10 Ways WLA Tools Improve IT and Business Processes in 2024

Digital transformation is changing the way businesses and IT processes are carried out. Organizations are responding to digital transformation by adopting the latest technologies to increase productivity and efficiency. 

One of the latest and most effective solutions is workload automation (WLA). 80% ¹ of organizations will implement some type of workload automation in their operations by 2024. 

Workload automation is the process of scheduling, executing, and coordinating multiple tasks and workflows in the business processes in real-time. Workload automation tools help organizations automate and manage processes to increase efficiency, eliminate errors, and reduce costs. They also enable IT teams to monitor and coordinate numerous tasks across cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments. 

This article highlights 10 ways workload automation tools can improve IT and business processes in 2023, with real-life examples.

1. Automated workloads across an entire system

Modern businesses work with different tools, applications, and environments, making manual management and coordination of workflows extremely complex. The complexity and interdependencies of business processes make automation inevitable. 

Workload automation tools can automate workloads across the entire system on which an organization is based. These systems range from on-premise applications and tools to third-party service providers on the cloud or hybrid systems. Connecting and coordinating workloads across an entire system helps organizations improve communication, increase compatibility, and maintain efficiency.

2. Reduced manual interventions and high levels of accuracy, reliability, and speed

Manual workflow processing is inefficient for business processes. By automating manual workflows, tedious and time-consuming tasks can be eliminated and replaced by end-to-end automated processes with minimal human intervention. An example of such automation could be the automation of the transfer of data from the cloud to on-premise resources. Another example of automating routine tasks is automated payroll processes in an organization.

Workload automation solutions also provide reliability and consistency in the rapid execution of tasks. Repetitive manual tasks carry the risk of human error, and mistakes can go undetected as tasks are repeated hundreds of times. However, automating workflows can minimize errors and increase reliability in the rapid execution of tasks. 

Hanwha Life Insurance Co Ltd1 is an insurance group headquartered in Seoul with seven regional offices. The company had a simple job scheduling tool and a software utility to manually schedule jobs within its environment. However, complex workloads running on its resource made scheduling jobs extremely complex and manual configuration very tedious.

The company needed a fast solution to process data and simplify task scheduling with improved visibility. After choosing to implement a full workload management automation solution (enterprise job scheduler tool), Hanwha could easily manage its workload and process its data faster with fewer errors. It also increased the reliability of its accounting systems.

3. Real-time monitoring from a single point of control and resource optimization

Workload automation tools connect a large number of cloud, on-premise, and hybrid resources while executing a large number of tasks simultaneously. This complex process requires an effective control mechanism. WLA tools’ centralized management feature enables organizations to monitor workflows and track business processes from their control center and improves the control of the whole business process itself. They also help with the management of Service Level Agreements (SLAs). WLA tools can monitor pre-defined SLAs and send an alert to users when SLAs are breached. 

Since centralized management increases observability, organizations can easily access all relevant data about workloads. This can help organizations in decision-making and forecasting. For example, WLA tools can show the amount of CPU used, and users can shift workloads from the cloud to the on-premises system or vice versa, depending on congestion, through a hybrid deployment model.

NGA Human Resources is a giant HR solutions company operating in over 100 countries and providing services to Fortune Global 500 companies. After several acquisitions, the company faced the challenge of managing increasing complexity and needed to automate as many processes as possible while controlling them through a single mechanism.

After implementing a WLA solution, NGA was able to eliminate and accelerate manual intervention in business and IT processes, improving accuracy and reliability. In addition to cost savings, the company is now able to manage processes across its global enterprise from a single point of control.

4. Reduced costs and improved processes

Typical automation tools serve only departmental functions and cannot be used for multiple purposes across an organization. However, workload automation tools can be used across multiple platforms and for different requirements. This means that companies can reduce their automation tool licensing costs by using only one WLA tool. 

Errors can sometimes have a high cost to an organization. Workload automation solutions help organizations minimize their costs also by eliminating errors. Automating manual tasks also means more efficiency for business leaders and less workload for employees. Employees can focus on more value-added tasks, business processes operate with fewer errors and overall performance increases.

HDFC Bank2 wanted to make its IT infrastructure always available and improve its performance while reducing operational costs and complexity. It also needed integrated capabilities to reduce manual tasks. After implementing WLA, the bank was able to eliminate operational errors and reduce delays. Most importantly, the bank reduced application development costs for custom workloads by 4.5%-5.5%, software maintenance renewal costs by 92.5%-97.5%, and compliance costs by 22.5%-27.5%.

5. Increased compatibility through integrations with ERP, SAP, CRM

A modern business environment hosts various resources, from applications and third-party vendors to software such as SAP, ERP, and CRM. All of these resources need to be connected and exchange data. However, maintaining these systems’ proper and coherent functioning is not easy and can not be done manually.

Traditional schedulers must be configured manually and separately for each task, which is time-consuming and subject to errors. Modern WLA scheduling tools are compatible with various tools and applications. They provide easy integrations for both SAP and non-SAP workloads across any tool or environment, including customized legacy tools. Because WLA tools have integrations without requiring other tools to connect applications, they streamline connectivity and data transfer across the enterprise.

For example, Epson, a global company that manufactures printing hardware and operates in over 115 companies worldwide, was looking for a solution to integrate disparate applications, operating systems, and technologies into its SAP ERP while accelerating processes.

