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IT Teams Are Increasing Investment in Automation - Why and How You Should Do the Same

Shawn Herring
airSlate

It has been talked about at length, but the workforce has changed dramatically since 2020, and it continues to evolve. Roles have shifted, the way we meet and collaborate has changed, and we've seen a significant increase in burnout and other challenges.

Professionals in the IT and Operations spaces are especially feeling the effects of a changing workforce. They are dealing with massive layoffs, the threat of a challenging economy, shadow IT, and cybersecurity risks. In addition, colleagues across their organizations are finding and implementing tech solutions on their own, which leads to a whole host of other issues.


A recent survey sponsored by airSlate took a deeper look into what's happening across IT and Ops departments and how embracing automation can get everyone back on track.

Too Much Work Outside of Regular Responsibilities

In a survey of 522 IT and Ops professionals, the number one concern was found to be that team members would be pulled in to problem-solve and fix poorly implemented solutions.

A majority of IT and Ops pros ( 60%) faced increased workloads outside of their original roles and responsibilities.

Mass layoffs contributed to increased workloads, with 71% of IT and Ops professionals having already experienced layoffs in the 6 months prior to the survey.

The effect of constant problem-solving is that there is less time to focus on work that really matters — work like creating infrastructures and processes that level-up organizations, prioritize security, drive productivity, and result in positive outcomes.

Risks Associated with Shadow IT

85% of surveyed IT professionals are concerned about shadow IT projects, which involve hardware, software, or resources that are introduced without an IT department's authorization or oversight.

Shadow IT is a real problem. As already mentioned, it can take precious time away from business growth efforts, but beyond that, shadow IT can compromise security, cost an organization hundreds of thousands of dollars, and can negatively impact organizational infrastructure.

While working remotely has highlighted our desire to be more autonomous and spend less time on routine work, organizations need to put up guardrails to ensure that tech solutions are properly implemented and used.

This is where IT personnel and other colleagues can work together for the good of the entire organization.

70% of organizations favor citizen development efforts. Citizen developers are employees who reside outside the IT department and often have the skills needed to build apps and automate workflows using low-code/no-code tools.

Alongside governance from the IT team, citizen developers can help fuel the productivity and efficiency of an organization. Fortunately, 92% of IT teams believe their teams have the skills needed to implement and leverage workflow automation solutions, and they can make sure this is done properly by:

■ Informing staff about approved tools and providing them access

■ Defining security protocols

■ Offering ongoing mentorship and support

Embracing Automation Solutions

Almost 41% of IT and Ops professionals are still spending too much time on manual administrative tasks, which hampers their overall productivity. IT and Ops pros want to see positive change and are asking for more automated solutions, clearer priorities, and more autonomy to implement solutions. Many companies are already responding by taking steps to introduce more automation into their operations.

75% of teams are planning on increasing their investment in automation, with the vast majority already using low-code/no-code tools. And the results speak for themselves.

A whopping 94% of organizations who have implemented automation tools say that it has increased their productivity.

Given the favorable outcomes, in the next 12-18 months IT and Ops teams plan to prioritize automation for document workflows relating to Finance, Sales, and Marketing.

When it comes to automation, more than 63% of IT and Ops personnel are looking for tools that meet specific requirements, such as tools that:

■ Are cost-efficient

■ Improve productivity and streamline outdated processes

■ Prioritize security and privacy for sensitive documentation

Challenging Times Need Innovative Solutions

It's clear that we are still facing challenges and are still adjusting to a transforming workforce. The good news is that we have evidence that investing in automation and monitoring the use of automation tools within an organization results in increased productivity, efficiency, and a more satisfied workforce.

The results of this survey should prompt leaders to ask questions about their strategic plans, such as:

■ Are we giving automation as much attention as we should?

■ How do I expect to maintain a competitive advantage?

■ How can I invest in my talent pool so they feel heard, appreciated, and supported?

■ What can I prioritize in the next 3, 6, and 12 months to put us on the right track?

■ If I don't embrace automation and AI, what are the repercussions? Can we survive those repercussions?

Shawn Herring is CMO of airSlate

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IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

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IT Teams Are Increasing Investment in Automation - Why and How You Should Do the Same

Shawn Herring
airSlate

It has been talked about at length, but the workforce has changed dramatically since 2020, and it continues to evolve. Roles have shifted, the way we meet and collaborate has changed, and we've seen a significant increase in burnout and other challenges.

