The idea of automation becoming a key part of businesses and the way they work is something that a lot have already started rolling into their workplace. Since the creation of computers everyone has said that they would one day replace the jobs of humans. We aren’t at the point where they can fully replace us but why not let them assist us? Automatic cars change gears so you don’t have to, self-service checkouts in stores mean that the store doesn’t have to hire a cashier, and the list goes on. The idea of these automation processes becoming a part of your business is something you should have already considered, it keeps things moving forward!
What are the benefits of automation?
- Efficiency – Tasks that are done manually take a lot longer than if they were automated and there is no difference in the outcome of the task, but the time spent on those tasks is wasted if continuously done manually. The person that was doing these before can now spend their time on other tasks that are more important and less repetitive.
- Cost saving – Paying someone to do tasks that can easily be automated is a waste of money and time, if certain tasks can be automated then there’s no point paying someone to do them. This helps save money as you now only pay them to do the important jobs rather than all the repetitive tasks you’ve automated.
- Consistency – If a task were to be done manually there is always going to be the risk of human error even with the simplest of tasks. When a task is automated it is done one way and is done that way every time it is completed, which cuts out the factor of human error.
We all want to save time, save money and make sure everything goes smoothly, and that’s what automation should do. But there is always a risk! Over automation is something that can disadvantage you in the process of automation. Over-automating means that the attempt of automation creating inefficiencies, usually due to not considering how human factors will react to the automation process. For example, creating a customer support service process that doesn’t assist customers efficiently resulting in a lower satisfaction rate, automating a process for customer interfaces which in reality that is something they want to control, etc.
Things that you will want to have automated
- Backups – Manually backing up your computer is a repetitive process if you are working all throughout the day, and it is too much of a risk to wait until the end of the day as a crash can happen at any time. One of our key vendors StorageCraft creates solutions for that, with software that consistently creates backups of your computer and server throughout the day meaning you don’t have to worry about losing data if your computer crashes. To find out more about StorageCraft and their solutions contact us here
- Patch Management – By automating patch management it reduces the risk of any security compromises in your system as it will always be up to date with the latest patches. Majority of the time the reason for network security breaches are due to missing patches, this can be prevented by using a product like “GFI LanGuard”. This solution from GFI takes away the task of having to update whenever there is a new update which is a huge task for any IT team. GFI LanGuard is available in the GFI all in one package “GFI Unlimited” and also for individually licensing, contact us here to find out more.
- Malware Protection – By upgrading to a software that is going to not only automatically scan for any malware that could be harming your computer, but also a software that gets rid of any malware for you is something that will really save you time. A software that identifies that is malware doesn’t automate the process but a software like Malwarebytes identifies and then eliminates the malware before it can do any damage to your computer or to your files.
- Device Maintenance – Building up lots of files on your computer over years is something that can really slow down your computer and becomes a tedious task if you have to go through and either manually delete them or move them to an archive. One way around this is to use the product “GFI Archiver”, this solution puts an expiry date on files in a sense, moving them to an archive after a certain period of time. This is helpful as it moves the files onto an external storage space and compresses the files so nothing gets deleted and is still available at any point.
There are so many different things that can be automated, these are just a few that will benefit a lot of businesses as they save a lot of time but are good as they have simple solutions to them. Understanding the process of automation opens a lot of doors and allows for you to use it on your business as every business has different needs. If interested in any of the products mentioned above feel free to get in contact with our sales team and we’ll be happy to help you out.