After implementing a WLA solution, Epson automated and managed its business processes across all on-premises, cloud, and containerized environments while integrating with legacy applications such as SAP ERP. The WLA solution enabled Epson to trigger any task in real-time from anywhere in the SAP environment, reducing processing time from 14 hours to 8 hours.

Explore workload automation use cases for SAP.

6. Improved data management

Data occupies a critical place in business operations, from business intelligence to reporting. As the volume of data continues to grow, transferring and storing data can be a complex process that paves the way for errors and delays in daily business operations.

Better data processing means better insights. One of the workload automation benefits is that by integrating with multiple resources, WLA tools can transfer data from one resource to another and execute tasks. 

Organizations can also use WLA tools to transform raw data into a meaningful structure. The extract, load, and transfer (ETL) process helps with data analysis and provides business intelligence. For example, in a company, retail sales data can be stored in a warehouse and processed through the WLA tool. The data can be visualized, providing important insights for the company’s next steps.

For instance, UBS AG, a global financial services firm headquartered in Switzerland, relied on manual and time-consuming data processing. The company generated over one billion monthly transactions and 500 million account balances. UBS’ legacy system required nearly 100 employees to perform manual work and process data nightly for next-day reporting, costing the company financially and in time.

To solve this problem, UBS decided to implement workload automation software. The workload automation solution replaced 16 applications, provided faster data processing, and reduced costs for accounting and reporting processes. Thanks to the WLA tool, UBS was able to extract all management reports from a central database within 5 to 15 hours and reduce the external reporting process from 9 days to 5 days. In addition, the company used financial information such as current market-relevant data for early identification and analysis of trends.

Explore data management automation in more detail.

7. Customized triggers with event-driven architecture

Traditional job schedulers have included only time-based triggers to initiate and execute workflows. However, the dynamic environment of the IT sector requires more advanced solutions. Workload automation tools respond to the new requirements by providing not only time-based but also predefined event-based triggers to execute a task.

The event-driven architecture of WLA tools allows users to define dependencies and conditions, such as real-time events, before creating an automated processing workload. The mechanism works based on the occurrence of a previous task triggering a later one. In this way, event-driven architecture extends an organization’s ability to automate as many tasks as possible.

Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH (BSH), is the leading home appliance manufacturer in Europe and operates in 49 countries with 70 companies, 13 brands, and 60,0000 employees. BSH relied on an IT job scheduling tool, CA AutoSys, that was limited to only scheduling activities based on time. However, the company needed a scheduling task process intelligently based on previous tasks’ status. At one point, as many as 20,000 employees had to be sent home because the company was unable to provide the correct production information. 

After adopting a workload automation solution, BSH was able to automate all of its business processes based on events, statuses, and quality of the previous tasks. In addition, the company had full control over its processes by monitoring the status of the processes in real-time.

8. Simplified business processes with a self-service portal

The dynamic nature of digital business environments requires organizations to adapt quickly to changing conditions. Therefore, organizations need to be agile in solving potential problems. The less prepared they are, the greater the damage they suffer in the event of a crisis. Therefore, automating as many functions as possible is crucial for any organization. 

Workload automation tools provide a self-service capability for authorized users to automate and execute tasks without the need for a subject matter expert. Self-service portals of WLA tools provide many automated services, and users can run tasks or resolve issues, such as resetting passwords, without submitting a ticket.

Bruce Power3 is Canada’s first private nuclear power generator and supplies 30% of Ontario’s electricity with its 4,000 employees. The company relied on a Windows task scheduler that could not specify job ownership and was limited in terms of access to and execution of specific jobs. To solve these challenges, the company sought a centralized automation solution with advanced features and self-service capabilities.

After implementing WLA, the company automated more than 150 business processes and used its self-service IT for its employees to perform repetitive jobs. Self-service IT simplified access to specific information for the execution of tasks and provided an audit trail of who changes what, where, and when.

9. Facilitating Compliance

Many businesses are subject to regulatory requirements that mandate certain processes to be carried out in specific ways. WLA tools can help ensure that these processes are consistently executed according to these requirements, making it easier for businesses to demonstrate compliance.

These tools also typically provide audit trails that document each step of the automated workflows. These records can be invaluable during audits, as they offer evidence of compliance and help identify improvement areas.

10. Enhancing Customer Experience

With the automation capabilities of WLA tools, businesses can provide a seamless customer experience. For instance, these tools can automate customer onboarding processes, which might include identity verification, account setup, and welcome messaging. This automation ensures customer satisfaction and that each customer receives the same high service and response time standard. Similarly, in an e-commerce context, a WLA tool could automate order fulfillment processes, ensuring that customers receive timely updates about their orders and that the orders are processed as swiftly as possible.

Further Reading

To learn more about orchestration solutions, feel free to read our articles:

• 4 Ways ETL Automation Improves Business Processes
• Top Enterprise Job Scheduler Software
• Top Workload Automation Tools
• 4 Ways to Boost IT Operations with Event-Driven Automation

If you are looking for automation and orchestration tools, you can visit our hub for the automation software landscape.

If you have other questions about workload automation, we can help:

Resources

1, 2, 3

• 1. Redwood,“The Future of Workload Automation”