The same thing happens in IT. For years, everything flows just fine until a system upgrade, data surge or new integration exposes the limits of the old pipes — the legacy tools. Today’s digital infrastructure is more like a smart plumbing system. It’s a network of sensors, adaptive valves and monitoring systems working together in real time. Water no longer flows in a single direction; it’s redirected, filtered and optimized across multiple sources.

Similarly, modern enterprises operate across hybrid clouds, SaaS platforms and on-premises systems where data must move intelligently and securely. Modern IT requires orchestration and automation to maintain flow without friction. And while yesterday’s plumbing could be fixed with a wrench, newer systems demand intelligent control. Automation platforms need to adapt dynamically, connect every endpoint and keep operations running under pressure.

For decades, organizations have relied on finely tuned IT ecosystems that were engineered for predictability. As technologies and expectations accelerate, predictability alone isn’t enough. You now need systems that can absorb change without breaking.

That’s the essence of cloud modernization: extending the life and value of what you’ve built while preparing it to handle what comes next. Modernization isn’t a rejection of the past. It’s a recognition that the systems built to run yesterday’s operations now need to respond to tomorrow’s opportunities to stay relevant and competitive.

What cloud modernization really means

Modernization doesn’t mean tearing out the plumbing; it means redesigning the entire water system to serve a growing city. The goal is to keep the flow running, of course, but it’s also to build the capacity and flexibility to handle what’s ahead and uphold promises to citizens. 

True modernization goes beyond cloud migration. It’s about rethinking how your business and your people operate in the cloud era: using technology to reshape processes, unlock agility and scale intelligently. With a flexible, secure architecture, you can turn automation and analytics into a foundation for continuous improvement and innovation.

Modern cloud strategies are hybrid and multi-cloud by design. They can incorporate on-premises investments but connect them to more dynamic platforms that integrate AI, machine learning and intelligent orchestration.

For IT and business leaders, modernization is less a destination than a dynamic journey. It’s about continually reshaping how technology enables the business, balancing innovation with governance, agility with accountability and transformation with measurable outcomes. The most successful leaders evolve processes and people alongside technology.

Why companies are modernizing now

A few years ago, the conversation was about adopting cloud. Today, it’s more about operating effectively in it. The question enterprises ask has shifted from “Should we move?” to “How do we perform once we’re there?”

That urgency comes from business reality, not tech hype. Successful organizations aren’t modernizing just to keep up. They’re doing it to connect people, process and technology more intelligently. They want systems that work together. Teams that move faster. And data that tells them what’s next before the market does.

Across the C-suite, three modernization priorities consistently rise to the top:

1. Business agility and competitive differentiation

Modernization gives enterprises the ability to adapt faster — to launch new products, enter new markets or integrate new tools without waiting for infrastructure to catch up. When automation and AI are built into that foundation, innovation becomes continuous instead of disruptive.

2. Cost optimization and financial flexibility

The shift from capital-heavy to value-based models lets organizations match cost to business value and reinvest savings into innovation. Instead of just spending less, they can spend smarter and see measurable ROI in uptime, productivity and lower maintenance.

3. Security, compliance and risk reduction

With cloud, you can embed protection directly into architecture: zero-trust access, continuous patching, encryption and built-in compliance frameworks, for example. They aren’t an afterthought like they are in legacy systems.

These priorities translate directly into business impact. Modernized organizations can orchestrate across hybrid environments with less friction, so you can focus on innovation instead of maintenance. They’re also better positioned to attract and retain talent by providing modern tools and workflows. For the C-suite, this alignment of technology and workforce means IT finally operates as a growth engine.

Ultimately, those who are modernizing now see beyond infrastructure and understand that business processes drive modernization, not the other way around. Orchestrating end-to-end workflows that bridge finance, supply chain, HR and data operations gives you visibility and control. It’s less about where workloads run than how seamlessly business processes operate across the entire IT ecosystem.

From pressure to payoff

The factors above explain why modernization is urgent, but what’s the real return? The payoff is broad and cumulative. When you modernize effectively with cloud solutions, you’ll make your business stronger (not just make IT faster).

