In today’s business landscape, organisations are constantly facing the challenge of achieving more with fewer resources. The IT Leaders Pulse 2022 Report found that 98% of senior IT leaders say that the Great Resignation has created skills gaps in their organisation’s IT function, meaning that to alleviate the inevitable skills gap, 58% of organisations are automating tasks and processes, and 53% are empowering non-technical employees with automation tools.
Connected automation has become a game-changer, and by harnessing the power of emerging technologies, companies can streamline their operations, boost efficiency, and free up valuable time for employees to focus on high-value tasks.
Automation is a transformative force in the majority of industries, enabling companies to optimise their processes and maximise productivity. According to previous studies, automation can increase productivity by up to 60% while reducing operational costs by 30%. These statistics underline the immense potential that automation holds for businesses.
Key strategies for mastering automation
To effectively implement automation, organisations must first start by identifying repetitive and rule-based tasks. These tasks, such as data entry and report generation are prime candidates for automation. By automating processes, human error is reduced and consistent results are achieved.
Identifying goals can have the most significant impact, as it reveals tasks and processes that are time-consuming, repetitive, and prone to errors. Analysing each of these in turn ensures decision-makers understand the workflow, inputs and outputs as well as potential bottlenecks. This will help to determine where automation will have the greatest impact.
It is vital to research the available automation tools and technologies, including open-source solutions, that fit your organisation’s needs. Factors such as ease of use, scalability, compatibility with existing systems and vendor support should all be considered.
Ahead of implementation, it’s best to start small and outline any potential risks and challenges so that contingency plans can be put in place. These quick wins can generate ROI as does collaboration, so should not be confined to a particular team. Put simply, automation should be integrated in a manner that is easily comprehensible and modifiable by others.
Automation often introduces new tools and processes, so staff will need to be educated and trained to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to preserve the ongoing success of automation initiatives. In addition, it is important to prioritise support and access to resources that can address key questions.
Monitoring, evaluating and regularly analysing data and the performance of automated processes also helps to continuously iterate and refine an organisation’s automation strategy based on the insights gained.
IoT and automation in business
IoT plays a vital role in businesses today as information can move between devices with ease and dependent processes can be automated without human intervention. It also means that the number of people involved in an activity is reduced considerably, improving the accuracy level and processing time.
IoT promises to transform industries by connecting, collecting and sharing data and can potentially enable new services and ways of working that identify and solve issues before they occur. This means reducing risks, cutting costs and increasing productivity at scale.
Organisations are already putting huge investments behind their efforts to combine device data from IoT. However, the long-term benefits of IoT are yet to be seen, with 58% of businesses in a pre-Covid survey by Beecham Research and Software AG revealing that their previous IoT projects had been unsuccessful.
Traditional approaches to innovating in complex environments often include replacing core systems or creating new, bespoke digital services from the ground up. However, these are quite often hindered by cost, time, ease of use and staff investment needed. If these are addressed, there’s a huge opportunity for IoT-enabled, pre-emptive and preventive services to change operations for the better across all sectors.
Connected automation
Connected automation is an industry-first highly secure SaaS layer that IoT devices can work alongside. It intelligently organises businesses so that they operate seamlessly in real-time as an augmented digital workforce. Instilling productivity in teams delivers high-speed, data-rich end-to-end processes that enable IoT devices to instantly sync and operate securely with physical and digital systems of all ages and sizes.
It can also incorporate human experience into IoT-initiated end-to-end processes. Therefore, when human judgement is required, it can be achieved in real-time. This also means when augmented insights are required within IoT-initiated processes, AI or other smart tools are used to escalate with predictive analysis and problem-solving capabilities. By extending the scope of any existing technology investments, ROI is achievable in months.
Once enabled, organisations will be able to deliver real-time, pre-emptive and preventive services that quickly and securely reduce risks, cut costs and increase productivity. From asset management, field service scheduling, predictive maintenance and remote monitoring to services portals and work order execution, use cases are now more possible than ever before.
Final thoughts
Decision-makers can reap the benefits of digital transformation when implemented with careful consideration of the needs of the digital workforce. For example, healthcare monitoring can use IoT devices to drive early interventions, with IoT equipment instantly relaying information about any impending issues.
The potential for connected automation to improve IoT services throughout the private and public sectors is significant. However, it is key to educate decision-makers on what the technology means, and vendors should be looking to conduct a proof of value that delivers an ROI in weeks rather than years.
Genuine connected automation tech providers looking for like-minded partners will be able to demonstrate proven use cases that highlight big benefits for less, and at scale so that organisations can move forward on their automation journeys.
Nick Helman is the Managing Director of Connectivity and Communications at Redcentric. He is a keen advocate of Digital Transformation, underpinned by solid ITIL principles and taking everyone on his journey.