Don’t be Basic – Why You Should Automate IT Starting NOW

Picture this. You’ve arrived at work in the morning, ready to get going on an important strategic initiative you talked about with your boss last week. It’s a project that energizes you and has huge potential to impact the business. Yet somehow, hours later, you still haven’t started it. Email, mundane reports, repetitive everyday tasks, and unexpected fire drills kept you from the work that really matters.

We’ve all been there. IT professionals struggle with this problem just like everyone else. Perhaps even more so. The everyday task to an IT pro carries additional significance. Managing IT infrastructure so that the LOB and customers have a seamless digital experience is paramount. Now that all business is digital, it’s not enough for IT to just “keep the lights on.” They’re expected to contribute to business strategy and drive innovation.

The Benefits of IT Infrastructure Automation

Automation is a key component to freeing up IT staff time, reducing outages, and speeding time to delivery for new apps and services. In short, automation is the key to modernizing IT. Most IT managers know this. Yet, even the most mundane IT management tasks reflect low levels of automation. Forrester research proves it. In a recent study from Forrester, 50% or less of survey respondents say any one of nine server management tasks are more automated than manual. The figure below from Forrester shows the data.

There’s clearly an opportunity to get ahead of competitors by advancing IT infrastructure automation. Despite low levels of IT infrastructure automation currently, the benefits are many. Furthermore, the greatest benefits are experienced by those with high levels of automation AND modern server infrastructure. Forrester calls these organizations “Modernized IT.” Compared to less automated IT organizations with outdated server hardware, Modernized IT experiences:

  • 1x greater reduction in service outages
  • 3x greater reduction in operating expenditures
  • 5x more reduction in IT staff dedicated to routine, repetitive tasks
  • 3x greater reduction in capital expenditures

Additional benefits of IT infrastructure automation include: faster deployment/delivery of services, faster application updates, faster system stack updates, more efficient IT staffing, improved asset tracking, less time spent on troubleshooting, and reduced infrastructure complexity. In fact the list of benefits from Forrester’s research is even longer! Have I convinced you yet? IT infrastructure automation and modern servers really do pack a one-two punch. And we have the data to prove it. Read Forrester’s full research paper on IT automation here.

Another key benefit to automating IT is that it can clear the path for IT to focus on next-generation workloads like Artificial Intelligence. 71% of IT organizations surveyed report that a lack of server automation is a key barrier to implementing AI initiatives. AI is an increasingly important tool, leading to better customer experiences and driving business strategy. To remain competitive and avoid the rise of shadow IT, IT departments need to lead AI initiatives. Not follow. IT infrastructure automation can help you do that.

How Dell EMC can help you Automate

Once you’re ready to modernize IT with automation, the best place to start is automating server management. After all, servers are the foundational element of your data center. With modern PowerEdge servers offering scalable business architecture, integrated security, and intelligent automation, your IT organization is poised for business success. Plus, Dell EMC offers a full portfolio of systems management solutions with a wide range of automation capabilities.

Those simple server management tasks like monitoring, deployment, troubleshooting, and provisioning? We can automate that. For example, with OpenManage Mobile and Quick Sync 2, reduce the time to view server inventory, firmware, and network details by 77%. With the same tools, you can reduce the time spent on troubleshooting by up to 28%. It’s also faster to perform a basic server setup with OpenManage Mobile and Quick Sync 2 (up to 145 fewer steps).[1]

Dell EMC has the tools and the expertise to help you start with the basic and accelerate to the advanced. IT infrastructure automation doesn’t have to be so hard. With Dell EMC it can be simple. It’s time for IT to start focusing on strategic business priorities, not just keeping the lights on.

Keep up with the conversation on Twitter at @DellEMCServers

[1] Principled Technologies Report: Save server time and effort for IT staffhttps://www.principledtechnologies.com/Dell/Quick_Sync_2_OpenManage_Mobile_0717.pdf

About the Author: Rachel Clark

Rachel Clark manages content development and messaging for the PowerEdge line of Dell EMC servers. Rachel brings the PowerEdge story to customers through blogs, thought leadership pieces, and other creative content. Prior to joining Dell EMC, Rachel enjoyed a decade-long career in investment management at the Teacher’s Retirement System of Texas. With three degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, she bleeds burnt orange. She most recently earned an MBA from the McCombs School of Business.