Gartner report outlines evolving automation strategies for businesses

A recent blog entry discusses the shift in automation's focus from merely reducing tasks to facilitating business outcomes. This shift is essential for IT decision-makers aiming to improve operational efficiency.

Evolution of Automation

Initially, automation initiatives concentrated on streamlining specific tasks such as provisioning. However, the scope of automation has grown to target more comprehensive business goals, moving beyond just task alleviation.

Business Impact Through Automation

The 2025 Gartner Market Guide for Network Automation Platforms indicates that relying solely on task-based automation does not yield sufficient scale. The report emphasizes that orchestration alongside automation delivers enhanced value across business processes.

Businesses now expect automation to enable quicker deployments, greater reliability, and lower compliance risks. However, integrating connected workflows remains a challenge for many organizations.

Challenges of Fragmentation

Gartner identifies fragmentation as a key barrier to achieving the full potential of automation. Organizations frequently use multiple tools without a cohesive platform for managing workflows, often resulting in inconsistent outcomes.

As highlighted in the report, “The usage of multiple tools creates fragmentation, or silos/islands of automation, that makes it difficult to automate an end-to-end network service.” Orchestration unites technical skills with measurable business results.

Benefits of Coordinated Automation

Organizations that effectively implement a cohesive, repeatable automation strategy aligned with their operational objectives report benefits such as shorter change cycle times and improved service reliability. This approach also enhances compliance and optimizes resource allocation.

This level of automation enables personnel to shift focus from routine tasks to more strategic roles in architecture and process design.

Itential's Role in Automation

The Itential platform is designed to facilitate the shift from task-based automation to meeting operational objectives. It features a unified execution layer that integrates various tools and environments, encourages cross-domain orchestration, and simplifies low-code automation.

By linking tools and systems, Itential aids in evolving network automation from basic task execution to meaningful operational enhancements.

Summary

The blog indicates that while basic automation lays the groundwork, to harness its full capability, organizations need to transition towards integrated workflows that yield substantial business results. Connecting tools is vital for realizing this potential.