How do you evaluate the success of IT automation in your organization?

Be clear about what is going to automate, how will it benefit once automation is in place. Who are users of the automation and acceptance of automation by users gives metrics for success. Automation’s benefit is not limited to saving time, reducing human errors to zero are also need for automation effort.

- One time in my work we are having a device that is connected with monitoring screen, this each time we open this device we need to enter a username and password due to company policy, also we need to open multiple browser tabs for monitoring systems (to monitor our server resources), so we decided to automate this action technically by applying the following steps: - Modify BIOS Settings to allow this device to start automatically during work hours & also make it start when a power cable is connected. - Create user in AD and assign this user only access this machine (With least permissions). - Modify registry to allow this user to automatically login. - Created startup script to start browser and desired pages for monitoring.

Clear Objectives: Start with clear goals for automation, like saving time, reducing errors, or cutting costs. Measurable Results: Use specific metrics like time saved, error reduction, or cost savings to measure success. User Feedback: Gather input from IT staff and users to see if they find the automation helpful. Security and Compliance: Ensure that automation improves security and helps meet regulatory requirements. Scalability: Check if your automation can handle growing workloads and adapt to changes. Time Savings: Measure how much time automation saves in routine tasks. Error Reduction: Track how automation reduces mistakes in IT processes. Continuous Improvement: Make sure your automation evolves and improves over time.

When most of IT support team and the End Users time is spent performing tasks that cannot be automated. That is success of automation

In my experience, IT is always nervous about automation because it’s perceived as removing work tasks from their bucket. The goal is not to eliminate technical SME’s but rather reduce the number of redundant man-in-the-loop configuration changes. Metrics being tracked for server provisioning is mean time to deploy with number of manual actions in server provisioning process. Benefit is simplifying a legacy process enabling resources to spend more time doing high level work vs burning through the same checklists every release to manually configure hardware.

Cost savings: Automation can reduce labor costs by automating repetitive tasks. Increased productivity: Automation should free up employees' time to focus on more strategic and value-added activities. Improved efficiency: Automated processes should streamline workflows and reduce errors. Enhanced quality: Automation can ensure consistency and accuracy in task execution. Reduced downtime: Automation can help to prevent downtime by automating routine maintenance tasks. Increased customer satisfaction: Automation can improve customer service by automating repetitive tasks. Employee engagement: Automation can empower employees to focus on more creative work. Return on investment (ROI). Sustainability: Evaluate the long-term sustainability.

If there is a task or process or business function that I have to routinely perform manually I need to ask myself: Am I learning something unique and perspective enhancing from doing this? Am I mentoring or growing together towards goals with an associate/partner/co-worker performing it? Is there a compelling amount of risk reduction that the doctrine of due care requires my attention or a major reduction in risk by interjecting an integrity control at this juncture? Am I letting my mind wander while i do a repetitive manual annoying task again while I slowly and compose the automation team’s Memorandum of Understanding that the opposite of doing a good job was never their goal.

Como experto en ciberseguridad, opino que la automatización de procesos y operaciones de ciberseguridad es fundamental para mejorar la agilidad y eficacia en la detección de amenazas y respuesta ante ciber incidentes. La automatización es necesaria para: 1. Aumentar la agilidad y eficacia en la investigación de amenazas detectadas, automatizando los playbooks que los analistas utilizan de forma manual para analizar un posible incidente. 2. Disminuir el gap de tiempo que existe entre que se detecta una amenaza y se ejecutan las acciones para contenerla. Es fundamental automatizar las acciones de contención y respuesta de los incidentes de seguridad.

I believe automations shouldn't be pursued just for the sake of ticking a box in your annual goals. Those which you create should be adopted and used. You should have meaningful roles and people with deep knowledge in technologies involved to create automations. These automations needs to be consistently taken care and be evolved with changing technology. We should be careful in deciding not to create wrappers on wrappers on the same piece of automations.

Don't be tool obsesed. Choose the one team is commonly skilled at or whey they can be quickly upskilled to. When comes to automating infra consider is the tooling supports multi platforms like terraform Few tools may be free for personal but paid when comes to organisation use , so read their legal before starting it for business case

Having a full picture of your current systems and their strengths and weaknesses is a must when trying to implement automation. Automation is only possible if the tools you utilize can be utilized through APIs or other integrations. Know your tech and how it works from start to finish - success will come.

Ne jamais oublier que le choix d'un outil est un choix de longue durée. L'idéal est de cibler des produits reconnus sur le marché et dont les compétences sont répandues. Il sera alors plus simple de trouver des ressources, aussi bien documentaires que humaines, pour l'utiliser.

