Automation: Key to Business Service Improvement

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Automation:
Key to Business Service ImprovementIT departments are automating their data centers- but not as effectively as they'd like hen it comes to real estate, it's all about loca- tralized governance of those processes. That's a significantly tion, location, location. When it comes to your higher number than in either Europe or Asia where just data center, it's all about automation, automa- 28 and 22 percent have, respectively. But only 10 percent Wtion, automation. The most mature IT organizations are of U.S. companies claim to have been extremely effective those that strive to bring new levels of intelligent automa- in automating their data centers, compared to 13 and 14 tion to their data centers, offloading as many support tasks percent, respectively, in Europe and Asia, while 43 percent as possible in order to enable their staff to focus on what admit to being not at all or only somewhat effective, versus really matters: becoming a strategic partner to the company 27 percent in Europe and 22 percent in Asia. by delivering the technology innovations and new services it Perhaps U.S. organizations grade themselves to a needs to grow and compete in complex global markets. more rigorous standard. In some cases, the very conditions Are we there yet? Not that created the need for data center quite. Many organizations-includ- Only 10 percent of U.S. automation in the first place pres-ing those that have made progress companies claim to have ent U.S. IT leaders with more of a in automating specific data center been extremely effective challenge to improve it. Those con-tasks-struggle to centrally govern in automating their ditions include the pace of network automated IT processes and servic- and system change-and having to data centers.es that execute across multiple do- manually secure and manage those mains. This is the result of designing data center environ- in-flux environments as businesses expand to connect to ments around technologies, rather than around services. more partners, suppliers and customers. When IT organizations fail to integrate and automate "I think we need some better intelligent devices that the systems that deliver IT services, they are unable to allow for better automatic provisioning and changing in achieve an informed, correlated view of the performance of an ever-changing network environ-business service components. So, they may not know that ment," says an infrastructure and IT About CIO2CIO Perspectives: This service quality has degraded until users complain, and de- operations executive at a Fortune 50 peer-based thought termining the root cause of problems may require manual company. "That's probably the area leadership program investigation and involve multiple experts before the issue where the most change happens in analyzes quantitative research and tests is resolved. An organization that operates in this expensive our environment, where we have the it via qualitative and reactive way will not be able to respond in real-time to least tools." interviews with actual system events to improve service levels. Stretched staff resources, as well CIOs. The resulting executive insight is IT leaders know they must improve the level of auto- as new technologies or architectures- then disseminated mation in their infrastructures, and bring more intelligence which enhance productivity and the via CXO's multimedia to automated processes. In a recent survey conducted by ability to innovate, but also increase IT assets. To learn more about CIO2CIO IDG Research Services, almost 70 percent of 100 U.S. or- management complexity-are equally Perspectives, ganizations say they have automated many data center pro- drivers and challenges. Major growth please contact cesses. Just over 40 percent claim to have also achieved cen- in the last few years, as well as the in- mavery@cxo.com.
CIO2CIO | DATA CENTER AUTOMATION PERSPECTIVESToday's IT Leaders on Market Trends
creasing use of virtualization technologies, has mandated of critical business applications and services, how can you the need for more and better data center automation. But support a corporate mission to grow the customer base, at the same time the pressures on IT staff to position ... [download for more]