Cloud Source

Getting Long-Term Benefits From IT Automation

by

When a business hits a crisis, IT automation may be the path to normalcy. For instance, if an airline experiences a rush of cancellations, they may implement robotic process automation (RPA) to keep business processes in motion and process the requests.

The first goal in a situation like this is simply to keep a company up and running. As they experience the benefits of the technology, many enterprises will begin to consider IT automation to achieve business goals. What is first highlighted in a crisis can help enterprises identify a need for a tool that creates disruption to productivity and cost savings models. Once the crisis passes, few enterprises will go back to completing a process manually. It changes the way teams think about their assignments.

For many enterprises, IT turns to automation in a period of significant disruption, but the technology must be proven to be valuable to be considered as an ongoing solution.

During the initial crisis that introduces automation, there are three steps that businesses tend to go through:

  1. Simple Business Continuity: The process is not simple, but the concept is: keep the business going. New automation may be introduced as a way to manage significant flooding of processing requests.
  2. Coexistence: Following the crisis, businesses attempt to determine whether IT automation could be a permanent solution and processes may be run side-by-side in automated and manual examples.
  3. Building Resiliency: The company uses the experience to determine how they could use automation to prevent a business continuity challenge in the future. Automation could be a way to bridge gaps that otherwise could not be addressed until the crisis hits.

According to Gartner, health care is particularly poised to introduce more IT automation into its processes. At least half of providers are planning to implement it by 2023, while currently only about five percent utilize automation.

Office workers are also expanding into automation, with 30% of employees in the United States expressing interest in training for RPA, according to UiPath.

Preventing Waste With IT Automation

Enterprises interested in automation can run the risk of wasting time and resources if they fail to get buy-in from employees or if the solution fails to adequately replace the manual process. Here are a few considerations to avoid an IT automation process that falls flat:

  • Coordinate executive goals around automation within digital transformation strategies.
  • Include the right metrics, such as return on investment, customer experience, and scalability.
  • Conduct evaluations of tasks that are eligible for automation, so that all opportunities for savings within the enterprise can be identified.

Identifying tasks that can be redirected to IT automation isn’t just about productivity improvement or cost savings; in a crisis, it may be the technology that allows for business continuity. Contact us at Cloud Source for more information.

IT Operations: Technology and Management Trends that Matter

by

Most organizations’ planning strategies include gaining customer insights, which helps in making good decisions about where the company goes next. Thanks to digital transformation, gaining insights has become easier, and so too has the ability to experiment with different technologies for improving IT operations. If you want to keep a competitive advantage, check out some of the following trends.

Support Business-Critical Services

Your IT teams are probably busy managing hybrid infrastructure, and that’s something that will continue into the foreseeable future. However, there must also be an attempt to take a closer look at business-critical services, particularly service-centric operations.

This will involve adjusting how you monitor metrics so you can improve your digital performances that directly affect customer interaction. Adjustments in how you monitor metrics can also assist you in developing an approach that supports all your business goals.

Go Multi-Cloud

Gartner has predicted that almost 30% of enterprise spending will go toward public cloud offerings in the next couple of years. However, we know right now that most enterprise workloads remain in the jurisdiction of the corporate firewall.

The jump to multi-cloud adoption is a real scenario that deserves some consideration because in order to hit data sovereignty and latency issues, managed private cloud infrastructure is going to be essential.

Artificial Intelligence Assistance

IT operations are no stranger to artificial intelligence (AI), and that trend will only continue to expand. AI helps to manage diversity, volume and velocity. In fact, IT teams are using it to keep services online and manage incidents in real time.

Using AI can also improve your response times by assisting in monitoring key metrics. Detecting incidents and responding to them in a fast and efficient manner is integral, and that’s what AI brings to the table.

If you’ve been looking for a way to consolidate management tools, AI can assist. By sharing an AI platform with IT operations, you’re centralizing processes, which means you have a clearer view of what’s going on with your system and can react faster with fact-based decisions.

