Don't just automate, hyperautomate!
For CSPs seeking to automate their business to support 5G use case monetization, it’s simply not enough to automate in a siloed, tactical fashion.
As I approached a red traffic light on my way home the other night, I gently braked to a stop. 15 seconds later, the light turned green and I continued along my way. A few minutes later, the same thing happened. And again, and again, until I got home.
What was happening was as I approach each light, the automated signaling system checked for oncoming traffic and when everything was clear, turned the light green to let my car through. But since this happened repeatedly at each intersection, my journey home was far from smooth. Had the entire system been interconnected, the lights would have been more likely to turn green before I reached each intersection, giving me a potentially stop-free journey home. And how much better would it have been if the system knew where I was going, and then cross-verified that information with surrounding traffic, roadworks and so on?
So too, for CSPs seeking to automate their business to support 5G use case monetization, it’s simply not enough to automate in a siloed, tactical fashion. Like in the “ideal” scenario above, the objective should be a “hyperautomated” state.
So what exactly is hyperautomation? In a nutshell, it can be described as “intent-driven automation.” That is, understanding what business objective you are trying to achieve, letting the systems determine the best path forward, and then automating the entire process.
"So what exactly is hyperautomation? In a nutshell, it can be described as “intent-driven automation.”
And while it’s not impossible, getting there is certainly a challenge. It requires not only automation technologies, but also a holistic view of the organization and the ability to analyze data in a way that enables you to reach the right decisions.
Here are some key factors to consider when pursuing a hyperautomation strategy:
- Data is king: Since hyperautomation runs on data, if the quality of your data is bad, your automation efforts will stall. It’s therefore imperative to ensure all your data is constantly synchronized across your organization so that business processes can run smoothly
- No more siloes: Hyperautomation requires you to break down siloes, which demands clarity on how every end-to-end process impacts the entire organization.
- Don’t force it: There are many different automation tools out there, so don’t use a tool unless you’re sure it’s the one for the job at hand. And once you get the right tool, leverage your knowledge from across the organization to make sure you get the job done properly and in a holistic manner.
- Don't automate everything at once: It will unlikely get you the results you want, and most likely, leave you with sub-optimal results.
To ensure a successful hyperautomation journey, its therefore imperative to involve an expert consultant from the outset. They’ll know how to advise you on incorporating the various technologies to serve your organization’s specific needs – starting with mapping business processes, and using that analysis to identify priorities for automation. That done, you’ll be much better positioned on the road to pursuing 5G use case monetization.
