In this episode of Hands-On IT, host Landon Miles breaks down what MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers are, why they exist, and how they’re transforming real-world IT automation. Before MCP, AI assistants struggled to interact with the tools, systems, and data IT teams rely on. With the rise of open-source MCP servers, models now have a standardized, permission-aware way to reach into infrastructure, pull context, and execute workflows safely. Landon also sits down with Henry Smith , who helped build the Automox MCP server prototype. Together, they explore: What MCP servers actually do and the problems they solve Why the open-source model matters for IT teams How MCP provides a clean, consistent interface for tools and data Real-world applications like report generation, patch policy creation, and audit log analysis How Automox built its own MCP server using Fast MCP The future of AI-driven IT operations If you're an IT admin, security engineer, or automation enthusiast, this episode provides a clear explanation and a practical look at MCP servers in action. Links: Automox MCP Blog: https://www.automox.com/blog/automox-mcp Automox MCP Git Repo: https://github.com/AutomoxCommunity/automox-mcp
