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3 Ways Automation Technology Drives Business Value

May 13, 2015 No Comments

Featured Article by Cesar Fernandez, Director of Product Solutions at PMG

Gone are the days where CIOs are only responsible for managing IT and service request fulfillment. As demands have evolved throughout the enterprise, CIOs are being asked to fill two additional roles: Chief Solutions Officer and Chief Alignment Officer. IT leaders are now increasingly relied on to develop and execute quick fixes for company-wide issues, while connecting the enterprise technologically and culturally. With so much to juggle, many are turning to automation technology to ensure no objective gets dropped.

In fact, according to a survey conducted by PMG, nearly all IT professionals (98 percent) say the automation of processes is vital to driving business benefits in today’s corporate environment.

Still not convinced automation is a must-have? The following are a few ways it can help propel value within your organization.

1)   Stimulates Reflection on Processes

Implementing automation technology forces CIOs to stop and take a good look at the processes put in place throughout their organization. Prior to automating, CIOs invest time mapping out business processes, which allows them to quickly identify kinks.

For example, an IT executive at a global technology manufacturing company we work with spent “white board time” documenting and strategizing ways to improve processes at his business. By working together with stakeholders representing a variety of departments throughout their organization, the IT executive was able to gather valuable buy-in from employees around the globe. As a result, beyond providing a way to streamline needs and accelerate efficiency, this IT executive was able to add value to his company by simply addressing process issues and improving them.

2)   Reduces Errors, Cost, and Risk

One way to improve processes is to take the human element out of it. It’s been reported by Risk Management Magazine that the average cost of a “misunderstanding” at a company with 100,000 employees is $62.4 million per year. This is where automation technology can save your company’s bottom line and reputation.

While automation certainly doesn’t replace the knowledge and value your co-workers in various departments bring to the table, it can absolutely enhance how they do what they do and reduce errors from occurring.

Take for example, Human Resources and the off-boarding process of an employee.

All organizations lose people and need to transition them out of the workforce as quickly and efficiently as possible. Automating this process is imperative to ensure the timely recovery of company assets. We worked with a top 10 retailer whose initial manual approach to off-boarding contractors left the business highly susceptible to security breaches. Contractors would essentially end their work terms and the company’s HR department would not be notified for days or weeks. Critical systems were left up and running and proprietary corporate data access was still available to the former employee. By adding automation technology, like an actionable service catalog with automated workflow capability, the company was able to instantly begin the off-boarding process, which eliminated risk exposure.

Aside from reducing risk, automation technology can save corporations money and position IT as a partner in the business. Most automation platforms can provide insight on case management through analytics. This allows CIOs the opportunity to identify trends, refine processes, cut unnecessary spend, and ultimately improve the business user experience.

3)   Creates Happy Users and More Strategic Opportunities for IT

Consumerizing IT has become a high priority for CIOs looking to drive value and alignment among business users. In fact, PMG’s latest benchmark report reveals that 42 percent of IT professionals see consumerization as a way to continue improving business user satisfaction. Paired with intuitive technology—like low/no code enterprise service platforms—automation can help CIOs simplify and accelerate how needs throughout the organization are met.

Another bonus, with more power back in the hands of the business user, IT can focus its attention on achieving strategic business objectives. As a result of implementing automation technology, mundane and manual tasks can be handled by a machine, while IT takes on more stimulating initiatives that offer higher visibility.

Automation Has IT’s Back

As technology and business needs continue to change, CIOs need a way to keep up and consistently add value to their organization. Automation provides that to IT leaders by spurring conversation about business processes, driving changes that reduce risk and cost, and ultimately improving the business user experience.

ceasar F

About Cesar Fernandez

Cesar Fernandez is the Director of Product Solutions at PMG. A significant number of the Global 2000 rely on the PMG Enterprise Service Catalog to deploy enterprise service catalog and business process automation software that streamlines operations, reduces costs and improves efficiency. Our solutions transcend traditional IT service management boundaries giving business and IT professionals a smarter way to automate business processes ranging from IT financial management to identity management, employee onboarding and cloud provisioning.

 

 

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