Simplifying IT Operations with AWS Systems Manager

00:00 Introduction

Jon Galentine, director of the Systems Manager team at AWS, and Nereida Woo, a solutions architect, introduce themselves and the topic of simplifying IT operations with AWS Systems Manager. They gauge the audience's familiarity with the service through a brief quiz.

02:00 Systems Manager Overview

There are 22 distinct services within the Systems Manager umbrella. Jon shares the evolution of Systems Manager, which began in 2015 to help EC2 customers automate maintenance and patching of instances. The service grew from internal needs to an essential tool for customers facing operational challenges.

05:00 Core Building Blocks

Jon explains the initial goals of Systems Manager, which included the development of a flexible workflow system for automating tasks. He outlines various components, such as the Run Command service for safely executing scripts across instances and the Session Manager for secure terminal access without complex setups.

10:00 Growth and Adoption

Since its launch, Systems Manager has expanded significantly, with customers managing over 450 million compute nodes and executing billions of scripts monthly. Jon highlights continued improvements based on user feedback, moving towards fully integrated solutions.

15:00 Next Generation of Systems Manager

The new version of Systems Manager offers a centralized view for managing AWS and multi-cloud instances, allowing users to easily identify and remediate unmanaged nodes. It emphasizes automated workflows and low-code runbook editors to streamline operations.

20:00 Demo of New Features

Nereida walks through a demo showcasing the new integrated experience. She demonstrates how to identify unmanaged nodes, diagnose issues, and utilize pre-built automation runbooks for tasks like OS upgrades, emphasizing the simplicity and efficiency of the new setup.

30:00 Key Takeaways and Resources

The session concludes with key takeaways about the new experience in Systems Manager, including streamlined setup, effective node management, and the importance of automation. They also provide resources for further learning.