Partner POV | AI + Automation: A Trusted Copilot for ITOps in the Digital Age

Article written by Dave Link, CEO, ScienceLogic

We're living in an unprecedented moment in time. Data is reshaping our world. From enterprise networks and the cloud to the smart refrigerators in our kitchens and the watches on our wrists, data is proliferating at an unprecedented scale, both in volume and velocity.

As data owners, we continuously strive to monitor and derive intelligent insights from this data so we can catch performance anomalies and issues – from misconfigured systems to a skipped heartbeat – and quickly intervene.

However, the ability to assimilate, filter, and correlate vast amounts of data has far exceeded the capabilities of human processing. Attempting to efficiently and effectively manage the ever-growing complexity of modern IT systems at speed and scale is becoming an impossible feat for IT departments. This is, especially as more operational functions are brought online, increasing volume of data and demand for its management. Organizations are faced with the reality that it is not possible for humans to both see and put that data into context, much less derive actionable insights for accelerating, augmenting, and automating IT operations.

Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation have emerged as a much-needed lifeline, rescuing IT pros from information overload, improving visibility into system health, and transforming digital operations.

Indeed, AI and automation are creating a leapfrog moment for our industry. I like to think of these technologies as akin to having a co-pilot or trusted advisor who can navigate vast datasets, distill key insights and make recommendations, even automate mitigation actions. By alleviating the burden of constant monitoring, AI has become an indispensable assistant to IT teams – helping them be more productive and assuming much of the tedious analysis that was previously handled manually.

Copilots in Action

ScienceLogic is a trailblazer in this field. Leveraging more than a decade of experience in machine reasoning and advanced AI capabilities, our IT infrastructure monitoring and AIOps platform, ScienceLogic SL1, operates as a copilot for IT teams.

With SL1, teams can offload time-consuming monitoring and maintenance tasks with full confidence, eliminating gaps in infrastructure visibility, automating IT troubleshooting and remediation and empowering modern IT operations. Teams leveraging SL1 realize maximized efficiency as the platform reliably reduces signal-to-noise ratio and delivers only critical insights into the system's health status. IT managers can also tap into the platform's generative AI capabilities to proactively discern patterns and anomalies without explicit user guidance– even rare events that haven't occurred before.

As a result, the platform enables IT professionals to predict, and accurately identify root causes, and automate the resolution of emerging problems in today's digital world quickly and accurately so that teams can address issues before they impact user experience. In turn, IT teams minimize costly downtime and resource expenditure by proactively addressing emerging issues impacting customer satisfaction while freeing up teams to focus on innovation and business objectives.

Unleashing IT innovation and ROI

By automating problem resolution, SL1 not only enhances service quality but also liberates IT teams from the constant struggle of reacting to incident noise and maintaining systems.

For years, the natural center of gravity for CIOs and IT has been keeping the lights on. Insights from Gartner's IT Key Metrics Data 2023 found that even though supporting business growth is the top priority for CIOs, 71% of IT budgets are focused on running operations with only 16% focused on growth initiatives, and 11% on transformation – figures that have barely changed since 2018.

SL1 empowers IT teams to focus on innovation rather than being bogged down by routine maintenance tasks. And the savings are significant – across the business.

According to a new Forrester Total Economic Impact Study of ScienceLogic SL1, the platform helps enterprises realize the following return on investment:

• $2.4 million boost in productivity and auto-remediation.
• By minimizing incident noise, organizations realize $1.2 million in saved effort and preserve 20,100 hours that support analysts would have otherwise spent on unnecessary ticket creation.
• 60% reduction in monitoring and management solutions and platforms by consolidating tools.

Furthermore, Forrester found that organizations experience benefits of $5.84 million over three years versus costs of $2.27 million, adding up to a net present value (NPV) of $3.57 million, a payback period of less than six months, and an ROI of 157%.

Transforming ITOps for a Digital Future

The amalgamation of AI and automation – which I like to call autonomics – exemplified by ScienceLogic SL1, is ushering in a new era in IT operations. By addressing the pain points of information overload, siloed tools, a lack of visibility into service health, and manual drudgery, this transformative technology not only ensures the health of IT systems but also empowers IT teams and the enterprises they support to innovate and thrive in an increasingly digital landscape.