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Persona Mapping: Functions & Use Cases

This document maps each functional capability of the aap.as.code repository to specific user personas, their challenges, and the value delivered.

1. COMPLETE AAP ENVIRONMENT SETUP

Function: Automated configuration of entire AAP platform (Controller, EDA, Gateway, Hub) File: playbooks/main.yml

Persona: Demo Environment Administrator

Job Role: Solutions Architect / Technical Enablement Specialist

Problems:

  • Manually configuring AAP takes hours to weeks for each demo environment
  • No repeatable build process for demos making in the room presentations especially difficult
  • No standardized way to replicate successful demo setups
  • Credentials and secrets scattered across multiple systems
  • Onboarding new team members requires extensive documentation
  • No off-the-shelf library of product demos to address a client's exact concern
  • Redhat sales demo environments are ephemeral and may have to be re-created on a moments notice
  • There are great resources from the Ansible Team that are not operationalized for client demos
  • "New to the role" technical sales people need an easy way to produce demos like a season pro
  • No way to take field developed demos and widely replicate them

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Redhat shows clients what "Speed and Certainty" feels like in a live enviroment
  • Given a working IaaS endpoint, configure working AAP stack in 15-30 minutes
  • Declarative configuration ensures identical environments every time
  • Version-controlled setup enables rollback, change tracking, and easy sharing
  • Demo Ansible-Vault centralized credential management
  • New team members can deploy environments without prior AAP knowledge
  • Account Executives can count on the same demo everytime

Value Delivered:

  • Previously stressful demo process reduced to boring, certain delivery
  • 90% reduction in environment setup time
  • Zero configuration drift across multiple instances
  • Self-service capability for sales and partners
  • Audit trail of all configuration changes
  • Expands AAP expertise through sales teamss
  • Customers have an ready-to-go-pattern to deliver demos to their org

2. MULTI-ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT

Function: Complete AAP platform population via declarative configuration-as-code Directory: playbooks/files/config_as_code/ (19 interconnected configuration files)

Configuration Architecture Overview

The config_as_code directory contains declarative YAML files that work together as a complete configuration blueprint, eliminating manual AAP setup and ensuring identical outcomes across deployments. These files are organized into four layers:

Layer 1: Foundation (Organizations, Credentials, Users)

  • gateway_organizations.yml: Creates 6 multi-tenant organizations (IT Service, Network, Storage, Online Shopping, Data Center Operations, SOC) with pre-configured Galaxy credentials for each
  • credential_types.yml: Defines 4 custom credential types for third-party integrations (ServiceNow ITSM, Dynatrace/FreshService APIs, SMTP, Red Hat Customer Portal)
  • controller_credentials.yml: Provisions service credentials (AWS Machine, API tokens, container registries, Red Hat Customer Portal access)
  • gateway_users.yml: Creates 18 user accounts with varied roles (16 superusers, 1 system auditor, 1 regular user) for realistic RBAC demonstrations
  • gateway_teams.yml: Establishes teams (Network, Server, Storage) for role-based collaboration
  • gateway_settings.yml: Configures authentication, branding, password policies, and token expiration

Layer 2: Content Distribution (Collections, Execution Environments, Registries)

  • execution_environments.yml: Defines 2 containerized execution environments (ee-supported-rhel8, hashicorp_ee) with registry credentials
  • hub_ee_registry.yml: Configures Private Automation Hub container registry connections
  • hub_collection_remotes.yml: Sets up remote content sources (certified, validated, community collections)
  • hub_collection_repository.yml: Creates collection repositories for content synchronization

Layer 3: Automation Infrastructure (Projects, Inventories, Templates)

  • controller_projects.yml: Links 7 Git repositories containing demo playbooks (F5, Palo Alto, Windows, Linux, Satellite, HashiCorp, Event-Driven Ansible)
  • controller_inventories.yml: Creates the "AAP Managed Inventory" for target infrastructure
  • controller_hosts.yml: Populates inventory with managed hosts
  • controller_templates.yml: Provisions 5+ job templates mapped to specific demo scenarios, each pre-configured with the correct execution environment, credentials, and playbooks
  • controller_settings.yml: Configures Controller-level settings (Red Hat Insights tracking, subscription management, logging)

