FLOWS
How no-code tech can exorcise IT demons
With companies facing growing economic pressures and an ever- increasing application backlog, we sat down with Flows’ James King to discuss how the adoption of no-code automation platforms can provide a cost-effective solution for overcoming even the nastiest of a business’ IT gremlins.
s businesses big and small step up their efforts to streamline operations and words like “optimisation” and “automation” have become de rigueur across many sections of the industry, IT teams in particular are facing an increasingly difficult challenge to keep their processes both efficient and cost-effective. In our eyes, one of the easiest ways to relieve this burden is to reduce the number of man hours and the amount of manual labour poured into keeping systems running smoothly by harnessing the power of no or low-code automation technology like Flows. With these platforms empowering companies to drive efficiency, optimise data insights and close the “app gap” created by developer shortages while also freeing up time and reducing human error, there are countless benefits to adopting them early. With tools that incorporate both AI and automation enabling IT teams to build smarter, more effective applications and solve increasingly complex problems, in this article we’ll take a closer look at five of the key areas in which this exciting technology be used to help companies improve their performance.
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One of the main bugbears for IT teams is that they’re continually bogged down by time-consuming manual tasks that prevent them from taking a higher-line strategical focus. As these processes are, by their very nature, repetitive, many of them can now be easily automated by using no or low-code tech.
To take a very common example, a simple password reset is a task that can potentially take valuable time away from an IT team and stop them from diverting their efforts into solving more impactful problems. By using an automation platform, however, they can simply create a workflow that deals with requests like these without any user input, thereby freeing them up to focus on critical projects.
Of course, with constant repetition comes the increased risk of human error – and this is one of the biggest problems currently facing IT teams. It’s human nature that the more you do something on autopilot, the less attention you pay to it, and therefore the accuracy of these processes can be reduced. Automation programs, however, have no such lapses in concentration. Let’s say, for example, the IT team is responsible for managing user access to an organisation’s software and systems. By deferring this digital gatekeeping to a workflow, permissions can be automatically assigned based on the pre-defined criteria the IT team decides, thereby improving accuracy and eliminating the risk of any errors. Collaboration and communication are the foundations of any successful department; and IT teams are no exception. As many automation platforms – Flows included – are fully agnostic, they can allow businesses to connect all of their existing systems in one place and provide a centralised hub where problems can be discussed.
By integrating seamlessly with other pieces of software, the technology can be used to create workflows that automatically notify team members when a new issue is assigned. This could be done, for example, through a commonly-used piece of software like Slack, alleviating the need for manual communication and email chains while ensuring that everyone within the team is on the same page.
As businesses grow, so to do their IT needs and the number of issues that they are required to address. While in the past the only way for a company to keep pace with this increased demand was to add to its headcount, the use of low or no-code tech can reduce the need to hire to cope with the backlog.
By their very nature, automation platforms are designed to efficiently handle much of
the day-to-day admin without compromising quality or accuracy. This allows IT teams to tackle an increased number of issues without further burdening their staff, which in turn means businesses can quickly scale without adding to their payroll and instead task their existing employees with higher-value activities.
Undoubtedly the culmination of all of the above points is the ability of automation platforms to reduce the operating costs of a business, irrespective of how quickly it grows. By automating their processes through workflows, companies can alleviate the need to take on more staff and free up more time for their employees by reducing manual labour, both of which can significantly improve their bottom line.
An IT team using no or low-code tech can, for example, create workflows that handle virtually all of their routine tasks automatically without any risk of human error. This then allows their resource to be redeployed in areas where their technical know-how is more useful, increasing the team’s efficiency. While the five points above provide a good outline of how a business can streamline their processes and boost their efficiency through no or low-code automation, this article has merely scratched the surface of what this powerful and innovative technology is capable of. As the industry evolves and IT needs continue to grow, the practical use cases of automated workflows will increase in tandem, but having these systems in place can undoubtedly ensure that your company remains ahead of the curve.
GIO JUNE 2023 13
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