With shrinking IT budgets and a continued need to control IT environments, the use of open source solutions to manage infrastructure and operations is no longer just an interesting experience but a viable alternative for enterprises of all sizes. The IT management market offers plenty of solutions spanning from monitoring to automation. Open source covers many of these subject areas as well, and end users in both midsize and enterprise markets are looking at these tools as a way to save operational expenses and time. Typically, open source solutions are more lightweight and functionally to the point and can be a real alternative for managing your IT environment.