Layer 4: Event-Driven Automation (EDA Integration)

  • eda_credentials.yml: Stores ServiceNow and event source credentials
  • eda_decision_environments.yml: Defines decision environments for rulebook processing
  • eda_projects.yml: Links Event-Driven Ansible rulebook repositories
  • eda_event_streams.yml: Configures event streams from ServiceNow (incidents, change requests, catalog orders)
  • eda_rulebook_activations.yml: Activates rulebooks that trigger automated responses to ITSM events

How They Eliminate Toil and Ensure Identical Outcomes

The Problem Without Config-as-Code: Manual AAP configuration requires 100+ clicks across multiple UI screens, takes hours to weeks, results in configuration drift between environments, lacks version control, and requires extensive documentation for team onboarding.

The Solution: These 19 files work as a single declarative blueprint consumed by playbooks/main.yml. When executed, they:

  1. Ensure Zero Configuration Drift: Every AAP deployment uses identical YAML definitions, eliminating "works on my instance" problems
  2. Enable Version Control: All configuration changes are tracked in Git with full audit trail and rollback capability
  3. Provide Self-Service Capability: Non-experts can deploy complete AAP environments without manual configuration knowledge
  4. Deliver in Minutes, Not Hours: What previously took 4-8 hours of manual clicking is now fully automated, using Redhat tools, in 15-30 minutes
  5. Support Multi-Environment Consistency: Dev, test, and production environments are guaranteed identical
  6. Facilitate Collaboration: Teams share configuration improvements via pull requests rather than chat conversations

Files: All files in playbooks/files/config_as_code/

Persona: Enterprise Architect

Persona Role: Senior Technical Architect / Platform Owner

Problems:

  • Need to demonstrate multi-tenant AAP capabilities to enterprise customers
  • Manually creating isolated organizations for different business units is error-prone
  • Galaxy credential configuration repeated manually for each org
  • Difficult to show segregated automation across departments
  • Can't quickly prove AAP scales across organizational boundaries

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Automatically creates 6 pre-configured organizations (IT Service, Network, Storage, Shopping, Data Center, SOC)
  • Galaxy credentials automatically associated with each organization
  • Demonstrates real-world multi-tenant architecture patterns
  • Provides isolated namespaces for different automation domains
  • Enables immediate role-based access control demonstrations

Value Delivered:

  • Instant multi-tenant demo environment
  • Proof of enterprise-scale AAP capabilities
  • Clear separation of concerns across business units
  • Accelerated enterprise deal cycles
  • Technical validation of AAP for large organizations

3. TEAM & USER PROVISIONING

Function: Automated creation of teams and users with RBAC Files: gateway_teams.yml, gateway_users.yml

Persona: Security & Compliance Manager

Job Role: IT Security Manager / Compliance Officer

Problems:

  • Demonstrating granular access control requires complex manual setup
  • Need to show segregation of duties to auditors
  • Creating test users with varied permission levels is time-consuming
  • Proving least-privilege access in automation platforms
  • Validating that AAP meets security frameworks (SOC2, ISO27001)

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Pre-configured teams (Network, Server, Storage) with appropriate permissions
  • 17+ users with varying roles (superusers, auditors, regular users)
  • Demonstrates real-world RBAC patterns immediately
  • Shows user-to-team-to-organization hierarchy
  • Provides audit-ready access control model

Value Delivered:

  • Immediate security control demonstration
  • Compliance validation without manual setup
  • Proof of least-privilege enforcement
  • Accelerated security review processes
  • Audit-ready access logs and permissions

4. SERVICENOW ITSM INTEGRATION

Function: Event-Driven Ansible integration with ServiceNow Files: eda_credentials.yml, eda_event_streams.yml, eda_rulebook_activations.yml

