“Sure, automation works great for other companies, but it would be a big mistake for ours.”
If you’ve had similar thoughts, you’re not alone—there are a lot of rumors out there about workload automation that can create unfounded doubts about implementing a job scheduling tool. Fortunately, thanks to 30+ years of job scheduling experience at Fortra, we can help you separate fact from fiction.
In this episode of “No-Stress Job Scheduling” we welcome Pat Cameron to the show. Pat is Director of Automation Technology at Fortra, and in her time helping enterprises automate their systems she has run into a few common automation misconceptions over and over.
Myth: My environment is too complex
Pat mentions that when she was an operations administrator at a hospital, she fell into this trap herself. Her department had operators downloading files, interfaces to the lab and pharmacy, nightly processing tasks, and much more, all of which seemed beyond the scope of automation.
Reality
Although it can be daunting to think of automating such a complex system of interconnected processes, rest assured that with the right enterprise job scheduler you can automate from the desktop to the mainframe and everything in between. The trick is to start small. Find the easiest things to automate, like your daily reports or other tasks that happen at the same time every day with no dependencies. From there, build up to the more complex tasks, like those that involve cross-system dependencies. By the time you’re automating intricate processes like month-end, you’ll know your new automation tool well enough that it will be a piece of cake.
Pat’s advice to you is: don’t be afraid! Fortra has banks and large retailers that are running lights out. No one has to work on the weekends, even at month-end. If they can do it, so can you!
Myth: I’m going to automate myself out of a job!
People have worried about losing work to machines since at least the industrial revolution. Many IT professionals are afraid that as soon as they finish implementing workload automation software, they’ll be let go.
Reality
The truth is, automation won’t take your job away, it will make your job better! Automation is great for those tasks that repeat over and over, every month, every day, or every hour—the same boring tasks that humans hate. IT departments aren’t overstaffed these days. Getting rid of the most mundane manual work will just free you up to do work that is more helpful to the company.
One successful strategy that Pat has seen is that when IT administrators find themselves with extra time due to automation, they are made into “automation analysts” or “operations analysts.” The analysts work with departments throughout the company to help them automate their processes.
An accountant or HR manager may have no idea what automation technology can do for them until you set it up for them. You can be a company hero!
Implementing an enterprise job scheduler actually increases your job security by eliminating the risk of human error. With workload automation, nothing runs on the wrong day or out of order.
Myth: It’s just not worth the time
We get it, you’re already busy, and implementing an enterprise job scheduler is a big project.
Reality
Pat admits that when she was an operations administrator, she sometimes had fun putting out fires. It can be fulfilling to play detective, figure out what isn’t working, and solve the problem. But let’s face it, constant crisis mode gets old pretty fast, not to mention that there’s a huge risk to the company. If you’re concerned about the ROI of implementing workload automation, take a look at how much time you are spending dealing with one crisis after another, and imagine how many hours would be freed up if everything ran smoothly and automatically. You’re likely to find that it makes the short-term project of implementing a job scheduler well worth it. Once your automation tool is in place, you’ll be able to spend more time innovating and helping other business units.
Missed SLAs can be harmful to a business, and to individual employees. Sometimes people’s bonuses are tied to meeting SLAs. Automating can ensure that they’ll never be missed.
To find out firsthand how workload automation can make your life easier, download the 30-day free trial of Automate Schedule.