Most immediately, you’ll see operational resilience improve. Being able to respond to surges or disruptions without downtime is priceless. One global manufacturer, for example, modernized its automation environment with RunMyJobs by Redwood and improved the efficiency of its order-to-cash process by 600%, enabling next-day delivery and securing a government contract. This is proof that modernization opens up new business opportunities.

Cloud modernization turns upfront capital into predictable operating expenses, so no more paying for peak capacity that sits idle. Instead, with the right solution, you can align costs with value and get the wiggle room to reinvest in innovation.

It also improves decision-making speed, because you have a clearer view of performance, risks and opportunities. Visibility means you can act and react faster. In other words, you can compete in a world that doesn’t wait.

But the biggest return is cultural. A modernized technology foundation empowers your teams to innovate without hesitation. To achieve this, it’s critical to address the processes that underpin everything.

Workload automation: Groundwork for transformation

Modernization doesn’t start with what’s most visible but with what’s most connected: workload automation (WLA). It’s the engine that keeps jobs running across systems, and it’s step one in a larger modernization journey. If your automation is still on-prem and hard-coded, it’s probably doing its job, but could also be limiting your speed and agility.

To modernize automation today means more than replacing an old scheduler. Because your enterprise likely operates across hundreds of systems that all need to interact in real time, your goal should be to create an intelligent, future-ready automation fabric that unifies your hybrid cloud. That requires a platform that’s engineered for distributed, data-driven business.

RunMyJobs delivers exactly that: a flexible, purpose-built architecture for hybrid and multi-cloud orchestration. It’s event-driven, API-connected and secure by design. So, it can orchestrate everything from legacy workloads to intelligent, AI-driven operations with governance and control at every step.

When you modernize automation first, it helps you:

• Streamline and de-risk cloud ERP migrations
• Build modern data lakes and event pipelines
• Remove friction from cross-system dependencies
• Create a foundation for AI-ready operations

A better path to modernization

If you’re reading this, chances are your automation works. It’s not broken, but it isn’t delivering the same value that a cloud solution will. Cloud-first WLA is faster to implement, easier to maintain and more resilient in today’s hybrid enterprise environment. And it gives your team the one thing every business needs more of: time.

Let’s talk about what cloud modernization could look like for your environment. Connect with a WLA expert to see how RunMyJobs helps teams like yours scale and orchestrate core systems without the overhead.

As teams shift toward hybrid and cloud technologies, workload automation (WLA) needs to evolve, too. Not because your current solution is broken, but because cloud-first tools are better equipped to support growth, change and resilience. The right strategy allows you to extend what you have on-premises while taking advantage of cloud-based solutions where they make sense.

Cloud-first doesn’t mean cloud-only

Some processes still belong on-prem, and many organizations will remain hybrid or multi-cloud for the long haul. That’s normal. Automation has to meet your business where it is, not force a complete replatforming.

Cloud-first means choosing SaaS-native automation tools when expanding capabilities or modernizing parts of your environment. It gives your teams the flexibility to automate across ERP, data platforms, DevOps and more, so you can integrate quickly and reduce manual maintenance.

The goal isn’t to rip and replace. It’s to simplify what’s complex and make your WLA platform future-ready.

Why workload automation works better in the cloud

Legacy systems were built for a different era. They do the job, but they require tuning, patching and on-prem support that doesn’t scale easily. As automation becomes more central to digital operations, these limits start to matter.

Cloud-first WLA removes the infrastructure burden and adapts to shifting demand without manual overhead.

Automation goals haven’t changed — the delivery model has

The reason to automate hasn’t changed: reduce errors, speed up processes and free up people for higher-value work. What’s changed is how quickly your automation platform needs to adapt to business needs.

A cloud-first approach helps you respond to business demands without waiting on infrastructure. New processes can be built and deployed faster. New systems can be connected in less time. And your teams can focus on building value, not maintaining tools.

You don’t lose control. You gain capacity.

It also reduces technical debt. Instead of holding on to legacy schedulers that require custom scripts and tribal knowledge, you get a system that evolves with you. One that enables better governance, compliance and transparency across IT and business operations.

