About every year new tools for systems management are being released that fill a certain niche, or exploit the possibilities of configuration management by using yet another implemlentation language or a single compelling feature. And from a cynical point-of-view, Ansible is not different. However the design principles behind Ansible make it an exciting new alternative that simplifies and redefines systems management.

This presentation is not intended as a comparison to other alternative tools, but an open-minded look at what Ansible offers and how it shines, illustrated by an (undoubtedly risky) demonstration with real-life examples for provisioning and systems management.