Dan Twing and Tom O'Rourke discuss the increasing use of the word "Orchestration" in the automation space, considering whether it reflects a relabeling of existing concepts or an evolution of the automation landscape. They look at how automation's use has expanded from technology operations to business process management and how orchestration enables more complex use cases via delegation of task management to specialized scheduling solutions.

Key Points:

  • Orchestration is an evolution in IT automation, enabling the management of more complex processes across hybrid infrastructure environments
  • Orchestration expands the use of automation to control the specialized scheduling functions embedded within applications (e.g., ERP systems) and middleware.
  • Orchestration can help to coordinate the management of disparate systems to achieve end-to-end automation of complex business functions.
  • Some existing automation tools already include orchestration capabilities, integrating with built-in schedulers to manage tasks and monitor activity.

Key Takeaways:

  • Evaluate your existing automation tools to understand their orchestration features. Many workload automation tools may already have significant orchestration capabilities, even if they're not labeled as such.
  • Map automation coverage: Use the Gartner SOAP framework to map out your organization's current automation coverage. This may help identify gaps and redundancies in your automation strategy.
  • Look for new opportunities to apply orchestration within your organization. Consider areas where coordinating multiple specialized tools could improve efficiency or reliability of complex processes.
  • Focus on developing or acquiring additional integrations with key systems and platforms in your IT ecosystem to expand your ability to orchestrate across diverse environments.
  • Discuss orchestration with your stakeholders and other executives. Be ready to explain how it aligns with and supports broader business goals and digital transformation initiatives.

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