On Taking a Configuration Management Position?

Bravo_Two_Zero asks: "I've recently been offered a Configuration Management position as a lateral (with a slight incline) move. I'm darn happy as an admin, and my heart really lies with system engineering rather than the more mundane operational concerns. But, the position is new, so I would have a chance to define many parameters. Also, it could lead to a management opportunity (if I'm interested) much faster than my current admin slot. It's a hideously complex environment, but I already live through that as an admin. Mileage will vary widely, I know, but I was hoping there might be a school of thought or two from some devoted Slashdot readers who perform or have performed the position. What did you do, and what would you change? And, to the broader audience, is this something you think of as a growth field, or is this just another layer of administrivia foisted on us by an unrealistic development model? Is there a book or other resource that professional Configuration Managers consider a must-read?"

Comments

good against outsourcing

[inepom01]

As we outsource more and more, it is these types of positions that have to remain in house- make cheap offshore developers write all the code for some separate pieces of software and a few on-shore configuration management people make them all work together peacefully.

Re:Danger, Danger Will Robinson

[nes11]

If that's the case, then another important question is how long you plan to stay in this position & how much is the job going to change over the next year or two.

I'm currently in a similiar position that primarily involves cleaning up a relatively unmanaged collection of webservers. While your in the process of defining your position, you need to remember that once you've been around a year or two and have the mess cleaned up, the job & will probably change quite a bit.

Re:Danger, Danger Will Robinson

[SpaceLifeForm]

Well, hopefully that is true. I'm lazy or don't have time, I want automated software to handle the brunt of the work. Once you have your CM set up to manage the users semi-automagically, you can then really manage the quality of your time that you apply to your CM on a higher level. A properly functioning, quality CM system is truly a very useful tool.