Respecting the value of existing systems

If you’re already using a WLA solution on-prem, you’ve laid a strong foundation. You know the value of automation, the importance of visibility and the impact of reliable scheduling.

But if you’re finding it harder to scale, integrate or support new initiatives, it may be time to extend your automation with a cloud-first option. That means giving your team a platform that’s built for what’s next.

Many teams continue to use their on-prem automation alongside cloud-first orchestration. It’s not all or nothing. The benefit is having the freedom to move at your own pace, modernizing high-impact workflows first and expanding as needed.

RunMyJobs by Redwood: Cloud-native automation that grows with you

RunMyJobs is Redwood Software’s SaaS-native WLA platform. It’s built for hybrid and cloud environments from the start and used by enterprises worldwide to orchestrate complex workflows across SAP, DevOps, data platforms, finance and more.

What makes it different:

• True cloud-native: No agents, no patching, no servers to manage
• Built-in support for SAP: S/4HANA, RISE with SAP and more
• Integration-ready: Prebuilt connectors for cloud services, ERP, file transfer, containers and CI/CD pipelines
• Always-on performance: High availability with 24/7 global support
• Transparent pricing: Value-based licensing that scales with your automation maturity

RunMyJobs is ideal for teams that want to reduce manual scheduling, eliminate job failures and improve SLA performance. It brings together business-critical workloads in one view, so you can monitor, control and scale without complexity.

Many Redwood customers use RunMyJobs alongside their existing automation tools to orchestrate end-to-end processes. It allows them to modernize at their own pace, starting with the processes that benefit most from agility, visibility and scale.

Thinking about your next move?

If automation is a critical part of your business, your platform shouldn’t be a limiting factor. Cloud-first WLA gives you a way to move faster without taking on more infrastructure, risk or overhead. Use it to extend your automation strategy — not upend it. 

Read more about Redwood’s unique approach to WLA migration and how our teams prepare you for a smooth transition from legacy to cloud.

If your IT automation is running well but you’re finding it harder to scale or innovate, it may be the right moment to consider a jump in WLA technology. And modernization doesn’t have to mean all cloud, all at once; many teams keep key processes on-premises while adopting cloud-based orchestration where it adds value.

Here are nine signs that your organization is ready for a change and how doing so will prepare you for scalability and long-term resilience.

✅ Your team is ready to move beyond daily upkeep

On-premises WLA solutions can fall multiple versions behind because upgrades compete with other IT priorities. Adding hardware to expand capacity feels clunky, and even routine maintenance can put critical workflows at risk. When your IT team is spending more energy on patching and firefighting than planning new initiatives, it’s often a signal you’ve outgrown the old model. Upgrading to a SaaS-based platform is less about replacing what you have and more about celebrating that your automation maturity has reached a point where you’re ready for the next level. 

✅ Manual fixes are crowding out higher-value work

If your operators are babysitting workflows or writing scripts just to keep processes running, you’re not realizing the full ROI of automation. Time is money, and when you spend hours on workarounds instead of optimizing processes, your total cost of ownership (TCO) rises and strategic value shrinks. 

Modern WLA software reduces that manual intervention with event-based triggers, self-service options and automated recovery. Freeing your people from constant fixes means more time spent improving processes and less time chasing failures.

✅ Automation needs to follow workloads into the cloud

Most enterprises are already moving workloads to the cloud, whether it’s data analytics, ERP modules or customer-facing apps. If your WLA doesn’t connect to cloud platforms natively, you’re forced into brittle workarounds that waste time and limit scalability. 

Modernization means orchestrating flawlessly across on-prem, hybrid and multi-cloud environments — AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and SaaS applications — with equal reliability. Modern WLA adapts dynamically to wherever the workload runs.

✅ Visibility gaps are slowing decisions

When leaders don’t have a real-time view of workflows, they’re forced to make decisions based on lagging reports or gut instinct. Outdated WLA tools often lack centralized dashboards or predictive analytics. That leaves IT blind to bottlenecks, failed jobs or SLA risks until it’s too late. 

Modern platforms deliver observability with centralized dashboards, SLA projections and proactive alerts so you can fix issues before they disrupt the business.

