Automation

Azure Automation helps automate deployment, management, and other repetitive IT processes. It plays a role similar to that of System Center Orchestrator software on-premises.

Service Overview

Azure Automation executes runbooks, compilations of workflows or procedures, and operations that run on the PowerShell Workflow engine. Runbooks can be triggered by an operator or executed automatically in response to events monitored by Automation Watcher tasks. The service helps automate complex IT processes, such as provisioning VMs, and it can be helpful in implementing standardized processes, such as managing VMs and powering them down during hours they will not be needed. 

The service can help customers save staff time, prevent human errors, and achieve faster remediation of problems. Other Microsoft-hosted services, such as Azure Site Recovery, Azure SQL Database, Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CRM) Online, and Azure Monitor, rely on Azure Automation.

However, new services like Azure Automanage and Azure Update Manager are better suited for the tasks of configuring and updating servers and Azure at scale and have assumed some functions previously served by Azure Automation.