I have actually automated myself out of a job before so be careful! Fortunately the company saw the value of this and contracted me on an adhoc basis.
I wad the unfortunate administrator for a large virtual mail system in the uk which was run off exim and flat files across 50 machines (one per client). This took 3 guys full time to manage as the machines were all over the uk and needed regular maintenance. I centralized everything and moved it to two virtual postfix machines backed with postgresql and wrote a web interface and set up scripts for backup and administrative operations, including integrated dns management.
Now, 12 years later, these guys are one of the larger hosting companies in the UK...
Automation almost always pays off, but not how you anticipate in some cases.
I wad the unfortunate administrator for a large virtual mail system in the uk which was run off exim and flat files across 50 machines (one per client). This took 3 guys full time to manage as the machines were all over the uk and needed regular maintenance. I centralized everything and moved it to two virtual postfix machines backed with postgresql and wrote a web interface and set up scripts for backup and administrative operations, including integrated dns management.
Now, 12 years later, these guys are one of the larger hosting companies in the UK...
Automation almost always pays off, but not how you anticipate in some cases.