I just ducked in to see what Network Automation has done since we first kicked the tires with Automate in 2006. 

Yes, the world has changed -- certainly in education. We're all in Google Apps now -- and Automate seems stuck hopelessly in the A/D world.

We still have A/D, but it's not managing directory objects or workflows that's the wolf howling at our door. The big challenge is managing both A/D and the Google side (and all Google-integrated apps and data). There are numerous players offering management on the Google side; that's covered nicely and evolving fast. 

What's NOT available is something to glue both worlds together. I'm not talking strictly about account replication -- Google has that covered as well, if you like the same structure in both worlds. 

I'm talking about how to help organizations live in BOTH worlds, as many must for years to come. 

That Automate is not evolving to meet this rapidly emerging need is unfortunate -- especially when Google's APIs afford a rich opportunity for a company like Network Automation to leverage economies of scale and provide the value-add that very, very busy I.T. workforces would crawl over broken glass for. 

Well, not us. We're educators, and we're cheapskates. But there are a LOT of us making these transitions, and I'd think we'd be a lucrative market even at dirt-cheap pricing. 

:::sigh:::

Hello David,

Well said! We have added a feature request to our development team per your request.

We hope to implement this functionality into future versions of the software.

thanks again for your thoughts.

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Alex Escalante | Support Analyst
AutoMate | Division of HelpSystems
HelpSystems, LLC | T: +1.213.738.1700 | F: +1.213.738.7665