✅ Scaling feels harder than it should

Every business faces periods where job volumes soar: end-of-month closings, holiday traffic, product launches. Traditional WLA models can hit limits under pressure, leading to delays and downtime. Some organizations work around this by adding servers and hardware that they only need a few times a year. 

A modern SaaS platforms scales with your business, growing and shrinking with demand, so you only pay for the value you get. That means no scrambling or overbuying.

✅ Maintenance is draining resources

Traditional job scheduling tools can come with hidden costs in the form of specialized staff or consultants and downtime during upgrades. None of that creates business value.

In contrast, a SaaS-based automation platform rolls out updates automatically to minimize downtime and ensure you don’t have to rely on niche expertise. You get true financial headroom, even beyond IT operations.

✅ Security expectations have surpassed your tools

When automation runs financials, healthcare data, customer transactions and other key processes that handle sensitive data, security isn’t optional. Many systems still in use struggle to keep pace with modern cybersecurity expectations.

Today’s automation platforms include role-based access control (RBAC), encryption, continuous patching and audit-ready trails by default. So instead of hoping your system is secure, you can prove it.

✅ AI isn’t part of the equation

If your platform is stuck in reactive mode, you’re missing opportunities to get ahead of issues and continuously improve. Automation isn’t static anymore — it’s intelligent. AI isn’t hype in this space. It’s becoming the standard for enterprises that want reliable, efficient and proactive automation.

The most advanced WLA platforms now layer in AI and machine learning. These capabilities don’t just predict job failures but also recommend optimizations and analyze patterns across thousands of runs. It’s the difference between automation that simply works and automation that amplifies ROI by proactively driving efficiency. 

✅ Users want more control without more risk

When automation tools are too complex, IT becomes the bottleneck. Business users resort to shadow IT, running critical business processes outside governance because the official system is too hard to use. 

Modern WLA turns this on its head with intuitive interfaces, drag-and-drop workflow builders and delegated self-service. When users are empowered, automation becomes a force multiplier instead of a source of friction.

Why readiness matters now — no matter your use case

Every organization is under pressure to do more with less. Outdated workload automation slows you down, increases risk and adds hidden costs. Modernization isn’t about chasing a trend; it’s about putting your business in a position to scale, innovate and compete.

A modern SaaS WLA solution gives you:

• Scalability without infrastructure sprawl
• Deep integrations not only with SAP and other enterprise systems, but also for hybrid and multi-cloud workloads
• Observability for centralized visibility and predictive monitoring
• AI-driven optimization and self-service
• Built-in security and control
• Lower cost of ownership and fewer upgrade headaches

If these signs sound familiar, it may be because your business success has outgrown traditional approaches. That’s a good thing — it means you’re ready to modernize. Acting now lets you turn that momentum into a more scalable, flexible and resilient automation strategy, just as many leading enterprises are already doing.

What happens when you don’t modernize in time? Find out what the aviation industry learned the hard way.

Partner with the leader in WLA

Redwood Software has been helping enterprises modernize automation for decades, across both on-premises and cloud environments. Redwood was also named a Leader two years in a row in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms (SOAPs).

With RunMyJobs by Redwood, we offer the only SaaS-native WLA platform purpose-built for hybrid IT, designed to support SAP and business-critical processes at scale. Because we’ve led in both on-prem and SaaS, we’re uniquely positioned to guide your transition and help you modernize at your own pace.

Talk with a Redwood expert to see how a modern workload automation solution can reduce costs, boost operational efficiency and support your cloud journey.

When we travel around the holidays, most of us expect a certain amount of stress, and there’s always a risk of weather-related delays. With the impending “bomb cyclone,” Winter Storm Elliot, this period of 2022 was fraught with uncertainty for people on the move.

Weathering two storms

Starting on December 23, the powerful cyclone grounded more than 17,000 flights nationwide. Many airlines, including Delta, American and United, faced bottlenecks, an all-too-familiar story. Despite heavy investment in systems and careful orchestration by leading IT experts, technology failed to perform under extreme pressure.

