AIOps evolved to automate the more tedious parts of IT operations and make them more efficient by utilizing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and data analytics.
A recent study by technology research firm, Forrester, surveyed 459 people at manager level and above with roles relevant to enterprise observability and the use of AIOps. It appears that organizations have embraced the idea of developing AI algorithms and automating processes and tasks, but it’s important that leaders understand the risks associated with their use.
Key findings
Respondents recognize that manual processes and functions create cost inefficiencies. They are therefore using AIOps to automate many of their IT operations’ functions and processes, providing insights into nagging areas of sub-optimal IT performance.
In the next 12 months, decision-makers expect to broadly apply AIOps and AI-driven automation solutions to their processes because they believe these solutions benefit their organizations.
However, they are hesitant to aggressively invest without a clear understanding of AIOps and exactly how it can impact their business.
Mistrust of AIOps and AI-driven automation
With the noise around AI and ML, Forrester wondered if there was mistrust among decision-makers of AIOps. The study didn’t reveal mistrust in AIOps, but a lack of understanding emerged - 54% don’t fully understand AIOps and how it can impact their business and 61% reported a corporate culture resistant to AIOps automation. Another 37% said they were being held back by a lack of buy-in from the C-suite.
Decision-makers say they need consultants and experts to guide their automation journey (57%), help them develop enterprise-wide automation strategies (65%), and communicate return on investment (ROI) to sceptical executives (52%).
What is being automated and why
The goal of AIOps is to reduce dependency on humans for decision-making by proactively alerting on known scenarios, predicting likely events, recommending corrective actions, and enabling automation. Human actions taken with this knowledge are more efficient, effective, and timely, freeing up employees for other tasks.
Organizations are currently applying automation most broadly to foundational functions and processes to gain greater visibility into problem areas and generate insights. Though decision-makers may want to apply automation to more advanced areas like root cause analysis, they are first automating the basics like incident response and incident detection, which creates a base on which to expand automation.
Frequency of critical incidents
As IT environments become more complex and the pressure to scale increases, half of respondents say critical incidents increased in the last 12 months, and 66% report that their organization experiences a critical issue every one to five days.
Measurable results
Ultimately, organizations want to know that any technology investment they make is going to deliver tangible benefits in terms of cost reductions and improvements in reliability and productivity. Forrester found that the decision makers they surveyed expected to gain “significant and transformational” benefits from AIOps in areas like reduced costs (66%), the delivery of better customer experiences (61%), and more efficient workforce allocation (46%).
Even with good instincts, the right partner is key to achieve automation goals
To be successful with new AIOps and AI-driven automation initiatives, organizations will need to overcome their lack of understanding and hesitation and trust in the solutions that promise to deliver automated insights and actions.
AppCentrix can partner with you to achieve your IT goals. Armed with the right data and our expertise in AIOps, we can help executives understand AIOps and clarify how it can impact their bottom line.