Breakthroughs (see “Rise of the machines”) in run-book, IT process and data-center automation products show that the technology when coupled with orchestration engines, best-practice processes and business workflows can cut costs, reduce manual labor and improve operational efficiency. The idea is that by integrating new tools with existing management software, today’s automation tools take operational efficiencies to the next level.

“Automation has been promised forever, and this is the 15th time in as many years the industry has been promised all the benefits of automation,” says David Williams, a research vice president at Gartner. “Today, automation vendors are proposing new approaches that can cross IT domains. While there are real hurdles in front of this, it’s the wild West, with no standards and a lot of innovative players.”

Enigmatec was named as one of the top 10 automation players to watch

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