Automation provides the flexibility necessary for the continuous evolution of Information Systems. Thanks to the cloud and powerful and simple tools, SMEs can also set up automation processes. Different areas can benefit from it: IT security (in particular, incident response), HRD, accounting, application deployment, sorting of incoming emails, etc.
Automation often comes up in IT projects. However, network-programmable interfaces have been around for more than a decade. But with the proliferation of fairly easy-to-use tools and cloud offerings specializing in this type of process, everyone can benefit from its advantages.
Automation can be built in and applied to any task, from network automation to configuration management and application deployment to cloud and infrastructure provisioning. As systems and instances proliferate and complexity increases, all businesses must rely on a more appropriate solution that can record information about their systems to manage them more efficiently.
The interest in automation is all the higher as companies have started their digital transformation. In a very competitive context where you have to be fast and efficient, an RPA (Robotic Process Automation) strategy becomes an absolute necessity.
Mastered and adapted to the particularities of the company, it can represent a major asset. Even for SMEs! Provided you understand the issues, identify the benefits for your business and avoid making the most common mistakes.
Automation enables cross-business collaboration
Contrary to popular belief, automation is not necessarily about cutting staff; on the contrary, it can optimize them! It’s about better coordinating teams and different business processes. Automation is therefore above all a question of collaboration, of dialogue . This is one of the main keys to its success.
Hence the need to gain the support of the entire IT team and of the various professions concerned by the automation of tasks identified as priorities. This approval can only be obtained by presenting what works, but also what makes teams less agile.
Explaining how the automation of certain processes will improve this current state is therefore decisive. This solution allows some employees to get rid of manual, time-consuming and uninteresting tasks , in favor of more rewarding and higher-level work.
These tips apply to any significant change in IT strategy. But this is especially true for automation, which sometimes has negative connotations.
The ideal toolbox
Management must also listen carefully to the teams because they are the ones who will use the tools selected for automation. These discussions will make it possible to establish priorities and therefore identify the solutions to be deployed.
The offer in terms of automation is becoming very rich. This is an opportunity for large accounts who can choose the most efficient solutions, whatever their level of complexity. For SMEs, this diversity can, on the contrary, represent a brake. Accompanied by specialists, they will be able to choose the ideal automation toolbox, that is to say, adapted to their specificities.
These tools must have three main advantages:
- Flexibility: to cover 90% of your use cases;
- Simplicity: to allow teams to master them without too much difficulty;
- Ease of use: to guarantee their adoption by the businesses and thus prepare for future deployments.
Common Mistakes
Convinced of the advantages of automation, companies decide to shift into high gear too quickly. They tackle their entire software development cycle or a very large workflow.
This is a mistake that can have serious consequences. Automation is an effective trigger to review existing processes that are recurring (but above all, that are repeatable). They justify their automation. But it’s crucial to make sure they’re executed correctly. Automating the wrong processes leads to chaos!
We must be realistic by not overestimating the benefits. Conversely, if you underestimate them, you will end up underestimating the program. It is therefore essential to identify precisely what the automation will really bring globally and not just to a particular service.
The migration from a predominantly manual system to a predominantly automated system should be gradual. The first few weeks will certainly be difficult. Being accompanied by a specialized partner avoids making the main mistakes that we have just mentioned.
Also Read: IT Automation: Why And How?