How CIOs approach automation

Chief Information Officers (CIO) lead the charge in implementing cutting-edge automation initiatives that not only work in the present but also safeguard the future. But success is far from guaranteed – the key lies in establishing a rock-solid business case from the outset.

The real challenge here is ensuring that processes that require modernization and automation align with the end goal of operational efficiency. For years, organizations have strived to modernize their core systems for optimal performance, but all too often, the business case falls short. This article delves into the critical importance of a robust business case for streamlining and automating processes – ultimately leading to an improved end-user experience.

CIOs on automation

Automation is a critical tool in any CIO’s arsenal, as it can help improve KPIs and create new channels to enhance the end-user experience.

However, ensuring that automation doesn’t simply put a band-aid on legacy, bureaucratic manual processes is crucial. Short-term gains are not enough – durable value must be delivered. As one of AINSYS experts put it, automation cannot be done to the business but must be done with it. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

• At Cardinal Health, a healthcare provider, the IT department closely collaborates with business leaders to identify pain points and determine the right processes to automate. The impact of automation initiatives is quantified through before-and-after business metrics, and an agile and innovative approach enables quick pivots in a dynamic healthcare environment.
• CIOs in financial institutions face the challenge of redefining entire business processes while delighting clients and maintaining compliance. The benefits of combining automation with AI are clear – faster decisions, optimized processes, and higher efficiency rates. Ultimately, businesses must prioritize the central consideration of automation efforts: the company itself.
• At Northwestern Mutual, the mission to alleviate financial anxiety drives all business priorities, with automation solutions applied where they can have a meaningful impact and be measured by business outcomes.

CIOs’ priorities

The priorities of CIOs are clear: automation of complex workflows is essential for business success. Let’s see what these specialists say about automation:

1. Petr Baudis, CTO and chief AI architect at Rossum, predicts that AI-enabled data capture will help enterprises scale automation projects beyond departmental silos. He suggests fast and accurate data extraction is foundational to business intelligence and data analytics, enabling better collaboration and B2B communications. RPA, process, and task mining are seen as vital automation technologies as enterprises attempt to scale their automation projects;
2. Other companies are making significant progress in automation as well. Adani Electricity is implementing advanced distribution management and a cloud-based data lake and analytics solution to improve the customer experience. The company has also improved its forecast accuracy with SAS’ AI/ML-based energy forecasting solution, reducing estimated readings for customers from 2.2% to 0.3%;
3. At Cardinal Health, warehouse automation is a top priority to serve customers better. The University of Phoenix is developing an enterprise platform that will enable increased use of ML and automation across a wide range of student and staff journeys, providing truly individualized student support.

CIOs also recognize that automation combined with AI has the potential to improve business KPIs through auto-detect and auto-heal solutions, as well as create new channels to enhance the end-user experience. To ensure that automation projects are effective, CIOs must prioritize infrastructure as code, continuous integration and deployment, and AI operations. By automating increasingly complex tasks in matriculation, transcript processing, and student financial aid, CIOs are creating platforms and systems that scale and govern automation safely and reliably, ultimately improving business processes and driving higher efficiency rates.

If you are planning to automate your companies’ processes, scale your business, or need to track data better, you will need the right tools to monitor your whole IT architecture. AINSYS integration framework syncs data between every tool and platform your IT team employs, helping you get an accurate picture of your software. By implementing AINSYS tools, both IT specialists and employees with no tech skills can ensure they make the right decisions for your organization and keep up with the ever-changing technology landscape.