IT automation isn't just the wave of the future; it is what leading businesses rely on today to stay competitive and thrive. IT automation is no longer relegated to an organization's periphery to be used only in certain situations. Companies like yours are heavily relying on IT automation in their day-to-day operations. It is also a primary driver of business innovation.
You might be surprised by how prevalent IT automation is in today's business world. Slightly more than half of businesses use marketing automation, and 58 percent of B2B organizations intend to adopt automation technology in the near future. Eighty-three percent of marketing departments automate their social media post process.
Nearly 70 percent of companies utilize business process automation solutions that improve end-to-end visibility across different systems. And 29 percent of businesses plan to implement low-code process automation software shortly.
It could seem quite daunting if your business is new to IT automation. For example, you may not know how to begin and whether the cost will be worth the payoff for your company.
Here we will present six strategies for IT automation that will enable your business to stay competitive and possibly help you gain increased market share in your industry.
1) Focus on What's Possible
The vast majority of companies likely already have some of their basic tasks automated; however, if your business does not, decide what basic tasks you can utilize IT process automation for and begin there.
It is a good idea to appoint a specific person to lead the automation process, so that information remains consistent. Having a go-to person will help keep requests and questions organized within the various teams in an organization.
This designated IT person can establish the scope of what is possible for your business. They will also be able to make clear what benefits will be realized using IT automation.
2) Emphasize the Benefits of IT Automation
There may be some employees who are skeptical of what automation can do. Your employees could even feel intimidated by it or worry they might lose their jobs. Others could think that IT automation will be too expensive and not bring enough return on investment.
This is why it is important to emphasize the benefits of automation for each project. Make it clear how automation will actually reduce long hours and lessen the need for employees to stay late after work.
Another major benefit of IT automation is the competitive edge that it gives your business. Your expenses will also decrease thanks to the extra efficiencies that automation brings.
3) Deploy the Correct Tools
You will find that automation comes with a wide array of tools. Certain tools are made for specific use cases, and others are designed for widespread implementation.
The technology that supports most automation tools is quickly advancing as vendors keep adding new capabilities and features to their offerings.
The question becomes: How can you tell which automation solution is the right fit for your company? This will depend largely on your goals. For example, are you interested in automating routine mainframe tasks or managing data processes in a cloud environment?
It will benefit your business to understand your project's goal clearly. This is where aligning project management with automation will come in handy. You want to avoid having your IT teams implement -- little by little -- a new automation system as you choose a new tool for each specific purpose. This will result in automation solutions being deployed in silos, which will leave your company's IT department less efficient and more complex than it needs to be.
Instead, the best strategy is to bring in a solution that allows process orchestration. For example, an extensible platform that is able to be utilized to build, monitor, and manage a wide array of processes from a single location. By doing this, your IT teams can centralize control over their automation environments, and that makes adding new use cases simpler and less disruptive.
4) Thoroughly Understand the Targeted Process
Automation has everything to do with modernizing and optimizing processes so your business can save time and money. So, before automating, you should clearly understand a process as it currently exists. You want your IT teams to work closely with other departments so they can understand what they do and how they do it.
Identify what the required steps are and where the bottlenecks are. See if the process can adjust as new requirements arise. This knowledge will be important when it comes to taking automation to the next level.
It will be helpful to create a list of steps for each process that you want to automate. Have your team leaders put together a flowchart of their processes that are broken down for you step-by-step. Afterward, instruct your IT team to read this flowchart in detail so they are thoroughly acquainted with the exact process that will soon be automated.
When done correctly, IT automation can positively transform any process. That's when you'll realize that you can no longer effectively run your organization without it.
5) Implement a Change Management Strategy
As you prepare to integrate automation into your organization, it will serve you well to implement an effective change management strategy. Change can be received by staff with a lot of unease and apprehension. Change on this level will also impact all your employees. This strategy will allow your workers to adjust to the new workflow process.
Convince your staff that automation will enable them to direct their attention to high-value work and give them more time to complete their tasks. They will be excited at the prospect of working on new initiatives that will benefit the company and generate more profit. Your employees will come to understand that automation gives them more opportunities for success, which could also boost their job performance.
In the meantime, your objective is to secure buy-in among your staff during this time and help them feel empowered with this new automation technology.
6) Identify High-Value Automation Targets
Prior to implementing new automation, you should identify what areas of your company you will be automating. It will likely be many things. You will want to include them in your automation strategy.
As you deliberate on the things you'll want to automate, here are three tips to help ensure success:
- Begin by automating routine, manual processes that are low risk and have high visibility. Work alongside your business teams to figure out processes that are time-consuming and prone to errors.
- Automating is different than optimizing. For example, if you automate a bad process, it will continue to be a bad process. That is why it saves you time and money to first completely understand a process so you are clear on how automation will improve it.
- You will want to automate all new processes, particularly critical ones used in your business's daily operation. This also applies to processes that interact with your customers. If you put off automating these important processes, it will be costly and cause disruption to your business.
Look to Adept Networks for Providing Your Business with Premium Quality IT and Automation Services
At Adept Networks, we understand that successful businesses like yours require quality information systems. We also recognize the value and advantages that technology provides. As your full-spectrum managed service provider (MSP), Adept Networks enables your business to grow with the assurance that your information systems will be scalable, reliable, and adaptable, as well as being able to grow with you.
We can save your business time and money by creating a technology roadmap to minimize the cost of IT while optimizing the benefits all within our flat-rate plan. We will budget your IT expenses and keep them in line with your current and future growth expectations.