Southwest Airlines, for one, found itself in a dire situation. Even after the storm cleared, its systems were still struggling. Between December 26 and 31, the popular airline had to cancel up to 70% of its flights every day — largely due to its inability to assign crews to the flights that were still scheduled. Millions of passengers were stuck.

Southwest expressed sincere apologies: “Our employees and crews scheduled to work this holiday season are showing up in every single way. We are beyond grateful for that. Our shared goal is to take care of every single customer with the hospitality and heart for which we’re known.”

Despite these sentiments and round-the-clock efforts to correct the problem, operational disruptions continued beyond that week, making many travelers hesitant to book future trips. The debacle cost Southwest nearly a billion dollars in net outlay and lost revenue. Compounded by viral negative stories circulating on social media, the financial repercussions dealt a considerable blow.

Runway to ruin: Origins of an industry predicament

The cause of the storm after this storm wasn’t the snow and ice blanketing the runways. It was invisible — embedded in the legacy infrastructure underpinning many airlines’ operations.

This was not merely an instance of management neglecting to anticipate weather impacts but a fundamental flaw in backend IT setup. Many large corporations continue to use the same technology that drove successful outcomes for years without realizing the magnitude of risk involved, sometimes thinking any system upgrade or migration would be too much. Relying on outmoded systems for critical processes is costly yet common.

Four root causes of the aviation industry’s struggles stand out.

1. Archaic technological architecture

At the heart of operational dysfunction is often a struggling gate check-in and check-out system, which may rely on an outdated job scheduler. Ill-equipped to handle the complexities and rapid changes required in modern air travel logistics, old systems don’t perform well under stress. Any disruption in the schedule could lead to widespread systemic failure.

Just a couple weeks after Elliot passed, the Federal Aviation Administration experienced an outage of its 30-year-old NOTAM system, which is critical for the safety of all US flights. Thus, the effects of obsolete technology aren’t limited to private companies but also regulatory bodies.

2. Increasing enterprise complexity

The complexity of today’s enterprise environment further complicated the 2022 event and presents an ongoing dilemma. Digital transformation has, for many organizations, meant increasing the number of tools used for everyday work. On average, a large enterprise uses 473 SaaS applications. 

If integrations aren’t seamless, this expansiveness breeds information silos and a disjointed system that isn’t equipped for large and intricate workloads. Delayed responses in critical times are, therefore, not surprising.

3. No true workflow orchestration system

Many airlines also lack effective workflow orchestration, depending on custom-scripted automations that weren’t designed for rapid adaptability or scalability. The absence of a robust, integrated workflow system means they’re not prepared to recalibrate in the worst-case scenario.

4. Missed signs of impending breakdown 

Technology crises don’t generally occur without warning. For instance, a smaller system outage occurred two years prior in Southwest’s Atlanta hub, highlighting vulnerabilities that were bound to worsen if not addressed. It’s understandable that this would have been overlooked, as it’s not necessarily obvious that a particular outage across such an intricate system is the one signaling a major problem in the near future. However, more sophisticated systems would be able to predict system issues before they grow to the scale of the 2022 debacle.

The value of seamless data flows in preventing operational chaos

In this tale are priceless lessons for complex enterprises in any industry. It’s a stark reminder of the role of modern, resilient technology in a crisis response strategy.

The most prominent message? Seamless data flows aren’t just part of a secure IT foundation. Implemented correctly, they can be a business advantage and ensure your architecture stands up to pressure when your competitors’ may not. Reliable, powerful technology is instrumental in preventing delayed responses, misinformation and downtime.

Good data is anticipatory — it allows you to predict challenges. Organizations with agile, data-driven processes can see what’s coming and pivot effectively, a significant competitive advantage when external factors like weather impact an entire industry.

Should an unforeseen event occur, continuous data flows are the best form of insurance, as they protect your business in real time. When data moves unhindered across departments and systems, it minimizes downtime and the costs associated with it. In turn, this reduces the indirect costs of lost customer trust and potential market share.

An alternate route

How could things have gone differently for airlines with a more modern IT environment in the midst of this major storm? 

Fewer, newer and more tightly integrated systems would have removed the manual burden of disaster recovery and reduced the scale of the consequences. Specifically, end-to-end automation could have dramatically improved crew scheduling and reassignment to reroute resources where they were most needed. Real-time data inputs from weather services and airport traffic updates could have preemptively adjusted flight schedules. 

