These days, IT management is so much more than just telling employees to “switch it off then switch it on again” when there’s a problem! With every advance in technology comes
more and more risk - including data breaches and cybercrime. For IT managers, this can quickly turn into a game of Wack-A-Mole if you don’t keep on top of things. Thankfully, you can fight fire with fire (or tech with tech) by using AI to do some of the heavy lifting and, in this article, we’re explaining how business operations meet AI to boost change.
Automation and Task Optimization
Although the media likes to turn artificial intelligence into the bogeyman of the tech world, it’s actually a really useful tool when it comes to handling repetitive tasks and tapping into fast problem-solving. This leaves your talented IT professionals free for more critical and creative work:
Streamlining repetitive IT tasks
Your IT team didn’t work hard to gain those fancy qualifications just to spend their days performing routine (and quite frankly, boring), jobs - and now they don’t have to. AI can take these jobs off your hands and streamline your operations as follows:
- Automatically performing software updates so your staff don’t have to
- Whizzing through data backups for faster and more frequent security checks and reduced errors
- Introducing predictive analytics to identify patterns and nip issues in the bud before they become problems
- Troubleshooting common problems and resetting passwords
- Comprehensive analysis of historic issues for better prevention
- Automatically finding and fixing network performance dips and glitches
- Using scripts to improve system health and performance through next-level server maintenance
- Cloud platforms manage resource allocation, and this improves efficiency without the need for constant monitoring. For example, companies using 7tech’s outsourced IT solutions can see these benefits firsthand, as automation enables teams to stay focused on higher-value projects.
Proactive system monitoring and maintenance
In today’s world, we rely more and more on technology every day - which is great until it stops working. You know that thing where your employees come in early, all bright eyed and bushy tailed - only to find that the system is down? Not great is it?
Here are some very good reasons why AI should be your next hire:
- It can use clever algorithms to keep an eye on your entire IT infrastructure; thereby limiting irregularities and the problems they can cause
- AI, by its very nature, is always learning - which means past problems don’t become future ones
- It uses automated alerts to make sure that your staff are the first to know when anything changes or goes pear-shaped
- AI harnesses the power of predictive analytics to predict issues like hardware breakdowns and stop them in their tracks
- The tech can make scheduled maintenance swift and efficient through crunching data at lightning speed
- AI significantly reduces downtime by giving your IT staff a nudge whenever there’s a potential issue
- Resources are assigned efficiently by focusing efforts where they’re needed the most. Businesses that manage IT with AhelioTech, for example, gain these advantages, so there are fewer disruptions and greater long-term stability.
Just looking at all of this gives you an idea of how many man-hours you’re wasting by getting your team to perform these tasks when they should be focusing on growing your business.
Strengthened Security Measures
Every day there’s something new to worry about when it comes to cyber threats - or so it seems. Thankfully, AI can deal with this so you don’t have to - and here’s how it’s done:
Real-time threat detection and response
When it comes to detecting a threat to your security, every second counts. AI is able to identify security threats the moment that they happen through intelligent analysis of patterns and behaviours. This, in turn, means that your team is able to take proper proactive action in order to minimise damage and get things back on track. Also, unlike your employees, AI doesn't need to sleep or take ciggie breaks and so it’s got your back 24/7.
Automated protection against cyber risks
AI is all about automation - which means that not only does it get the job done far more quickly than a mere human can, it also reduces the errors that us mortals tend to make from time to time. Most importantly, it’s able to keep up with the baddies by learning from them, thus keeping your systems locked up tight against cybercrime.
AI-Driven Customer Support
OK, we know that, in the past, chatbots have been somewhat annoying but they’re becoming
more sophisticated every day. These days, AI customer support is vital for businesses that want to maximise productivity while keeping costs down and this requires:
Chatbots and virtual assistants for 24/7 support
Your employees and your systems don’t only operate 9 to 5 so neither should your support. AI can get the job no matter what time of day or night it is - meaning problems get solved fast.
Personalized and efficient customer interactions
These days customers want, nay, demand! personalised service and, while your employees may not have time for this, your virtual assistant does. AI VA’s can effortlessly help your customers with common problems, leaving staff free for the more tricky ones.
Predictive Maintenance in IT Systems
As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure (particularly when the cure can be super-expensive) and so AI is essential for:
Identifying potential failures before they occur
AI is able to get to know your systems in a way that’s so intimate it’s practically obscene. This allows us to constantly perform checks to make sure that all is well - and to take action when it’s not.
Minimizing downtime and enhancing reliability
Needless to say, time is money when it comes to your business and AI tools can help to keep the wheels turning by reducing downtime caused by system issues.
Data Analytics for Smarter Decisions
As you're no doubt aware, it’s all about the data in today’s world and, having the ability to corral this stuff and turn it into eye-opening insights is of paramount importance. Well, guess what? Yep, our old pal artificial intelligence does this through:
Insights into IT infrastructure and performance
These incredibly sophisticated tools make light work of doing a deep dive into your systems to point out problems, inefficiencies and bottlenecks; thereby supersizing performance.
Proactive risk management using AI predictions
Keeping risks down to a manageable level is vital for businesses who rely on the tech and so you need to be using tools that can forecast potential risks and warn your team before those risks rear their ugly heads by becoming a reality.
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Conclusion
I think we’ve now given you some really good reasons why artificial intelligence is the smart choice for forward-thinking businesses. If you’re not already on board with AI, it’s time to take action - as your competitors almost certainly are…