Automated tools enable organizations to manage their cloud environments effectively. Automation increases IT efficiency, bolsters security and enhances the user experience through faster resolution of problems. Zero-touch automation takes that to the next level.
Zero-touch automation adds orchestration to automated workflows, enabling organizations to eliminate every manual task in an IT process. In a cloud environment, it involves automation of deployment, configuration, monitoring, scaling and problem resolution across public, private, hybrid and multi-cloud platforms. It is often used for onboarding and offboarding, managing sensitive information, and self-resolving some help desk tickets.
Orchestration and automation tools reside in a “metacloud” technology layer that sits on top of the cloud environment. It provides centralized operations, governance and security services across multiple clouds, reducing redundancy and complexity. IT teams spend less time on repetitive tasks and can prioritize initiatives that directly impact the bottom line.
Benefits of Zero-Touch Automation
Zero-touch automation can complete workflows in minutes that would require hours of manual work. What’s more, it improves quality and reduces the risk of human error as long as the workflows are designed properly.
Organizations can accelerate the deployment process by automating provisioning. Zero-touch automation can also be integrated into DevOps and CloudOps practices, improving collaboration between development and operations teams.
The latest automation tools include AIOps-type functionality that can predict issues before they occur. IT teams can take proactive steps to prevent problems, improving availability. Some of these steps can also be automated, enabling the cloud environment to “self-heal.”
Improved security is a key benefit of zero-touch automation. IT teams are often overwhelmed by security alerts and notifications, many of which are redundant or false alarms. Zero-touch automation eliminates the need for IT teams to review every alert and determine if any action is needed. Automated tools can perform this process and remediate some threats automatically.
SaaS Automation
According to new research from BetterCloud, the average enterprise uses 130 different SaaS applications, and zero-touch automation is ideal for helping organizations manage them. The vast majority of survey respondents (86 percent) consider automation essential to overcoming the associated operational and security challenges.
Onboarding and offboarding users is a primary use for zero-touch automation. Many IT teams face a backlog of tickets for creating new user accounts. Fulfilling these requests manually consumes a significant amount of IT time, and users must wait for access to the tools they need. With zero-touch automation, workflows can be configured to obtain approval from a user’s manager, provision the new account, and send the login information to the user.
Automating the offboarding process helps reduce security risks. Manual offboarding cannot always be performed promptly, which means a departing employee still has access to applications and data. With automation, the offboarding process will be handled efficiently.
Risks and Rewards
Zero-touch automation is not without risks. It increases an organization’s dependence on technology, creating significant challenges if the technology fails. Automation can also introduce new and unexpected problems and reduce the level of control that operations teams have over the cloud environment.
Issues also arise when organizations try to automate too much. Automation typically requires some human oversight, but finding the right balance can be difficult. IT teams must also maintain their cloud operations skills so that they can address problems when needed.
Zero-touch automation can be expensive and requires expert help for planning, design and implementation. Attempting to get by cheaply increases the risk that problems will arise.
Technologent has the proven ability to deliver zero-touch automation solutions for a wide range of cloud environments. Let us help you take full advantage of the benefits of zero-touch automation while minimizing the risk.
Comments