Automation Solves Human Issues

The biggest single cost factor in enterprise data centers is staffing costs. Over 35% of respondents believe that this is the largest single cost in operating and managing their data center – more than hardware (26%), more than software (22%), and five times as much as a current "hot" issue, energy costs (7%).

Low skills, poor processes and lack of documentation account for a significant volume of all errors. Over 90% of enterprises believe that their IT administrators need more skills today than both 5 and 10 years ago, highlighting the challenge in keeping up with the rapid pace of technology change. But, almost two-thirds (60%) of these enterprises are better able to document, establish, follow, and/or enforce best practices, when using automation tools.

The vast majority of enterprises (77%) report that data center operations staff spend most of their time on routine operations, maintenance, and common break-fix tasks. Only 23% of enterprises have their operations staff working on delivering new IT strategies and systems to add business value.

75% of enterprises believe that outsourcing data center operations to non-English-speaking countries increases the rate of human or manual error.

Turnover remains a critical issue for organizations but nearly three-quarters (73%) of enterprises find that these automated tools allow their staff to be more productive, reducing the pressure to replace staff when they move on. Over two-thirds (68%) of enterprises responded that they find it difficult to attract and/or retain skilled IT staff to manage their data centers. They are also facing an aging workforce that will result in a labor shortage of 35 million workers by 2030, yet only 37% of enterprises have hiring plans that include specific accommodation for this impending retirement of senior IT staff (i.e., the "baby boomer exodus").1 Most enterprises (59%) see their skilled people leaving their organization within 5 years, and over a quarter (27%) see their skilled people leaving within 3 years.