LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ipswitch, the leader in easy to try, buy and use IT management software, today announced the findings of an independent global study, carried out by analyst firm Freeform Dynamics. The survey examines the attitudes and readiness of IT decision makers with regard to intelligent machines and business systems (machines with decision making and learning capabilities). Exploring the fast-paced adoption of these systems, the report looks at the positive impacts already being observed in the commercial world and the potential barriers to even further mainstream adoption over the next decade.
According to the research, investment in intelligent business systems and automation is well underway across the globe. Top current application deployment areas cited by respondents include digital customer engagement systems (55 percent), process automation and workflow systems (52 percent) and automated risk monitoring and management solutions (50 percent). The research further reveals that:
- 45 percent have adopted intelligent IoT (Internet of Things) platforms and services, with 34 percent saying these technologies are on the agenda.
- 42 percent are utilizing autonomous apps and bots, and 32 percent say they plan to do so.
- 45 percent are using cognitive computing and inference engines and a further 30 percent are looking to deploy in the near future.
- 40 percent are using complex event processing (CEP) technology and a further 34 percent plan to soon.
Despite the speed of adoption, the study reveals that IT decision makers are finding it difficult to assess the full extent of the risks, challenges and threats posed by intelligent business systems. Security concerns (33 percent), funding constraints (30 percent) and lack of knowledge (24 percent) were all identified as areas of worry and named as primary obstacles to adoption and use. To give just one example, a fifth of respondents (20 percent) said increased ‘noise’ on the network is making it harder to detect malicious activity, with automated/bot access to APIs causing system/application issues and creating unexpected security exposures.
When questioned further, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of respondents confessed their current network security and access management capabilities were already inadequate or needed strengthening to cope with new intelligent machines, while 72 percent revealed network traffic monitoring and analysis capabilities also required reinforcing. 72 percent of respondents said the same applied to their file and document level security and access management systems and protocols. Looking to the future, the survey revealed IT professionals were also concerned about how to counter the potential impact of intelligent systems activity – including external third party bots, agents and internet-connected ‘things’ – on enterprise networks and infrastructures.
“Organizations are harnessing the transformative powers of intelligent systems to gain competitive advantage. But IT decision makers recognize that, while a force for good, these technologies also expose the enterprise to new internal and external risk vectors,” said Tony Lock, Distinguished Analyst at Freeform Dynamics. “As the pace of adoption increases, there will be no escaping the impact of intelligent systems on the enterprise – regardless of whether or not organizations directly invest in such technologies.”
The research also highlighted the impact of intelligent systems is being felt right now in the enterprise environment, with IT professionals braced for further challenges:
- A quarter expected fully autonomous self-learning robots to be functioning independently within a business setting in less than three years, with a further third saying this will happen within 10 years.
- Rogue decision-making resulting in direct commercial damage and an over reliance on machines, ultimately leading to complacency were cited as current or future concerns that need addressing; one fifth of respondents confirm a lack of human oversight and de-skilling, to the point where no one in the IT team understands the logic or processes underpinning systems, is a problem today.
- 76 percent believe these solutions will remove drudgery from IT operations, while just 32 percent are concerned intelligent systems may eventually put them out of a job.
“IT professionals should approach intelligent machines with their eyes wide open. As network managers grow more confident with intelligent systems, they will become increasingly willing to tackle more complex applications. However, they need to ensure they have the right tools in place to enable intelligent systems and support the IT team to manage the impact of internal and external intelligent automation effectively,” said Jeff Loeb, Chief Marketing Officer at Ipswitch.
The full report, entitled “Intelligent Systems in Action: The rise of the machines has already begun,” together with an infographic is available for download.
Survey Methodology
Sponsored by
Ipswitch and designed and executed by Freeform Dynamics, the online
survey was conducted with 521 IT decision makers (IT manager/director,
IT security specialist, IT professional) in the U.S., the U.K., Germany,
France, Australia and Singapore to ascertain the current adoption and
use of intelligent systems within their organization. Respondents were
drawn from organizations ranging in size from 100-5000+ employees and
operating in a range of vertical markets (Financial Services,
Manufacturing, Healthcare, Retail, High Tech, Telco, Research &
Education, Pharma and Public Services).
About Ipswitch
Today’s hard-working IT teams are relied upon
to manage increasing complexity and deliver near-zero downtime. Ipswitch
IT management software helps them succeed by enabling secure control of
business transactions, applications and infrastructure. Ipswitch
software is powerful, flexible and easy to try, buy and use. The
company’s software helps teams shine by delivering 24/7 performance and
security across cloud, virtual and network environments. Ipswitch
Unified Infrastructure and Applications Monitoring software provides
end-to-end insight, is extremely flexible and simple to deploy. The
company’s Information Security and Managed File Transfer solutions
enable secure, automated and compliant business transactions and file
transfers for millions of users. Ipswitch powers more than
150,000 networks spanning 168 countries, and is based in Lexington,
Mass., with offices throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America.
For more information please visit www.ipswitch.com,
or connect with us on LinkedIn
and Twitter.
About Freeform Dynamics
Freeform Dynamics is an IT industry
analyst firm. Through our research and insights, we aim to help busy IT
and business professionals get up to speed on the latest technology
developments, and make better informed investment decisions. For more
information, and access to our library of free research, please visit www.freeformdynamics.com.
