I recently attended the CIOsynergy conference in San Francisco, where Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and other top-ranked professionals gathered with software vendors to discuss some of the industry’s hottest topics. Throughout the day there were several panels and presentations, but for me, one of the most interesting of the day was “The Value of Automating the IT Enterprise and Beyond,” with Jonathan Crane, President and COO at IPSoft.
From the beginning of his presentation Crane was open and honest about what automation means for the current accepted business model; “automation and digital labor will always be offshore,” he said bluntly. What resonated most about his stance is that he did not try to defend it, or spend much time on the process of shifting to virtual development practices, but rather placed emphasis on what it means for the workforce currently holding these soon-to-be-automated positions. He sees the future much brighter than most would expect.
First, let’s talk about exactly what automation means for businesses today:
The most compelling factor about workplace automation is the expectation of about 30%-40% in savings, to start. Managed properly, this percentage grows with time and can reach nearly 70% as the environment is restructured. (Crane, 2014) Why are these numbers so large? Crane estimates that upwards of 60% of all instances that happen in any given infrastructure can be automated.
The inevitable question that comes after seeing these benefits: What happens to the staff ?
According to Jonathan, the staff benefits from this migration to an automated system just as much as the company’s bottom line.
How? Well, the current staff is no longer responsible for mundane, repetitive daily tasks. There is no more manual process management and so the workforce is forced to improve. The reduction of menial activity will allow for mental stimulation and growth- and the ability to put human staff into situations that allow them to think creatively- or at least at a higher level. Overall, there may be some time invested in creating new positions, but the result will be a more engaged, move evolved workforce overall; and isn’t that something that ll businesses can benefit from?
There is certainly no silver bullet, or one solution for the struggles of the modern business, but we’re learning that some of the biggest issues in the professional world can actually be turned into gateways to productivity and growth. The ability to prosper in a changing business climate comes down to the ability to adapt rapidly: how will your company hold up to these challenges?
Let us know what you think about the topic of automation and shuffling staff, we’d love to hear from you!
Balaji has spent over 18 years in the IT Services Industry. With an experience encompassing Services and Product Marketing, he has successfully managed globally distributed Marketing and Product teams. He’s an analytical marketer with strong understanding and experience across marketing strategy, demand generation, field marketing, technology partner marketing, account based marketing, digital marketing, event management, analysis and third party relationship, PR/Media, people management, etc.
