Automation Trends 2024: Top Takeaways from the Annual Global State of IT Automation Report

Looking for the latest IT automation trends? The 2024 Global State of IT Automation Report showcases a rapidly transforming IT landscape, emphasizing the shift towards hybrid IT environments, increased reliance on machine learning pipelines, and the rise of self-service automation. Enterprises are adapting by integrating cloud technology and maintaining efficiency, ensuring scalability, and focusing on orchestration to manage complex hybrid systems effectively.

Earlier this year, Stonebranch partnered with Censuswide, an international market research consultancy, to conduct a global online survey of IT automation experts — all from companies of 1000 or more employees — to reveal their perspectives on how automation intersects with DataOps, DevOps, Cloud Ops, and IT Ops priorities.

The report provides a comprehensive view of orchestration and automation trends, opportunities, and challenges to help you both benchmark and evolve your IT automation and orchestration program.

Read on to discover the top findings, then download the full report for a deeper dive.

3 Emerging Automation Trends — New in 2024

1. I Want My Hybrid IT: Companies Prefer a Mix of On-Prem and Cloud Environments

In only one year, hybrid IT usage has doubled from 34% to 68%. Organizations are deciding where to store data — either on-prem or cloud — on a case-by-case basis. This approach is efficient and flexible, but poses a challenge when it comes time to connect these environments.

2. Organizations Seek a Balance of Agile Speed with Sustainable Scalability

Organizations are increasingly exploring a dual approach to IT automation, leveraging both agile automation scripts for quick wins and centralized, enterprise-grade orchestration tools for long-term scalability.

3. Machine Learning Pipelines are Evolving and Growing in Importance

A significant 72% of respondents have already incorporated data and ML pipelines to operationalize their AI-driven initiatives. This is an indicator of many companies’ strong commitment to the pivotal role of AI in shaping their future success.

5 Ongoing Automation Trends — Continuously Evolving from Previous Years

1. Cloud Automation is Still Center Stage

Cloud automation remains a strategic focus for organizations worldwide in 2024. This sustained emphasis signals its critical role in the digital transformation journey of enterprises across every region surveyed.

2. Automation is Evolving into Orchestration

Managing processes across on-prem and cloud systems is complex. In response, 82% plan to replace their legacy automation tools — or add a new platform to the mix — to achieve true orchestration.

3. Self-Service Automation is Booming

Self-service automation is surging, with 88% of organizations expanding access to a broader range of users within the company. This democratization has seen the most notable growth in data teams (3x increase) and developers (6x increase) over the last three years.

4. Centralized Automation Teams Drive Best Practices

In 2024, 91% of organizations have a central team for IT automation, significantly up from 77% in 2023. These teams are essential for applying best practices and guiding automation strategies across companies.

5. Interest in Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms (SOAPs) is Growing

30% of users find their automation tools lack full integration with cloud/SaaS technologies. Organizations are adopting SOAPs — the next evolution of workload automation (WLA) — to centrally manage and integrate workflows across various systems and applications.

Read the 2024 Report

The 2024 Global State of IT Automation report underscores a pivotal moment for IT leaders. For a more thorough understanding of this transformative landscape, download the full Stonebranch 2024 Global State of IT Automation Report today.