At Cloud Source, we’ve established the type of relationships with master agents that matter to our clients who struggled to find the right technology for their IT operations before coming to us. We offer clients safety, with security solutions for all your technology needs. Consolidate all your business communications, connectivity and cloud solutions to a single point of contact — us. Contact ustoday and let’s talk more specifically about how our solutions can be customized for your organization.

Enterprise Storage Trends for 2016

by

shutterstock_174578783Enterprise IT today is changing dramatically. Shifts in device management, networking, and storage are just a few areas of transformation, with many others in the infancy of their evolution. A few trends have begun to rise to the top and are predicted to be significant movers in the field of enterprise storage in 2016.

IoT Stands up to Be Counted

Big data has been a common topic over the past year, and will continue making headlines. The next trend will be the inclusion of analytics from Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Considering the variety of “things” that now produce data, this presents interesting new knowledge of user routines and patterns.

Since so much data will be coming from so many sources, data management will quickly experience elevated importance. Storage of these huge data sets must be highly accurate and speedily accessible. Data may also need to be retained nearly indefinitely. Storage methods that can manage such a complex network of data collection and analytics will be in high demand.

Greater Flash Potential

Flash memory has been around for a while, but costs to allow an enterprise to use it for everything have historically been prohibitive. The next year will bring about a variety of technologies that can use flash more effectively through use of intelligent compression, virtualization, and hybrid caching techniques. In addition, flash prices should see a steady decline. The result will be increased use of flash across the enterprise.

Cloud Optimization

Data is everywhere now, coming from both traditional and unexpected sources. Enterprises are struggling to manage such massive data sets using on-premise hardware. This strategy is being largely abandoned in favor of cloud storage and processing, with this trend growing even stronger in 2016.

Public, private, and hybrid cloud arrangements will allow enterprises to store, move, and analyze data efficiently, whether active or cold. Security is imperative in all cloud, on-premise, and hybrid models. It’s expected that data management will be a key topic over the coming year, with more data centers beginning to specialize in enterprise-grade storage and cloud solutions.

Software Defined Networking

Software-defined networking (SDN) has made controlling multiple devices a much more manageable process than it was in the past. Considering how rapidly device count expands as each minute passes, it would be nearly impossible to reroute traffic, add capacity on the fly, or optimize software delivery without SDN.

In 2016, data centers will need to be almost completely virtualized and managed via centralized SDN. Every step from provisioning to management will need to be governed via software. Eventually, everything from applications to network and data retention will be provided using as-a-service models that can be implemented nearly instantly.

Expansion of DevOps

DevOps has experienced a major shift in the past few years to become a service and strategy entity rather than simply delivering chunks of code. This will continue to be the case in 2016, allowing enterprises to rapidly deploy new technologies and see a prompt reward in doing so. Innovation efficiency will be the name of the game, and DevOps will play a key role.

If there’s one fact that can be stated of the IT industry, it’s that it changes daily. This time, increased data storage and processing needs have begun to highlight old weaknesses and demand their mitigation. Technology professionals are responding loudly with innovative solutions and tools. The coming year will show major advances in storage methods, helping to finally address the data boom in effective ways.

Supporting BYOD: 6 Skills for the IT Department

by

shutterstock_310448519Before technology became the way of the world, enterprise IT had strict control over the network, devices, security measures, and software. However, many businesses are embracing the bring your own device (BYOD) trend and providing full support to employees who wish to use their own devices. The rise of BYOD culture means that the IT department needs to develop the following skills to provide optimal support.

 
Agility and Prioritization

Technology is constantly changing, and new devices are always coming on the market. The modern IT department must be able to adjust quickly and easily to new problems, no matter the device.

To facilitate this, the IT department should know how to prioritize support tickets. With many different devices running different apps, there is a much wider range of problems than there was with a more traditional IT-controlled network. Knowing the most important issues — and being able to prioritize them — is one of the most important skills the IT department can have.

App Development

Whether they’re at work or at home, most people now use apps for their technology needs. In order to keep up with modern skills, IT must to be able to develop and send out apps to the company’s employees.

