What lies ahead in the realm of information technology for the upcoming year? This is a crucial question for companies as they navigate the task of planning their technology budgets, which are inherently constrained. Distinguishing between the buzz and genuinely effective solutions is imperative for organizations aiming to enhance operations and achieve a favorable return on investment.
SolarWinds, a prominent IT management software company, has unveiled its predictions for the prevailing IT trends and themes in the approaching year. In 2024, enterprises are expected to deepen their integration of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automation to meet efficiency, service delivery, and productivity objectives.
Foremost among the anticipated trends for 2024 is the rise of AI-powered automation. IT teams are projected to increasingly adopt automation to alleviate workloads, save time, and conserve resources. This shift is particularly significant as digital environments evolve, becoming more modern and sophisticated with the widespread adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud deployments, thereby introducing greater complexity in migration, monitoring, and management.
Jeff Stewart, the Vice President of Global Solutions Engineering at SolarWinds, notes, “As AI becomes more sophisticated and its application more widespread—from consumer uses like ChatGPT to impactful enterprise implementations like automated service delivery and anomaly detection—it’s no longer the presence of AI that’s notable, but the application of it.” The advancements in AI and ML during the preceding year have equipped enterprises with enhanced capabilities to address and even prevent costly disruptions to their systems, services, or financial bottom line in 2024.
SolarWinds has outlined specific predictions for the upcoming year:
- Observability Across the Full Tech Stack: Companies are anticipated to prioritize observability across the entire technology stack. Despite losing millions annually to brownouts or outages, nearly half of IT professionals lack visibility into the majority of their organization’s apps and infrastructure. AI-powered observability solutions are expected to fill this gap by collecting data to offer insights into underperforming elements and their underlying causes.
- Root Cause Analysis for Database Issues: A third of IT professionals manage over 300 databases, prompting the expectation that teams will leverage AI and automation to address the health, stability, and scalability of their services by pinpointing and resolving database issues at their roots.
- Embracing AI for IT Operations (AIOps): Organizations are predicted to increasingly adopt AIOps, integrating data from complex hybrid IT environments to receive actionable, predictive intelligence. This approach aims to optimize performance, expedite issue resolution, and alleviate pressure on IT teams.
- Enhanced IT Service Management (ITSM): AI-powered tools supporting ITSM needs are projected to play a crucial role in achieving faster and more successful IT outcomes. Research indicates that organizations adopting such tools were able to reduce system downtime by 21 percent and decrease time spent resolving incidents and service requests by 23 percent. Features like virtual troubleshooting agents and guided incident resolution are anticipated to continue supporting IT teams’ workload in 2024.
