Through automation, startups can reduce their workforce needs, leading to significant cost savings. Moreover, automation tools often come with built-in resource utilization features that can lower operational expenses even more. Automating routine tasks can also reduce the chance of error, ensuring that tasks are completed consistently and accurately — particularly useful for data entry, financial transactions and customer service.
Last, automation tools provide the scalability needed to handle increased workloads as operations become more complex.
DIG DEEPER: Why IT cost optimization promotes business value.
What Are the Best Types of Automation Tools?
There’s a variety of automation tools startups can choose from, depending on which area within their IT environment they want to improve. Here are a few types to consider.
- Workflow Management: AIOps tools such as Asana or IBM’s workload automation platform can help startups manage tasks, assign responsibilities and track workflow processes, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.
- IT Asset Management: Rubi, a complimentary service offered by CDW, provides a centralized dashboard for managing IT assets. Rubi helps startups keep track of their hardware and software, manage invoices and monitor subscription renewals, all from a single interface. Too often, organizations sign up for a software trial and then forget about it; Rubi can remind teams when the trial is over, so no resources are wasted. Rubi can also serve as a digital adviser, helping users stay updated with real-time alerts about important software updates, stock availability, order status and delivery estimates.
- Configuration and Integration: CDW’s configuration and integration services allow startups to get up and running with new software quickly. Devices are enrolled, automatically outfitted with the proper permissions and managed without manual intervention.
- Cloud Management: CDW’s Inscape service allows startups to optimize their cloud expenditures. With full visibility into their usage and their cloud-based applications, IT leaders pay only for what they need. This management console also provides startups with valuable insights into their operations so they can track their spending against ROI.
- Device Management: Apple Business Manager and Microsoft Autopilot are essential for startups that rely on a distributed workforce. For organizations that send MacBooks out to remote employees across the country, CDW can work with Apple to get the IT systems configured on the devices in advance; by the time the device arrives to the end-user, everything is set. This makes shipping the hardware from the warehouse to the end user seamless.
- AI-Powered Automation: Microsoft's Copilot leverages AI directly into the workflow, automating tasks such as data analytics or customer service that would otherwise require hours of human labor. This is a great way for any startup to adopt artificial intelligence, and the result is supercharged productivity.
Overall, this set of tools can improve IT asset management and make it easier for startups to work more efficiently and scale operations while staying within their budgets.
This article is part of BizTech's AgilITy blog series.