Persona: IT Service Manager

Job Role: ITSM Manager / Service Desk Director

Problems:

  • Service catalog requests require manual fulfillment by operations teams
  • Incident tickets sit unaddressed for hours before automation kicks in
  • Change tickets don't trigger automated validation workflows
  • No closed-loop integration between ITSM and automation platform
  • Manual handoffs between ServiceNow and infrastructure teams

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Event streams automatically capture ServiceNow incidents and change requests
  • Rulebook activations trigger automated responses to SNOW catalog orders
  • Real-time event processing eliminates manual ticket monitoring
  • Automated workflows respond to SNOW events in seconds
  • Closed-loop updates back to ServiceNow tickets

Value Delivered:

  • 80% reduction in service catalog fulfillment time
  • Automatic incident remediation (self-healing infrastructure)
  • Zero manual intervention for common change requests
  • Complete audit trail from ticket creation to resolution
  • Improved MTTR (Mean Time To Resolution)

5. NETWORK DEVICE AUTOMATION (F5 & PALO ALTO)

Function: Automated setup for F5 and Palo Alto firewall demonstrations Files: controller_projects.yml, controller_templates.yml (F5 & Panos)

Persona: Network Automation Engineer

Job Role: Senior Network Engineer / NetOps Lead

Problems:

  • Network device configuration is still mostly manual CLI work
  • Demonstrating network automation requires extensive pre-configuration
  • F5 load balancer changes require 3+ team approvals and manual execution
  • Firewall rule updates take days due to manual change control
  • No version control for network device configurations

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Pre-configured F5 automation playbooks for load balancer management
  • Palo Alto firewall automation for security policy enforcement
  • Job templates ready to demonstrate network-as-code workflows
  • Credential management for network device access
  • Git-based version control for all network configurations

Value Delivered:

  • Network configuration changes reduced from days to minutes
  • Version-controlled infrastructure enables rollback capability
  • Proof that network automation is achievable
  • Reduced human error in network changes
  • Faster incident response for network issues

6. WINDOWS SERVER AUTOMATION

Function: Windows infrastructure automation and configuration Files: controller_projects.yml, controller_templates.yml (Windows)

Persona: Windows Infrastructure Administrator

Job Role: Windows Systems Administrator / Platform Engineer

Problems:

  • PowerShell scripts scattered across shared drives
  • Patching Windows servers requires late-night maintenance windows
  • No centralized orchestration for multi-server Windows deployments
  • Group Policy doesn't handle application deployments well
  • Compliance reporting requires manual data collection

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Centralized Windows automation playbooks in version control
  • Orchestrated multi-server patching with rollback capability
  • Application deployment automation across Windows fleets
  • Compliance reporting automation via scheduled job templates
  • Integration with AWS EC2 for cloud-based Windows instances

Value Delivered:

  • 70% reduction in patching downtime
  • Centralized automation library replaces script sprawl
  • Automated compliance reporting
  • Faster application deployments
  • Reduced weekend/after-hours work

7. LINUX/RHEL SYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Function: Linux infrastructure automation and Red Hat system management Files: controller_projects.yml, controller_templates.yml (Linux), controller_settings.yml

Persona: Linux Systems Engineer

Job Role: Senior Linux Administrator / DevOps Engineer

Problems:

  • Hundreds of RHEL servers need consistent configuration
  • Red Hat Insights findings require manual remediation
  • Subscription management across multiple environments is manual
  • Server provisioning takes days due to manual steps
  • No standardized approach to system hardening

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Automated RHEL system role application for standardized configs
  • Red Hat Insights integration for automated remediation
  • Subscription management automation via Customer Portal credentials
  • Server provisioning playbooks for rapid deployment
  • Automated CIS/STIG compliance enforcement

Value Delivered:

  • Consistent configuration across all RHEL systems
  • Automated security vulnerability remediation
  • Server provisioning reduced from days to hours
  • Compliance drift prevention
  • Integration with Red Hat support ecosystem

8. RED HAT SATELLITE INTEGRATION

Function: Satellite integration for patch management and system registration Files: controller_projects.yml, controller_templates.yml (Satellite)