Education

BYOD usually means less focus on training employees to use a device. But while employees may know what they’re doing, they don’t necessarily know why. The IT department’s responsibility then is to ensure that they continue to educate employees on proper security measures and company procedures. This will lessen the potential for security breaches and ensure that employees are able to solve minor issues themselves.

Flexibility

More devices means more ways of handling issues and more people who can bring their knowledge to bear on a problem. With a BYOD culture, IT must be able to show flexibility as well as the ability to handle a wide range of devices, issues, and solutions. In order to best serve the company, multiple approaches to a solution should be taken depending on the needs of different user groups.

Gatekeeping

While BYOD can lessen the IT department’s workload of minor problems, it can sometimes lead to the challenge of knowing when to say yes — and when to say no. The IT department is no longer completely in control, and needs to be able to decide between the benefits of allowing a user to work on an issue themselves and the need to put conditions and security measures in place to ensure data privacy.

Mobile Security

Because BYOD means that employees are using devices that may not have been subjected to strict security measures, the IT department must have a good handle on mobile security. IT should be aware of and kept up to date on all current security issues and potential problems. This will ensure that sensitive data is kept secure no matter what device an employee uses.

More and more regular users are becoming technology-savvy. While this means that the IT department is no longer overseeing the entire process, it also means that IT can turn its attention to more difficult challenges.

9 Benefits of the Cloud for Data and Infrastructure

by

shutterstock_137418530Cloud computing has been around for a while, and in use by a variety of businesses. Why? There are many reasons to consider the cloud or hybrid cloud approach. Here are the top nine benefits to cloud computing, no matter what your business.

Collaboration

With technology making the world smaller in terms of communication, many businesses – and their employees – are becoming more geographically diverse. With the use of cloud computing, all levels of the business can access important files or communicate with each other no matter their physical location.

Competition

Competition makes for a healthier enterprise market, and cloud computing helps to provide that competition. Size of a business no longer matters as much, with smaller businesses able to compete with the larger companies due to the reduced costs of cloud computing as compared to more traditional – and expensive – on-premises solutions.

Environmental Benefits

Cloud computing allows businesses to use only the server space they require, instead of being forced to use a large server on-premise. This results in not only increased efficiency, but also lower carbon emissions.

Flexibility

On-premise solutions can be costly to upgrade or overhaul if a business needs changes. With cloud computing, a business has the tools and software they need to react quickly to these changes. Whether it’s increased storage space or more bandwidth to serve customers, cloud providers can give the business an immediate solution.

Mobility

Mobility is one of the biggest benefits of cloud computing, especially for today’s businesses, employees, and customers, who are no longer restricted to one single device. With cloud computing, data and applications can be accessed across multiple devices in real-time, allowing users to seamlessly move from PC to mobile to tablet.

Reduced Costs

Smaller businesses especially may be interested in cloud computing because of its cost benefits. The majority of cloud services are based on an OpEX model, meaning that businesses can pay as they go or pay only based on their operational expenses. With this model, businesses don’t have to pay large upfront costs, or make a lengthy financial commitment.

Scalability

There’s a fine balance between needed business growth and the disruption that it can cause. With cloud computing, businesses can reduce this disruption due to ‘economies of scale’: third-party suppliers offer better rates compared to on-premise solutions, allowing businesses to grow in their own time.

Security

Providers are actively working to reduce the security risks that can come with cloud computing. One major way they’re doing this is by offering, free of charge, encryption that masks the data the business is uploading. Cloud computing is also a good way to backup files and software in case local devices are damaged or lost.

Stability

With on-premise IT, businesses often wait until something breaks before they move to fix it, but this can cause revenue to be lost during the downtime. Cloud computing relies on real-time, meaning that it updates software and can offer crisis management immediately. The provider also keeps stability high, by maintaining the server and software themselves.

Cloud computing is an established technology that businesses increasingly rely on. The reason? The benefits of the cloud satisfy the heart of business needs.

Contact

328 S. Jefferson St. Suite 603
Chicago, IL 60661
Ph: 312.753.7880
E: info@CloudSourceServices.com

Newsletter Signup

Stay up-to-date on Cloud Source's news.

↑ Top of Page