A successful IT automation strategy often involves a mix of different tools and solutions that cater to various aspects of your IT operations. For instance, you may utilize scripting languages like Python or PowerShell for custom automation tasks, while employing orchestration platforms like Ansible, Puppet, or Kubernetes for larger-scale, cross-system automation. Furthermore, DevOps practices advocate for the integration of automation tools throughout the software development lifecycle. Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines often rely on automation tools to build, test, and deploy applications seamlessly. Here, tools like Jenkins, Travis CI, or GitLab CI/CD can play a significant role.

One clear thing: Sometimes it's better to use tools that you are accustomed with, than one that may promise a great return but you don't have time to study. Never make an automation "black box" style, you always should have comprehensive knowledge what and at which steps automation does, and how.

The success of IT automation in our organization is assessed through key performance indicators (KPIs) such as improved efficiency, reduced manual errors, faster deployment times, and increased resource utilization. Additionally, we monitor user satisfaction, cost savings, and the overall impact on business processes to gauge the effectiveness of IT automation. Regular feedback from IT teams and stakeholders is crucial for continuous improvement and optimization of automated processes.

Keep your security policy administration tooling (platform/network/identity/access) separate from your runtime/deployment environment to avoid attackers gaining access to critical tooling Abstract toolsets and solution components from each other using Open Standards and give preference to "logically" integrated systems over proprietary and tightly-coupled solutions to maximise adaptability.

When selecting tools, consider those that integrate with your existing environment. Prioritize scalability, ease of use, and community support, especially for open-source options. Ensure they meet the project's needs without compromising on security or performance.

Scalability is not just about handling the current workload; it's about accommodating future growth. Ensure that the tools you choose can scale seamlessly as your organization expands, and that they support the integration of additional functionalities or modules. Maintainability is an often overlooked but critical aspect. Opt for tools that support easy troubleshooting, debugging, and version control. A tool that facilitates efficient maintenance will save time and resources in the long term.

In my experience it is always better to start small regardless of your experience in general. Each workplace is different and even a small mistake can cause the whole system(s) to crash. If possible use development environment and when you are sure you have covered every possibility implement it in production. Also have a backup person with credentials who knows what you did because incidents somehow tend to happen when you are sick, on vacation or even completely unreachable.

Documentation is often an underestimated part of the automation process, but proper documentation is a lifesaver. When you document your processes and scripts, you not only make it easier for yourself but also for your team to understand and maintain the automation in the future. This documentation ensures that knowledge isn't siloed and can be passed on smoothly.

Implementation is all about process change. Automating manual processes literally means changing someone's day job. The implementation should prioritise People, Process and Technology respectively

Effective implementation starts with a solid plan, good documentation, and a detailed rollout strategy. It's essential to test in controlled stages and have a rollback plan, ensuring minimal disruption to current manual processes. For instance, in our project, we ensured a smooth transition from time-consuming and error-prone manual checks to automated scans.

Implement your automation with a people-centric approach. Communicate transparently with your team members about the upcoming changes, the reasons behind them, and the benefits. Consider hosting training sessions to familiarize everyone with the new automated processes. Throughout the implementation, continuously gather feedback from end-users. Understand how the automation is affecting their day-to-day work and be open to making adjustments based on their insights. Additionally, pay attention to the impact on skill sets. Automation might change the nature of certain roles or free up time for more strategic tasks. Ensure that team members have opportunities for upskilling or reskilling as needed.

Picture this: your automation dream has received the green light from your manager and team, and now it's time to kickstart the implementation. As someone with a background in traditional system administration, the concepts of version control and code development initially seemed foreign to me. Before embarking on my automation journey, I had crafted scripts in Batch, PowerShell, Bash, Perl, Python, and the like, storing them in an SMB shared drive for future use. However, delving into automation opened my eyes to a new toolkit, encompassing git for version control, automated testing frameworks, techniques for code documentation, and the importance of code refactoring.

As with goals, monitoring should focus on asessing success of business goals - not individual solution components. These will be things like ROI, time to market, governance, compliance, risk etc

No monitoring tools should replace human checks. Many do automation, then do automation monitoring and then they get approximated of approximated data. And only see the problem when one is critical. Never forget to have people review raw data time from time to catch problems in early stages.

In my experience, automation without monitoring is a gamble. It might work flawlessly for a while, but without oversight, you're vulnerable to hidden issues. By using tools and techniques to keep a close eye on your automation, you can rest assured that it continues to serve your organization efficiently and effectively.

Also getting feedback from IT team members and be able to discuss with them can help in the progress. Getting the essential tools to monitor automation and error checking can be helpful.

Consider embedding circuit breaker mechanisms in your automation along with monitoring. This will help not overloading upstream or downstream integrations in case of failures.

