IT Process Automation Poised to Grow

Gabby Nizri is the Founder & CEO of Ayehu Software Technologies Ltd., publishers of eyeShare, an enterprise-class, lightweight IT process automation tool.

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In a recent study conducted by trusted IT industry researcher Gartner, IT process automation tools are poised to make a significant impact for businesses across the globe over the next several years. Specifically, the study indicates that IT Process Automation (ITPA) will become an invaluable addition to IT departments and organizations as a whole by providing “consistent, measurable and better-quality repeatable services at optimal cost.”

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Here’s how I believe this projection will play out over the coming years.

The Current Climate and Impending Changes

Different organizations will be using IT process automation in varying ways, depending on their existing setup and specific business needs. The increased need and/or usage of ITPA will be driven by the increase in adoption of cloud technology. Automation tools are very versatile and can be used in collaboration with public, private and hybrid cloud setups. Certain ITPA tools can be easily and seamlessly integrated with existing CMP tools to further their capability and add more depth.

What will need to occur in order for the projected influx of ITPA adoption is that IT organizations will need to be able to clearly identify, understand and document exactly which activities and workflows they want to automate. This is important because not every IT process automation tool is created equal. With different features and functionality, it’s important to be able to determine ahead of time what product specifications would be the best fit.

How Will ITPA Benefit Future Business?

The main benefits of adopting ITPA, either as a standalone automation tool, integrated with existing IT management products or as the “glue” that ties the entire infrastructure together, are marked improvement in operational efficiency and minimization of risks associated with human error. When businesses are able to automate as many processes as possible, across multiple IT domains, they are able to consistently achieve a higher level of productivity. In other words, human error is reduced or eliminated altogether, and operations improve overall because personnel is freed up to focus on more important business critical tasks.

What to Keep in Mind

As the shift toward a more automated business culture begins to take place, users must be aware of what their specific needs are and how their ITPA tool(s) will allow them to achieve their specific goals. This involves understanding how each automation product works. For instance, some products offer a more defined orientation and process framework. These tools are fine, provided that they meet the specific needs and address the pain points that are unique to the business, otherwise the value will be limited.

Other ITPA products will offer a broader functionality. While these tools may be more valuable in that they offer more features and provide a more robust list of functions, the business that chooses such a tool must first be sure that they have a mature team in place to be able to develop, build and maintain the various automation processes and workflows. It’s important to know the capabilities and limitations of your business prior to selecting an ITPA tool.

For those businesses that choose an ITPA product that is designed to support more functions for multiple processes across different domains, or to be integrated with several other vendor tools, it’s equally as important to identify and document all of the ITOM (IT operation management) processes prior to implementing the new automation tool.

When properly researched and carefully selected, ITPA tools can vastly improve the overall operations, both internally in the IT department, as well as across the entire organization. Individual time-consuming, repetitive tasks can be automated, as can complex workflows, to create a more streamlined work environment and open up more opportunities for IT professionals to further develop their skills, making them more valuable to the businesses for which they work.

Be Ready for The Future

I’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again – IT process automation is the future of business across just about every field and industry. Now there’s a solid research study, conducted by a trusted and highly qualified firm, to bolster that prediction. Are you ready to roll with these changes and embrace ITPA as a part of the future success of your organization? The time is now. Don’t get left behind.

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