EMA Research Provides Update on Automation Strategies

The collaborative research with EMA Research provides an overview of how network and infrastructure teams are incorporating automation. The findings are relevant for IT leaders evaluating existing methods against strategic objectives.

Analysis of Current Practices

The findings indicate that 64% of organizations use custom scripts or open-source tools for automation in network management. While these methods allow for quick responses to specific issues, they often lead to increased maintenance demands.

Specifically, 61% of network teams spend over six hours per week managing and troubleshooting these scripts. Challenges related to skill shortages and project complexity hinder efforts to expand automation beyond quick fixes. Security and compliance considerations persist as automation use grows.

Leadership Insights

IT leaders acknowledge that reliance solely on scripting constrains the development of consistent and replicable automation practices. The analysis shows that 64% of companies aim to adopt low- or no-code solutions to improve governance, security, and repeatability in their automation initiatives.

Using platforms can enhance centralized governance, reinforce security measures, and promote the development of reusable workflows, addressing limitations common with DIY methods.

Bridging Differences

The findings recommend fostering collaboration between engineering teams and leadership, with both parties possessing essential tools and goals. Engineers seek platforms that enable the merging of existing scripts into orchestrated workflows, while leadership focuses on governance and scalability.

Case Study: Armstrong World Industries

Armstrong World Industries serves as a practical example detailed in the report, illustrating a successful shift from script-based methods to structured workflows. By utilizing Itential's platform, they transformed individual scripts into coordinated processes, achieving notable operational efficiencies.

Their engineering lead emphasized a strategy of integrating and securing their existing solutions instead of complete replacement, resulting in reduced manual tasks and expedited service delivery.

Itential's Role

Itential offers a modular platform that bridges the gap between custom scripting and enterprise automation needs. Their tools enable teams to securely implement existing scripts while fostering orchestration and self-service workflows.

This approach allows teams to refine their current processes, creating a more comprehensive and systematic automation environment.

Conclusion

The report outlines a clear path for organizations facing automation issues, highlighting the necessity of progressing from script-based systems to structured and reusable services. This summary reflects key findings from the original EMA report.