The latest articles on Forem by Steven Brown-Robinson (@steven_brownrobinson_f38). https://forem.com/steven_brownrobinson_f38 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3709394%2Fff71e3f9-c9d7-4b8d-bcf2-7d889021b208.png https://forem.com/steven_brownrobinson_f38 en Steven Brown-Robinson Tue, 13 Jan 2026 16:00:35 +0000 https://forem.com/steven_brownrobinson_f38/infrastructure-operators-what-takes-the-most-time-monthly-398k https://forem.com/steven_brownrobinson_f38/infrastructure-operators-what-takes-the-most-time-monthly-398k <p>Quick question for folks managing infrastructure:</p> <p>What takes more of your time each month:</p> <p><strong>License compliance:</strong></p> <ul> <li>SPLA reporting for on-prem Windows/SQL?</li> <li>VMware/Veeam/Red Hat license tracking?</li> <li>M365/Google Workspace optimization?</li> </ul> <p><strong>Operations compliance:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Backup coverage verification?</li> <li>Patch management tracking?</li> <li>DR testing validation?</li> </ul> <p><strong>Cost management:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Cloud waste hunting (idle resources)?</li> <li>SaaS license cleanup?</li> </ul> <p>I'm trying to understand what's still a manual time-sink vs. <br> what's been solved by good tooling.</p> <p>Background: 25 years in infrastructure, exploring whether <br> there's value in building better automation for these areas.</p> <p>What's your biggest pain point? What tools work or don't work?</p> <p>Honest feedback appreciated!</p> discuss devops infrastructure