Forget the hype around ChatGPT — AI has been powering enterprises for years
By Sascha Giese, SolarWinds Technical Evangelist
There’s little doubt ChatGPT and other generative AI software have sparked an unprecedented wave of interest in artificial intelligence (AI).
These exciting new tools allow people to generate reams of written content with a few keystrokes, generate computer code and create new images from a few suggestive words and have captured the public’s imagination.
As a result, it has made AI more accessible than ever before.
But while generative AI maybe today’s technology newcomer stealing all the limelight, AI has been a part of the business world for years.
Although not as ‘star-studded’ as today’s generative AI, AI has been quietly powering solutions behind the scenes enabling companies of all sizes to improve business outcomes and expedite processes.
In particular, AI has been employed by IT teams as part of a set of practices and technologies combining AI and machine learning (ML) with IT operations to enhance and automate various aspects of IT management and monitoring.
Known as Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps), it uses AI and (ML) to analyse vast amounts of data to help optimise IT system performance and predict potential issues or threats.
For those working in AIOps, the goal is simple: Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of IT operations by automating routine tasks, detecting and resolving issues proactively, and gaining valuable insights from vast amounts of operational data.
By making the most of AIOps-powered solutions such as observability, technology teams can improve their ability to manage complicated, hybrid, and multi-cloud IT environments, automate processes, and optimise their businesses.
There are four ways AIOps is helping businesses overcome today’s IT challenges.
Provide unified visibility into complicated networks and infrastructure
The acceleration of digital transformation in recent years has led to changes in the workplace. This includes the migration of workflows to public and private clouds, the implementation of new productivity tools, and the adoption of next-generation technologies.
One report even suggested enterprises use, on average, 2.6 clouds and more than 200 apps following the shift to hybrid working. The result of this ‘app sprawl’ is a troubling lack of visibility into these environments.
A SolarWinds survey from 2022 found 54% of technology professionals said they only have visibility into about half — or less — of their apps and infrastructure, raising concerns this lack of visibility can dent the return on investment for projects.
AIOps helps overcome this challenge by providing comprehensive visibility into an organisation’s systems, regardless of whether those environments are hosted in on-premises, hybrid, or multi-cloud environments.
Because it automatically collects and integrates insights and information across geographies, apps, and infrastructures into one dashboard providing technology teams with single-pane-of-glass visibility into the state of IT environments.
Automate processes and address pressing issues
While the visibility provided by AIOps and observability are integral to managing today’s complex IT environments, the technology has much more to offer.
With AIOps, teams can automate processes such as identifying and rectifying issues. And it’s the automation of the process is key because an IT anomaly often results in a huge number of alerts and a flood of log messages, making it difficult for a human IT team to understand and address any problem.
By using AIOps to process the information instead, it can provide rapid root cause analysis, data/event correlation, and incident management without the need for human intervention.
And since this technology is always observing and gathering information on potential incidents, it can predict and prevent future issues proactively.
By implementing AIOps, companies are taking a step toward autonomous operations without the need for human involvement.
Protect revenue
In the face of an uncertain economy, every organisation is taking steps to protect its revenue. With AIOps, enterprises have a powerful tool in their IT armoury to help them keep to tight budgets.
By implementing AIOps and observability, companies can quickly resolve and prevent IT issues before they arise. This ensures IT environments can operate efficiently, reducing downtime and helping to prevent outages.
Free-up employee time to innovate and operate more efficiently
It’s no secret many companies struggle to fill critical roles within their IT divisions. As a result, this has led to the creation of smaller teams tasked with more responsibilities.
It’s little wonder the sector has seen a rise in overworked technology professionals who spend far too much time on manual and menial tasks do little to support the business’s bottom line.
By implementing AIOps, organisations can streamline workflows by automating repetitive and routine tasks. It can also cut the amount of metrics technology needs to be analysed and instead, empower IT professionals to focus on innovating and completing projects support key business objectives.
Uma Rajagopal has been managing the posting of content for multiple platforms since 2021, including Global Banking & Finance Review, Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune. Her role ensures that content is published accurately and efficiently across these diverse publications.