in the cloud is similar. It's typically about getting APIs to work together, whether at the front end or the back end.
The benefits are plain to see. Let's say you run an eCommerce store and use different systems to collect product information. If you're a developer, wouldn't you rather have a procedure in place that orchestrates all of these processes rather than having to make all the calls yourself?
Orchestration can also hook up separate workflows. Let's say the system goes down. Orchestration would fire off a notification email or text message as soon as this happened – all without human intervention.
This gets to the heart of the difference between orchestration and automation. Automation handles a single task. Orchestration puts tasks together into an IT-driven process workflow. You could say that automation is shooting hoops whereas orchestration is managing a basketball team.
Newer forms of orchestration involve getting business applications, rather than APIs, to work together. As composable architectures are increasingly adopted, the ability to make multiple applications work together as a single system becomes more and more appealing.
Essentially, orchestration gives you all the benefits of composable architecture – such as creating a bespoke solution out of products from different vendors – with the benefits of monolithic architecture. Say what you like about monoliths – you know they're simple and cohesive. This is something that can't always be said for patchwork cloud environments.
More abstractly, orchestration is about putting your investments, technology and resources to work. Like automation, it can save time and money and reduce human error. It can also boost service levels and improve your overall efficiency.
How old is automation?
In the age of AI, automation is a household topic of conversation. But for as long as people have made machines, they've been trying to automate them – whether it was the Greeks and Arabs at the start of the last millennium making water clocks or industrialists making fully automated mills and looms in the 18th century.
The word itself, however, is relatively recent. It was coined – or at least popularised – by Ford Motor Company's Vice President Delmar S. Harder, who set up an automation department in 1947. At this time, Ford was beginning to replace humans with machines on the assembly line.
Today, most objects in our world are created through automation – and the world of computers is no different.
What is composable architecture?
Composable architecture is a modular approach to software systems. It breaks them into small, independent and interchangeable components. This gives systems administrators greater freedom to pick products. Done well, it can create systems that are smoother, more comprehensive and easier to maintain than their monolithic counterparts.
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