Johannesburg, 09 Sep 2016
"Sure, automation works great for other companies, but it would be a big mistake for ours." If you've had similar thoughts, you're not alone as there are a lot of rumours about workload automation that can create unfounded doubts about implementing a job scheduling tool, says SPI Group. The following are three misconceptions:
Myth 1: My environment is too complex
Despite the complex nature of many systems that, for instance, involves many interconnected processes, it is possible to automate from the desktop to the mainframe and everything in between. The trick is to start small. Find the easiest things to automate, such as your daily reports or other tasks that happen at the same time every day with no dependencies. Subsequently build up to the more complex tasks that may involve cross-system dependencies. By the time you're automating intricate processes such as those at month-end, you'll know your new automation tool well enough that it will become 'a piece of cake'. Don't be afraid! There are banks and large retailers that are running lights out, where no one has to work on the weekends, even at month-end. If they can do it, so can you!
Myth 2: I'm going to automate myself out of a job!
People have worried about losing work to machines since at least the industrial revolution. Many IT professionals are afraid that as soon as they finish implementing workload automation software, they'll be let go. The reality is that automation won't take your job away; it will make your job better! Automation is great for those tasks that repeat over and over, every month, every day, or every hour - the same boring tasks that humans hate to do. IT departments aren't overstaffed these days. Getting rid of the most mundane manual work will just free you up to do work that is more helpful to the company. Implementing an enterprise job scheduler increases job security by eliminating the risk of human error and with workload automation, nothing runs on the wrong day or out of order.
Myth 3: It's just not worth the time
Maybe it's fun putting out fires and fulfilling to play the detective by figuring out what isn't working, and solving the problem. But in reality, constant crisis mode gets old pretty fast and there's a huge risk to the company. If you're concerned about the ROI of implementing workload automation, take a look at how much time you are spending dealing with one crisis after another, and, imagine how many hours would be freed up if everything ran smoothly and automatically. You're probably find that it makes the short-term project of implementing a job scheduler well worth it. Once the automation tool is in place, you'll be able to spend more time innovating and helping other business units. Missed SLAs can be harmful to a business, and to individual employees as sometimes people's bonuses are tied to meeting SLAs. Automating can ensure that they'll never be missed.
SPI, the African distributor for utility software products and services to the Open Systems segment of the IT industry, is the sole Sub-Saharan Africa distributor for Help/Systems and Skybot Software.
For further information, please contact Chris Anderson at tel. +27 11 234 1560; fax +27 11 234 1387; e-mail chris@spi.co.za
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