Persona: Patch Management Coordinator

Job Role: Systems Management Lead / Operations Manager

Problems:

  • Patch compliance reporting requires manual Satellite queries
  • Content view promotions are manual multi-step processes
  • System registration to Satellite requires shell access
  • Errata application across thousands of systems is manual
  • Patching schedules require coordination across multiple teams

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Automated content view promotion workflows
  • Bulk system registration to Satellite via job templates
  • Scheduled errata application across server groups
  • Automated patch compliance reporting
  • Orchestrated patching workflows with approval gates

Value Delivered:

  • Patch compliance from 60% to 95%+
  • Automated monthly patching cycles
  • Reduced patch-related incidents
  • Clear audit trail for all patching activities
  • Faster security vulnerability response

9. HASHICORP VAULT INTEGRATION

Function: Secrets management via HashiCorp Vault Files: controller_projects.yml, controller_templates.yml (HashiCorp), execution environments

Persona: DevSecOps Engineer

Job Role: Security Automation Engineer / DevSecOps Lead

Problems:

  • Secrets stored in playbooks and version control (security risk)
  • No centralized secrets management across automation workflows
  • Credential rotation requires updating multiple playbooks
  • Audit trail for secrets access is incomplete
  • Developers hard-code credentials in automation

How Ansible Solves It:

  • HashiCorp Vault integration via custom execution environment
  • Dynamic secrets retrieval during playbook execution
  • Centralized credential storage with automated rotation
  • Complete audit trail of secrets access
  • Demonstration of secrets management best practices

Value Delivered:

  • Elimination of hard-coded credentials
  • Centralized secrets lifecycle management
  • Automated credential rotation
  • Complete secrets audit trail
  • Compliance with secrets management policies

10. CUSTOM CREDENTIAL TYPES

Function: Third-party API integration via custom credential types File: credential_types.yml

Persona: Integration Engineer

Job Role: API Integration Specialist / Middleware Engineer

Problems:

  • AAP doesn't natively support every third-party system
  • Custom API authentication requires scripting workarounds
  • No standardized way to manage third-party credentials
  • Email notification integration requires custom development
  • Monitoring tool integration (Dynatrace, FreshService) is manual

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Custom credential types for Dynatrace, FreshService, SMTP
  • Standardized API key and token management
  • ServiceNow ITSM credential type for seamless integration
  • Red Hat Customer Portal credential type for support API access
  • Extensible framework for future integrations

Value Delivered:

  • Seamless third-party tool integration
  • Standardized credential management across all systems
  • Reduced custom scripting for integrations
  • Faster onboarding of new tools
  • Reusable credential types across playbooks

11. CONTAINER EXECUTION ENVIRONMENTS

Function: Containerized execution environments for dependencies Files: execution_environments.yml, hub_ee_registry.yml

Persona: Automation Platform Engineer

Job Role: AAP Platform Administrator / Automation Architect

Problems:

  • Different playbooks require different Python libraries
  • Dependency conflicts between automation projects
  • No standardized execution environment across teams
  • Custom modules require manual installation on AAP nodes
  • Testing new dependencies risks breaking existing automation

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Pre-configured execution environments with required dependencies
  • HashiCorp-specific execution environment for Vault integration
  • Container registry integration (registry.redhat.io, quay.io)
  • Standardized ee-supported-rhel8 environment
  • Isolated dependencies prevent conflicts

Value Delivered:

  • Zero dependency conflicts between projects
  • Faster development with pre-built environments
  • Consistent execution across all AAP nodes
  • Easy testing of new dependencies
  • Scalable approach to custom modules

12. COLLECTION MANAGEMENT & CONTENT SYNCHRONIZATION

Function: Automated Ansible collection synchronization Files: hub_collection_remotes.yml, hub_collection_repository.yml

Persona: Automation Content Curator

Job Role: Ansible Content Developer / Automation Librarian

Problems:

