The Role of Automation in Enterprise IT: How OutSystems is Empowering Businesses to Drive Efficiency and Innovation

As the complexity of enterprise IT environments continues to grow, businesses are turning to automation as a key enabler of efficiency, agility, and innovation. The demand for faster processes, reduced manual workloads, and more seamless integration of technology across the enterprise has made automation not just an option, but a necessity for modern organisations.?

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However, implementing automation solutions can be challenging. Traditional development methods are slow and costly, and existing legacy systems often create barriers to integration and process streamlining. This is where OutSystems, a leading low-code platform, is making a significant impact by enabling businesses to quickly and easily build automated solutions that drive real value.

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In this article, we’ll explore the crucial role automation plays in enterprise IT, the key challenges businesses face when implementing automation, and how OutSystems is transforming enterprise IT with its low-code automation capabilities.

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Data Insights: The Growing Demand for Automation in Enterprise IT

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1. Efficiency Gains ?

According to McKinsey, businesses that invest in automation technologies see productivity improvements of 20-30% on average. This is largely driven by the reduction of manual tasks and the streamlining of routine operations.

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2. Cost Reduction ?

Research from Deloitte shows that organisations using automation can reduce operational costs by up to 40%, with process automation enabling significant savings in labor and administrative costs.

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3. Agility and Innovation?

According to a Forrester report, 72% of enterprises consider automation a critical enabler of digital transformation. The ability to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and customer demands is essential for businesses to remain competitive.

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The Role of Automation in Enterprise IT: Key Areas of Impact

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1. Streamlining Routine Processes

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Challenge: ?

Many enterprises still rely on manual processes for tasks such as data entry, reporting, approvals, and compliance checks. These manual tasks are not only time-consuming, but they also increase the risk of errors, slow down decision-making, and waste valuable resources that could be better used on higher-value tasks.

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How OutSystems Solves It: ?

OutSystems provides a low-code platform that makes it easy for businesses to automate repetitive tasks and workflows. From automating approval processes to streamlining customer onboarding and handling data migrations, OutSystems enables organizations to build automation solutions quickly and with minimal coding. This reduces the time spent on routine tasks and allows employees to focus on more strategic activities.

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Expert Insight:

Lisa Martinez, Director of IT at Global Logistics Solutions?

“We were spending far too much time on manual processes that slowed down our operations. OutSystems enabled us to automate everything from invoice approvals to internal reporting, saving us countless hours each month and improving the accuracy of our data.”

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Best Practice:

Identify key workflows that are slowing down your operations—such as approvals, order processing, or HR-related tasks—and use OutSystems to create automated solutions that free up time for higher-value activities.

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2. Enhancing IT and Business Collaboration

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Challenge:?

In many organisations, IT and business teams operate in silos, which can lead to misaligned priorities, slow development cycles, and inefficient use of resources. IT teams are often overwhelmed with requests for new applications, while business users may lack the tools needed to automate their own processes.

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How OutSystems Solves It: ?

OutSystems empowers both IT and business teams by providing a platform that enables citizen developers (non-technical users) to participate in building and automating processes. Business users can use the visual development tools in OutSystems to create automated workflows and applications, while IT maintains control over governance, security, and integration.

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Data Point:?

According to Gartner, companies that adopt low-code automation platforms experience a 50% improvement in collaboration between IT and business teams, resulting in faster project delivery and better alignment with business goals.

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Best Practice:?

Encourage cross-functional teams to collaborate on building automated solutions using OutSystems. By involving both IT and business stakeholders in the automation process, you can ensure that solutions meet both technical requirements and business objectives.

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3. Automating Legacy Systems and Integration

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Challenge: ?

Many enterprises are still using legacy systems that are difficult to update, integrate, or automate. These systems often require significant time and resources to maintain, and they prevent organisations from achieving the full benefits of digital transformation and automation.

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How OutSystems Solves It:?

OutSystems provides a solution for automating legacy systems by enabling seamless integration between new digital applications and existing infrastructure. Instead of completely overhauling legacy systems, businesses can use OutSystems to automate workflows and processes that interact with these systems, gradually modernising their IT environment without the need for large-scale replacements.

