Still in the discovery phase. Was hoping for more actual real-world examples of automation tools and deployment methods. Will also be looking at add-on installer. Thanks for the mention, @Xon.
I think the issue is mainly related to data/configs/plugin specific data/templates being stored in the DB as opposed to in the filesystem. From the thread I referenced, @jakew009 stated he was thinking of creating a tool that would:
We're looking to move to XF from VB 4.2. We currently use a deployment process based on Git and Deploy.io to move features/changes on our VB/WP hybrid site from the developer's local install, to our development instance, then to staging and finally production, syncing with and pushing/pulling...