  • Keeping collections updated across multiple AAP instances
  • Manual collection downloads from Automation Hub
  • No standardized collection versions across teams
  • Community collections not available in air-gapped environments
  • Custom collections need distribution mechanism

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Automated synchronization of certified, validated, and community collections
  • Version-pinned collections for consistency
  • Automated content repository creation
  • Custom collection distribution (ericcames.* collections)
  • Air-gap-ready content synchronization

Value Delivered:

  • Always up-to-date collection libraries
  • Consistent collection versions across environments
  • Reduced manual collection management
  • Support for air-gapped deployments
  • Centralized content distribution

13. DYNATRACE MONITORING INTEGRATION

Function: Application performance monitoring integration Files: credential_types.yml, controller_credentials.yml

Persona: Application Performance Manager

Job Role: APM Lead / Site Reliability Engineer

Problems:

  • Manual correlation between automation events and APM alerts
  • No automated response to performance degradation
  • Dynatrace events don't trigger remediation workflows
  • Manual deployment validation in APM tools
  • No closed-loop integration between automation and monitoring

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Dynatrace API token credential type for seamless integration
  • Automated workflow triggering based on Dynatrace events
  • Post-deployment validation via Dynatrace API calls
  • Automated remediation triggered by performance alerts
  • Metrics collection during automation execution

Value Delivered:

  • Automated response to performance issues
  • Deployment validation without manual checks
  • Reduced MTTR for application issues
  • Closed-loop deployment pipeline
  • Performance-driven automation decisions

14. GATEWAY AUTHENTICATION & BRANDING

Function: Custom authentication, password policies, and branding File: gateway_settings.yml

Persona: Identity & Access Manager

Job Role: IAM Specialist / Security Administrator

Problems:

  • Default AAP login page doesn't match corporate branding
  • Password policies need to meet corporate standards
  • OAuth2 integration requires manual configuration
  • Token expiration policies not aligned with security requirements
  • No custom login messages for security notices

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Automated custom logo/branding configuration
  • Standardized password policy enforcement
  • OAuth2 settings automation
  • Configurable token expiration policies
  • Custom login message for security banners

Value Delivered:

  • Corporate branding consistency
  • Compliance with password policies
  • Seamless SSO/OAuth integration
  • Security notice enforcement
  • Professional demo appearance

15. MULTI-PLATFORM DEMO ORCHESTRATION

Function: Coordinated setup across 7+ demo platforms Files: All controller templates and projects

Persona: Sales Engineer / Solutions Consultant

Job Role: Technical Sales / Pre-Sales Engineer

Problems:

  • Customer demos require hours of preparation
  • Different customer industries need different demo scenarios
  • Live demo failures due to incomplete setup
  • No quick way to switch between demo scenarios
  • Customers want to see their specific use case

How Ansible Solves It:

  • 7 ready-to-run demo environments (Windows, F5, Panos, Satellite, HashiCorp, Linux, EDA)
  • One-click setup for each demo scenario
  • Industry-specific organizations (Retail, Network, Security)
  • Reliable, tested demo configurations
  • Rapid switching between demo types

Value Delivered:

  • Demo preparation time reduced from hours to minutes
  • Higher demo success rate
  • Industry-specific storylines ready to go
  • Confidence in live demo reliability
  • More customer meetings per week

16. INSIGHTS TRACKING & SUBSCRIPTION MANAGEMENT

Function: Red Hat Insights integration and subscription tracking File: controller_settings.yml

Persona: Red Hat Platform Owner

Job Role: Enterprise Red Hat Administrator / Platform Manager

Problems:

  • Systems not reporting to Red Hat Insights
  • Subscription consumption tracking is manual
  • Security advisories from Insights require manual action
  • Compliance drift not automatically detected
  • No automated remediation of Insights findings

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Automated Insights tracking enablement
  • Red Hat subscription client credential configuration
  • Automated remediation playbooks for Insights findings
  • Subscription usage reporting automation
  • Security advisory response workflows

Value Delivered:

  • 100% Insights enrollment
  • Automated security remediation
  • Proactive issue detection
  • Subscription optimization
  • Maximum value from Red Hat subscriptions

17. CENTRALIZED CREDENTIAL VAULT

Function: Remote vault file for centralized secrets File: main.yml (vault download functionality)

Persona: Security Operations Manager

Job Role: Security Operations Lead / Secrets Management Owner

Problems:

  • Secrets scattered across multiple systems
  • No centralized secrets repository for automation
  • Credential rotation requires updating multiple locations
  • Audit trail for secrets access is incomplete
  • Secrets shared via insecure methods (email, Slack)

How Ansible Solves It:

  • Single remote vault file for all demo credentials
  • Encrypted storage with Ansible Vault
  • Version-controlled secrets with audit trail
  • Automated vault retrieval during setup
  • Centralized rotation point for credentials

Value Delivered:

  • Single source of truth for secrets
  • Complete secrets audit trail
  • Simplified credential rotation
  • Secure secrets distribution
  • Compliance with secrets policies

PERSONA-BASED VALUE PROPOSITIONS

For C-Level Executives (CIO, CTO, CISO)

Problems:

  • High operational costs due to manual processes
  • Slow time-to-market for new services
  • Compliance and audit findings
  • Risk of human error in critical operations
  • Skills shortage in automation expertise

Value Delivered:

  • 3x reduction in operational toil
  • Speed: service delivery (days → hours)
  • Automated compliance enforcement
  • Reduced risk through standardization
  • Democratized automation (less expertise required)

For Training & Enablement Teams

Problems:

  • Building training environments takes days for a one-off enviorment
  • Inconsistent lab experiences for students
  • Manual IaaS cleanup often neglected resulting in paying for unused services
  • Difficultly of building hands-on labs means the best sales tool is radically under utilized
  • Difficult to scale field training programs

Value Delivered:

  • Lab environments provisioned in minutes
  • Identical experiences for all students
  • Automated environment reset
  • Infinite scalability on cloud platforms
  • Faster student onboarding
  • Instructors can focus on student learning vs. training infrastructure

For Partner Organizations

Problems:

  • Need to demonstrate AAP capabilities to their customers
  • Limited AAP expertise in partner team
  • Can't afford full-time AAP administrators
  • Need proof-of-concept environments quickly
  • Want to show industry-specific use cases

Value Delivered:

  • Self-service demo environment creation
  • No AAP expertise required
  • Zero ongoing administration
  • Industry-specific demo scenarios included
  • Accelerated partner deal cycles

SUMMARY: WHO BENEFITS AND HOW

Persona Primary Pain Point Automation Solution Time Saved
Demo Environment Admin Manual AAP setup takes hours One-click full stack setup 90%
Enterprise Architect Can't show multi-tenancy Pre-built 6-org structure 95%
Security Manager Complex RBAC setup 17 users, teams, roles ready 85%
IT Service Manager Manual SNOW fulfillment Event-driven automation 80%
Network Engineer Manual device configs F5/Panos automation 75%
Windows Admin Script sprawl, no orchestration Centralized Windows automation 70%
Linux Engineer Manual system config Automated RHEL management 70%
Patch Manager Manual Satellite workflows Automated patching cycles 80%
DevSecOps Engineer Hard-coded secrets HashiCorp Vault integration 90%
Integration Engineer Custom API scripting Reusable credential types 65%
Platform Engineer Dependency conflicts Container execution environments 85%
Content Curator Manual collection updates Automated content sync 90%
APM Manager Manual monitoring correlation Dynatrace integration 70%
IAM Specialist Manual auth config Automated SSO/branding 80%
Sales Engineer Demo prep time 7 ready-to-run scenarios 90%
Platform Owner Manual Insights enrollment Automated subscription mgmt 85%
Security Ops Scattered secrets Centralized vault 80%

Overall Value: This repository transforms weeks of manual AAP configuration into minutes of automated deployment, while providing industry-proven patterns for 15+ distinct use cases across networking, security, systems management, and ITSM integration.