Increasingly complex technology stacks and the rise of new digital disrupters in nearly every industry are driving the need for comprehensive automation strategies, from the back office to the customer experience.
Additionally, Covid-19 has accelerated the need for automation. The workforce has become more remote and distributed, while widespread labor shortages threaten productivity in all sectors, up and down the value chain. One area that particularly feels this problem is enterprise IT. As a result of these developments, IT teams are under pressure to achieve more without commensurate increase in resources and in a context of labor shortages and constant uncertainty and change.
Unsurprisingly, business automation initiatives are on the rise. However, embracing automation is not easy, even in more “normal” times. Despite the many proven benefits of automation scalability, there are a number of hidden obstacles and cultural challenges. If left unchecked, they will threaten the viability and results of any automation program. These are:
- Employees feel their job safety is threatened
- Automation capabilities are in short supply
- Automation will not fix interrupted operations
- Organizations must govern automation appropriately
Fear of substitution
Today, automation and artificial intelligence are already common in many industries (automobiles, retail, logistics), but many workers still have a real fear of replacement, concerns about changes in their jobs, and concerns about the need to retrain. .
For technological automation to be accepted, there must be widespread recognition that people are proud of their abilities. Even if an IT worker’s job isn’t threatened, his job satisfaction could be if a hard-earned skill were now automated.
Poor IT staff satisfaction with any new automation system can hinder automation adoption, decreasing potential ROI.
Organizations that implement automation technologies that complement a worker’s skills and allow them to be proud of their experience and thrive will have the right consensus for a successful investment.
The continuous search for talent
The endless search for the talent needed to handle the growing technological demands is holding organizations back from digital modernization. Currently, it is even more difficult to find technical personnel because there is both a shortage of these skills and a general shortage of IT personnel. Today’s Grand Resignations further exacerbate this shortage and difficulty in finding and retaining the right talent.
Alongside the shortage of automation engineers is the fact that many types of automation require implementation, management, and governance skills that companies simply don’t possess. It’s not just a matter of having someone who can write Python code. To produce useful, reliable and maintainable automation requires the same efforts and skills used in a complete software development process. Ultimately, the biggest challenge: To automate IT, employees must understand both the legacy manual method to perform certain functions, and the software development or DevOps skills required to create an automated process for the same task.
This digital talent problem is unlikely to be solved anytime soon. Instead, organizations wishing to apply successful automation will need to find the means to abstract the complexity of automated systems and software. Reducing the effort to deploy and scale automation has the potential to accelerate the range and reach of areas benefiting from such modernization, greatly improving ROI.
We are too busy to modernize
It’s one of the great ironies everyone in the IT industry knows, echoed in the “we’re too busy to get better” mantra. Moved into the digital world of IT, it means it’s too busy to modernize. Applying any new computer system involves considerable risk, cost and effort. Trial and error can be costly. Automation takes time to assess needs, research solutions and then implement it. With a great deal of effort from IT teams dedicated just to keeping the lights on, finding the extra resources and time needed to make those investments can seem impossible.
Additionally, IT is a patchwork of both legacy and new systems, processes, tools, and system integrations that are often clunky. Technology teams often feel they need to get their home in order before they can take advantage of new systems such as IT automation, which many things will first need to be fixed before automation can be made viable.
When disrupted processes, disconnected systems, and light-keeping activities are devouring a team’s time, it can seem like an impossible battle to win. A clear understanding of planned objectives and return on investment is essential for implementation. With this in hand, organizations can then justifiably allocate time and resources for a successful implementation.
The chaos of shadow operations
IT professionals obviously love technology and problem solving – it’s the very nature of what we do. Fixing something the quickest way isn’t always the best way. Enter the world of “shadow operations,” where individual teams and business units are often motivated to solve things with one-off solutions, custom tools, and other technology solutions designed to solve a particular problem for a group.
Generally lacking in support, integration, and broad usability, shadow computing tools can negatively impact the long-term stability of IT systems and processes. This is especially true in IT automation. Teams can face greater risk and less alignment within the organization simply due to a lack of oversight over business automation.
IT is a collection of many moving parts, and IT automation, by its very nature, is a strategic solution. IT automation is designed to optimize workers, activities and processes. Strategic solutions require business alignment, documentation, maintenance and support. Automation governance is critical to prevent unauthorized IT deployments and failing automations, and to ensure responsible use of automation resources. Whether you’re using a home-grown solution or a suite of tools, automation governance is a must.
Conclusion
Change in IT is not slowing down, and Covid-19 and the various ramifications to the workforce, technology and how we interact with each other continue to add new challenges. This makes the incredible promise of business automation even more timely. However, organizations must first address the obstacles that threaten the healthy adoption of these new technology strategies. Only then can IT automation bring much-needed relief to IT teams managing today’s increasingly complex, growing and evolving IT scenarios.
Chris Villemez, IT Operations Architect, NetBrain