What are the latest trends and innovations in production support automation tools?

1 Chatbots and virtual assistants

One of the most popular and emerging trends in production support automation tools is the use of chatbots and virtual assistants. These are software applications that can interact with users, customers, or other systems, using natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI). Chatbots and virtual assistants can help production support teams by providing automated responses, solutions, or guidance, based on predefined rules, scripts, or knowledge bases. They can also escalate issues to human agents, if needed, or integrate with other tools and platforms, such as ticketing systems, monitoring tools, or cloud services. Chatbots and virtual assistants can improve the efficiency, quality, and satisfaction of production support, by reducing manual work, human errors, response times, and costs.

2 Robotic process automation

Another trend that is gaining momentum in production support automation tools is robotic process automation (RPA). RPA is a technology that can mimic human actions, such as clicking, typing, copying, pasting, or navigating, using software robots or bots. RPA can help production support teams by automating repetitive, routine, or rule-based tasks, such as data entry, validation, extraction, or reporting. RPA can also interact with multiple applications or systems, using various interfaces, such as web, desktop, or API. RPA can enhance the productivity, accuracy, and scalability of production support, by freeing up human resources, minimizing errors, and increasing throughput.

3 Self-healing and self-learning systems

A more advanced and innovative trend in production support automation tools is the development of self-healing and self-learning systems. These are systems that can detect, diagnose, and resolve issues, without human intervention, using machine learning (ML), AI, or other techniques. Self-healing systems can monitor the health and performance of applications and systems, and apply corrective actions, such as restarting, reconfiguring, or patching, when problems occur. Self-learning systems can analyze the behavior and patterns of applications and systems, and optimize their performance, configuration, or resource allocation, based on feedback or data. Self-healing and self-learning systems can improve the reliability, availability, and performance of production support, by reducing downtime, incidents, and manual intervention.

4 Low-code and no-code platforms

A more accessible and user-friendly trend in production support automation tools is the adoption of low-code and no-code platforms. These are platforms that allow users to create, modify, or deploy applications or workflows, using graphical interfaces, drag-and-drop elements, or pre-built templates, instead of writing code. Low-code and no-code platforms can help production support teams by enabling them to automate or customize their processes, tasks, or solutions, without requiring extensive coding skills or resources. They can also facilitate collaboration, integration, and testing, by providing easy-to-use tools and features. Low-code and no-code platforms can increase the agility, flexibility, and innovation of production support, by empowering users to create or change applications or workflows quickly and easily.

5 Cloud-native and serverless technologies

A more modern and scalable trend in production support automation tools is the use of cloud-native and serverless technologies. These are technologies that leverage the capabilities and benefits of cloud computing, such as elasticity, availability, security, or cost-effectiveness. Cloud-native technologies are technologies that are designed or optimized for the cloud environment, such as containers, microservices, or Kubernetes. Serverless technologies are technologies that abstract the underlying infrastructure or servers, and only charge for the execution time or resources used, such as AWS Lambda or Azure Functions. Cloud-native and serverless technologies can help production support teams by simplifying the deployment, management, or scaling of applications or systems, and by providing more flexibility, performance, or reliability.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?