Professionals in the IT and Operations spaces are especially feeling the effects of a changing workforce. They are dealing with massive layoffs, the threat of a challenging economy, shadow IT, and cybersecurity risks. In addition, colleagues across their organizations are finding and implementing tech solutions on their own, which leads to a whole host of other issues.


A recent survey sponsored by airSlate took a deeper look into what's happening across IT and Ops departments and how embracing automation can get everyone back on track.

Too Much Work Outside of Regular Responsibilities

In a survey of 522 IT and Ops professionals, the number one concern was found to be that team members would be pulled in to problem-solve and fix poorly implemented solutions.

A majority of IT and Ops pros ( 60%) faced increased workloads outside of their original roles and responsibilities.

Mass layoffs contributed to increased workloads, with 71% of IT and Ops professionals having already experienced layoffs in the 6 months prior to the survey.

The effect of constant problem-solving is that there is less time to focus on work that really matters — work like creating infrastructures and processes that level-up organizations, prioritize security, drive productivity, and result in positive outcomes.

Risks Associated with Shadow IT

85% of surveyed IT professionals are concerned about shadow IT projects, which involve hardware, software, or resources that are introduced without an IT department's authorization or oversight.

Shadow IT is a real problem. As already mentioned, it can take precious time away from business growth efforts, but beyond that, shadow IT can compromise security, cost an organization hundreds of thousands of dollars, and can negatively impact organizational infrastructure.

While working remotely has highlighted our desire to be more autonomous and spend less time on routine work, organizations need to put up guardrails to ensure that tech solutions are properly implemented and used.

This is where IT personnel and other colleagues can work together for the good of the entire organization.

70% of organizations favor citizen development efforts. Citizen developers are employees who reside outside the IT department and often have the skills needed to build apps and automate workflows using low-code/no-code tools.

Alongside governance from the IT team, citizen developers can help fuel the productivity and efficiency of an organization. Fortunately, 92% of IT teams believe their teams have the skills needed to implement and leverage workflow automation solutions, and they can make sure this is done properly by:

■ Informing staff about approved tools and providing them access

■ Defining security protocols

■ Offering ongoing mentorship and support

Embracing Automation Solutions

Almost 41% of IT and Ops professionals are still spending too much time on manual administrative tasks, which hampers their overall productivity. IT and Ops pros want to see positive change and are asking for more automated solutions, clearer priorities, and more autonomy to implement solutions. Many companies are already responding by taking steps to introduce more automation into their operations.

75% of teams are planning on increasing their investment in automation, with the vast majority already using low-code/no-code tools. And the results speak for themselves.

A whopping 94% of organizations who have implemented automation tools say that it has increased their productivity.

Given the favorable outcomes, in the next 12-18 months IT and Ops teams plan to prioritize automation for document workflows relating to Finance, Sales, and Marketing.

When it comes to automation, more than 63% of IT and Ops personnel are looking for tools that meet specific requirements, such as tools that:

■ Are cost-efficient

■ Improve productivity and streamline outdated processes

■ Prioritize security and privacy for sensitive documentation

Challenging Times Need Innovative Solutions

It's clear that we are still facing challenges and are still adjusting to a transforming workforce. The good news is that we have evidence that investing in automation and monitoring the use of automation tools within an organization results in increased productivity, efficiency, and a more satisfied workforce.

The results of this survey should prompt leaders to ask questions about their strategic plans, such as:

■ Are we giving automation as much attention as we should?

■ How do I expect to maintain a competitive advantage?

■ How can I invest in my talent pool so they feel heard, appreciated, and supported?

■ What can I prioritize in the next 3, 6, and 12 months to put us on the right track?

■ If I don't embrace automation and AI, what are the repercussions? Can we survive those repercussions?

Shawn Herring is CMO of airSlate

Hot Topics

The Latest

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

Image
Broadcom

From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...

Today, organizations are generating and processing more data than ever before. From training AI models to running complex analytics, massive datasets have become the backbone of innovation. However, as businesses embrace the cloud for its scalability and flexibility, a new challenge arises: managing the soaring costs of storing and processing this data ...