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Expert Insight:?

James O’Connor, VP of Technology at FinServ Solutions

“Our legacy systems were holding us back but replacing them wasn’t a viable option. OutSystems allowed us to automate critical processes while integrating with our existing systems, giving us the flexibility to modernise without disrupting operations.”

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Best Practice:?

Focus on automating processes that are heavily dependent on legacy systems, such as data transfers, report generation, or batch processing. Use OutSystems to create lightweight applications that can interact with legacy infrastructure while improving efficiency and performance.

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4. Driving Digital Transformation Through Automation

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Challenge: ?

Digital transformation requires organizations to be agile and responsive to rapidly changing market demands. However, traditional development methods are often too slow and inflexible to support the speed and innovation required for digital transformation.

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How OutSystems Solves It: ?

OutSystems is a key enabler of digital transformation, providing businesses with the tools they need to automate processes, integrate new digital technologies, and rapidly deploy new solutions. By automating routine tasks and freeing up IT resources, businesses can focus on innovation and create the digital products and services that drive growth.

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Data Point:?

According to Forrester, enterprises using OutSystems report a 60% reduction in time-to-market for new digital solutions, allowing them to launch new products and services faster and stay ahead of the competition.

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Best Practice:?

Use OutSystems to automate key parts of your digital transformation strategy, such as customer-facing applications, internal workflows, or supply chain processes. By automating these areas, you can accelerate your transformation efforts and quickly scale new innovations.

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The Business Impact of Automation with OutSystems

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1. Increased Efficiency and Productivity

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Automating manual processes with OutSystems reduces the time and resources needed for routine tasks, allowing employees to focus on higher-value activities. According to Deloitte, companies that automate their operations can improve overall productivity by 20-30%, making them more competitive in their respective markets.

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2. Cost Savings and Reduced Overhead

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Automation reduces labour costs by minimizing the need for manual work, and it can also reduce errors that lead to rework or compliance issues. Businesses using automation report savings of up to 40%, according to McKinsey, allowing them to reinvest in more strategic areas.

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3. Faster Time-to-Value

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With OutSystems’ low-code automation tools, businesses can accelerate their time-to-value for new solutions. By automating processes, reducing development time, and improving collaboration, organisations can deliver results faster and improve their ability to meet customer needs in real-time.

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Actionable Advice: Best Practices for Implementing Automation with OutSystems

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1. Identify Key Areas for Automation:?

Start by identifying the areas where manual processes or inefficiencies are most prevalent—such as approval workflows, data entry, or compliance checks—and use OutSystems to build automated solutions that streamline these tasks.

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2. Involve Business Users in Automation Projects: ?

Leverage OutSystems’ visual development environment to enable non-technical users to contribute to automation projects. This will ensure that the automation solutions align with business needs and reduce the burden on IT teams.

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3. Focus on Integration: ?

Use OutSystems to integrate automation with your existing systems, including legacy applications. This will allow you to automate workflows across the enterprise without needing to replace existing infrastructure.

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4. Implement Agile Automation Practices: ?

Adopt an agile approach to automation, where you continuously iterate, test, and improve automated workflows based on feedback from users. This ensures that your automation initiatives remain flexible and responsive to changing business needs.

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Conclusion: The Role of Automation in the Future of Enterprise I?

Automation is no longer a luxury for enterprises—it’s a necessity. From reducing operational costs to enhancing collaboration between IT and business teams, automation enables businesses to drive efficiency, accelerate innovation, and deliver better customer experiences. OutSystems is playing a crucial role in this transformation by providing a low-code platform that empowers organisations to automate processes quickly and effectively

As the complexity of enterprise IT continues to grow, those businesses that successfully implement automation will be the ones that thrive in an increasingly digital world. OutSystems is helping enterprises take that step forward by making automation accessible, scalable, and highly efficient.

Is your enterprise leveraging the full potential of automation??

We’d love to hear your thoughts on how automation is impacting your business and discuss how OutSystems can help you streamline your operations.?

Share your experiences in the comments or reach out to explore how OutSystems can drive automation in your organisation.