While the other options, like goals, implementation, and reviewing are important, I find monitoring is the most essential. For example, you could "review" your automation, and it may look like the automation was successfully implemented and ran successfully because the errors are not readily evident. However, if you monitor it while it is running, you may find that there was an unseen hiccup that would otherwise cause future problems, one that was not logged. Always monitor your automation, at least at the beginning, very closely, before setting it loose to run on its own.

Continuous monitoring is needed to ensure the automation performs as expected. Utilize monitoring tools that provide real-time data and alerts, enabling quick response to any issues.

Automation is meant to align with specific goals and objectives. Regular reviews ensure that your automation efforts are still in sync with the changing needs of your organization. It's about adapting to evolving circumstances. Automation isn't static; it should evolve. By identifying gaps and challenges in your automation strategy, you can proactively address issues and uncover opportunities for improvement. Regular reviews keep your automation fresh and responsive to new challenges.

As a general rule, most automations should translate to hours saved or result in an overall improvement in reliability of certain business processes. This only works if the automation system is consistent and reliable, though. However, one other easy subjective metric that is worth considering is whether it makes impacted people's lives easier. Ideally you are automating processes that people hate, and so if you ask them how it's going they should respond favorably because you've made their life better.

Fully document your Processes, Checklists, and Procedures so you can identify, communicate, and understand what people are doing.

Regularly reviewing the automation process helps in measuring its success against the initial goals. Analyze performance data, user feedback, and financial impacts, such as time savings from manual processes, which can be significant. Reviews can uncover opportunities for further improvements.

Learning from mistakes is as crucial as celebrating successes. When issues arise, treat them as opportunities to enhance your automation strategy. Conduct thorough post-mortems, involving key team members to identify root causes and implement corrective actions. This not only resolves immediate problems but contributes to a culture of continuous learning and resilience. By cultivating a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, your organization remains agile and well-positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities and overcome challenges in the ever-evolving field of IT automation.

Every automation project provides learning opportunities. Document what worked well and what didn't. Consult and share this knowledge within your team. Continuous learning from each project helps to achieve more sophisticated and successful automations.

Performing an FMA (Failure Mode Analysis) is a great tool to help you identify possible problems and map all the points of failure your automation may have. There are many templates for FMA. Identify points of failure and possible actions to mitigate.

As a Senior DBA with 20+ years of experience working for startups and fortune 500 companies, for me, I know that IT automation is working when the number of “fires” have decreased and our team is being more proactive as opposed to reactive. When your company’s bottom line is dependent on your uptime numbers, and 30 mins of a server offline can equate to 1.2 million in a loss of sales, one learns quickly to test those automations often. I know that our IT automation is serving me when I have more free time to develop my skills, those of my team, while meeting our numbers - and fires are infinitesimal, because we are prepared. And it is proper automation that allows us to succeed in this area.

Step Breakdown: Rather than perceiving an automation project as a monolithic task, adopt a strategy of meticulous step breakdown. Deconstruct the project into elementary, manageable steps, working towards each objective independently. By assembling these smaller components, you can systematically achieve the overarching, intricate solution – a process reminiscent of assembling LEGO pieces. Communication and Sensibility: Attentiveness to the requester's objectives is pivotal. Understand their goals, purpose, and the broader impact of the automation. This not only ensures the satisfaction of the requester but also resonates positively with other departments, such as Support/Help Desk, by mitigating potential disruptions.

Is the automation technology you've implemented usable for multiple applications within the business? Did you design automation that spans across multiple business silos for the organization? The best designed solutions can be leveraged for any department that has manual, repetitive tasks.

In my extensive career, I've assumed pivotal roles in IT, Processes, and Business Automations, fostering a comprehensive perspective on successful automation implementations. Here are key facets to consider: Adaptability: A paramount consideration in automation lies in coding modularity. Craft your code akin to LEGO blocks, ensuring seamless interconnection of APIs with software actions. This modular approach facilitates easy incorporation of future changes or additions to APIs and infrastructure. Employing functions for each element enhances reusability, especially in scenarios with similar steps like authentication.

An important consideration is the human element. Automation doesn't replace the need for skilled professionals. In my experience, it has freed our team from repetitive tasks, enabling us to tackle more complex security challenges that require critical thinking and creativity.

If you don’t automate you procrastinate. If I were to spend 30 minutes fixing something but one hour to fix it, and that one hour was invested in something that is repeatable think of it like investing in a 401(k) it grows the more you use it . If I spend extra time now I get time later multiplied and I can spend that time on education and learning or other tickets. Once a week a thirty minute ticket comes in for a random customer and it’s the same issue. 30mins x 52 weeks = 26 hours a year in labor. One time fix 1.5 hours and adjustment to the fix is 15 minutes to redeploy that you just cut the total in half ;) automate automate automate as much as you can and make sure it’s reproducible!