Gartner Hype Cycle for I&O Automation 2023: shifting from hype to productivity

UPDATE: At this time, this report has been swapped out for new Gartner research.

RackN is a named vendor in the The Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for I&O Automation 2023. In fact, we were recognized in ten others as well (see the complete list below). Finally, infrastructure automation is shifting from hype to productivity. So why are enterprises struggling to break operational silos and normalize operations?

Why do enterprises struggle to realize structured automation benefits?

You are probably like many other companies. You’ve invested in automation, only to be left wondering where is the return on investment? You’re not alone. But how can you break the cycle and move your automation from hype to ROI?

First of all, it’s good to remember that graduating from hype to productivity is a shift, from potential benefit to proven outcomes. Ultimately, this phase is challenging for most enterprises because they must choose platforms and consolidate practices. The enemy we see defeating customers’ projects is automation fragmentation along with IT silos that drive up complexity and limit collaboration. While the outcomes from consolidating infrastructure platforms are remarkable, the human resistance factor is real.

Gartner 2023 Hype Cycle for I&O automation

Automation is key to transforming the capabilities that infrastructure and operations teams deliver as organizations pursue greater value, agility, and efficiency.

-Gartner, Hype Cycle for I&O Automation, 2023, 14 July 2023, Chris Saunderson, Cameron Haight

Infrastructure orchestration, programmability, and automation are the keystones to unlock automation’s transformational power. This aligns with the RackN experience. We see customers getting 4x to 10x improvements on operational KPIs when they automate their infrastructure.

While these benefits of infrastructure automation are significant, the required practices are not yet widely adopted. According to the report, Gartner points out that “by 2025, 70% of organizations will implement structured infrastructure automation to deliver flexibility and efficiency, which is a significant increase from 20% in 2021.” That means that four in five enterprises are yet to evolve their automation practices from ad hoc to structured. Considering the ROI, that slow adoption rate implies some additional barrier blocking operations teams.

Chris Saunderson, an analyst at Gartner, is an expert on the subject of automation. He and Cameron Haight wrote a comprehensive, 127 page guide that lays out concrete steps to help focus your automation journey.

Break through your barriers to automation

RackN Digital Rebar can help organizations get over those blockers. As a reference vendor in three categories – Infrastructure Automation, Infrastructure Orchestration and Programmable Infrastructure – we have significant experience helping enterprise I&O teams deliver standardized, reusable automation based on an Infrastructure as Code architecture. Our library of composable workflows and API-driven design lets you transform automation from custom islands to integrated pipelines.

A powerful platform like RackN Digital Rebar can help your organization approach automation in a systematic, collaborative way. Changing from reactive to proactive automation practices is possible with RackN.

 

RackN mentioned in ten Gartner© Hype Cycles™ in 2023

RackN is delighted to be named as a reference vendor in the following ten Gartner© Hype Cycles™ in 2023. If you are a Gartner subscriber, you can access all ten:

1. Hype Cycle for I&O Automation, 2023, Chris Saunderson
2. Hype Cycle for Compute, 2023, Tony Harvey
3. Hype Cycle for Agile and DevOps, 2023, Keith Mann
4. Hype Cycle for Infrastructure Platforms, 2023, Dennis Smith
5. Hype Cycle for Data Center Infrastructure Technologies, 2023, Henrique Cecci
6. Hype Cycle for Operating Models, 2023, Miguel Angel Borrega
7. Hype Cycle for Site Reliability Engineering, 2023, Hassan Ennaciri
8. Hype Cycle for Container Technology, 2023, Dennis Smith
9. Hype Cycle for Infrastructure Strategy, 2023, Philip Dawson
10. Hype Cycle for ITSM, 2023, Siddharth Shetty