A battle is raging in the engine room of the IT industry. Not only is it causing friction among IT teams, but it’s also dividing opinion among those responsible for ensuring our digital world keeps turning. It will come as a little surprise that the subject of the quarrel is artificial intelligence (AI)—the game-changing technology that’s carving out a new digital future for us all.
On the one hand, tech pros are fully aware of the benefits that AI can bring around efficiency and productivity. They know, for example, that AI can be deployed to enhance and automate various aspects of IT management, such as security and monitoring. Little wonder, then, that some IT teams are chomping at the bit to implement these solutions.
For instance, AI-powered IT Service Management (ITSM) is being used successfully to support troubleshooting and guided incident resolution. Elsewhere, artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps) is already hard at work in helping with proactive digital services management.
It’s delivering a whole new level of autonomous operations which requires little to no human intervention. It does it by crunching vast amounts of data to help optimize IT system performance and predict potential issues or threats.
The IT sector is also beginning to understand how the benefits of advances in natural language processing can aid DevOps, SecOps, and CloudOps teams.
IT teams are being pulled in different directions
With such positive reports, surely adopting AI is a foregone conclusion? Before the matter is settled, it’s worth pointing out the opposing view. And there are plenty of people who are cautious about diving in head first. Their approach is more cautious, and concerned about the ‘what ifs’ and the potential threat of unintended consequences, especially if they jump the gun and implement unproven tools too quickly.
Tech pros are battling to answer one serious question: should they build and add AI solutions into processes today or delay implementation to study how the field evolves? It all boils down to whether they believe their organizations see themselves as leaders or followers in the world of AI.
It is this conundrum that lies at the heart of the conflict affecting teams. Not only is this battle taking up time, energy, and resources. It’s also exhausting for those who have to navigate this minefield. Because the stakes are high.
Those who opt for the cautious route risk falling behind competitors who are boldly embracing AI. While those looking to steal a march on their rivals risk stumbling on unproven ground or, worse, heading off in the wrong direction altogether.
AI is redefining the boundaries of productivity and performance
What is not in dispute is the motivation behind the adoption of AI tools. Modern enterprises are laser-focused on maximizing productivity, boosting performance, realizing growth potential, and securing interconnectivity.
Increasingly, however, they have to do this against a backdrop of ever-tightening resources, limited time, and mounting workloads due to increasingly complex environments. For some IT teams, these conditions have pushed them to a tipping point, which has impelled them to embrace AI tools to provide a critical lift. Others are still considering their options; for how long remains to be seen.
But as the industry battles with this process, one thing we can do is discuss our experiences and share what we’ve learned. After all, IT teams that have successfully integrated AI are well-placed to offer valuable insights, helping to measure the pace of implementing AI solutions for tasks that were once handled by humans.
For me, there are four key issues that everyone needs to address:
Analyse and assess your needs and wants: First things first. It may seem an obvious first step, but understanding what you have—and what you’re looking to achieve—is critical. In that regard, it’s no different from any important purchasing decision.
To help you decide, conduct an audit to discover where some productivity would make the most impact. One area, for example, in which AI excels is helping to cut costs and deliver a speedy return on investment (ROI).
One survey of SolarWinds customers found that IT teams saved an average of 23 hours per week on IT service management tasks having integrated AI capabilities. Such promises are certainly tempting. But this kind of ROI can only be achieved if you approach the process correctly and deploy AI where the need is greatest. In other words, you must think critically about where best to leverage AI.
AI isn’t there to replace your team: One of the issues that inevitably raises its head above the parapet is whether AI will replace people. Concerns about potential job losses may sometimes fuel the conflict within IT teams. But it shouldn’t — for one simple reason.
Anyone who has experienced this technology knows it can’t replace the critical thinking and creative problem-solving central to successful teams. Where it does score well is by helping to automate repetitive and mundane tasks. That’s when AI becomes a valuable part of your team, not a replacement for certain individuals.
Keep your finger on the pulse: Barely a day goes by without some new development or breakthrough in AI. That’s why you need to stay up-to-date on the latest developments. This can be as simple as following a few trusted news sources or subscribing to certain AI solution providers. Staying abreast of the latest developments should be viewed as a group effort involving the whole team and not a task left to one or two people. Navigating the road ahead is a team effort.
Don’t be afraid to change the plan once it’s in motion: AI is developing at a blistering pace. We also know that plenty of twists and turns are coming down the line as the technology develops and customers respond to breakthroughs. That’s why being flexible and adaptable to change is essential in the fast-moving world of AI.
There’s little doubt that AI will continue to dominate the headlines. For those at the sharp end of the AI revolution, it’s often easy to get caught up in the hype. That’s why taking a moment to step back and reflect is essential. If you ever get stuck or lose direction, I suggest taking a leaf out of the book from the guiding principles of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library: Start where you are.
That means assessing your situation and identifying what you want to achieve. It means taking stock of available solutions and tools and communicating with your teams regularly.
It’s important not to stall innovation. But at the same time, don’t waste your whole technology budget on new AI tools until you have a plan for how you’ll use them. Remember, AI isn’t a short-term fad—it’s here to stay. Being able to keep pace for the duration is critical to long-term success.