The customer experience, while not entirely protected from disruption, could have been far less catastrophic, with automations triggering customer alerts and eliminating the need to stand in long lines for answers.

How to navigate an application-heavy landscape

Still not convinced it’s time for IT infrastructure modernization initiatives at your organization? Let’s look to the future.

Sophisticated technologies are arriving on the business scene at an exponential rate. On top of the immense number of apps you already use, you’ll likely be looking to fully utilize the power of machine learning and AI to transform your business operations and keep up. 

However well-intentioned, these moves increase the chance of system failure if they’re not done well. Stacking more complexity on top of an already overwhelmed mainframe or legacy infrastructure is a sure way to kill any amount of operational efficiency you’ve maintained until now.

Interconnection and interdependence are mandates in today’s (and tomorrow’s) IT operations, and every enterprise must evolve to support them. You need your business processes to run at scale — millions of times per year, across your architecture, uninterrupted. To achieve this and stay competitive, you simply must automate.

A storm-ready modernization strategy

Automating single tasks in silos is not the answer. Instead, aim to implement an automation fabric — a single, integrated framework that unites all of your activities, applications and environments and orchestrates mission-critical business processes. This approach is essential for modernizing your infrastructure and solving for the complexity of the application explosion.

Here’s how to stay ready for the equivalent of a severe winter storm during the holiday travel period in your industry.

• Don’t overlook warning signs. Your systems speak! The longer you ignore a “check engine” light, the bigger and more costly the issue could become. While your backend may not be revenue-generating, it is revenue-protective.

• Choose forward-thinking software providers. Invest in relationships with software providers who prioritize innovation and adaptability while considering your business needs. They’ll offer solutions that are adaptable to changes in technology to ensure your ecosystem doesn’t become obsolete.
• Safeguard your organization with workload automation. Instead of fighting to make monolithic, inflexible systems do what you want, streamline and build efficient end-to-end processes you can rely on.

Clear your organization for takeoff 

Imagine a plane from the 1960s taking off next to one built in 2024. While it could theoretically get off the ground, problems verifying the safety of parts, finding pilots who can fly it and speaking to air traffic control and more would make it impossible to try.

Today’s plane is your competition. They will modernize whether you do or not. Therefore, trouble is inevitable if you fall behind, whether it manifests as a few days, hours or minutes of chaos.

Modern enterprise scheduling can pull you forward from an archaic space to help you level with the best in your market today, tomorrow and beyond. The key is to find a solution that can do the job. Many job schedulers haven’t shifted their architecture or offerings in 15 to 25 years. 

Redwood Software, on the other hand, has been live with SaaS for over 10 years. The full stack automation platform that’s purpose-built to orchestrate your mission-critical business processes, RunMyJobs gives you a single pane of glass to turn your business operations into a business advantage. 

Don’t wait to get off the ground. Demo RunMyJobs today.

The essence of workload optimization

Workload optimization ensures the right resources are in the right place at the right time. It allows businesses to align IT resources with their evolving needs, whether they have on-premises infrastructure or public cloud platforms. With real-time metrics, businesses can monitor application performance, ensuring they meet the expected SLAs. Whether you’re using Azure, AWS or any multi-cloud environment, workload optimization ensures the effective use of resources.

The data center of yesteryear was static and hardly dynamic. However, with the advent of cloud computing, the paradigm shifted. Growing businesses have recognized the value of cloud migration and the necessity of tools like workload automation and orchestration to automate the allocation and provisioning of resources.

Workload optimization in action

For instance, when looking at a virtual machine (VM), the operating system and CPU metrics can help pinpoint where the resources are most stretched. Tools like Cisco Workload Optimization Manager (CWOM) have been designed to help businesses optimize these VMs. For businesses navigating a multi-cloud world using VMware or any cloud service, the capabilities of CWOM can offer invaluable insights.

However, it’s not just about tools and metrics; it’s about understanding your business needs. Whether you’re a Microsoft enthusiast, a DevOps team pushing code in real-time or a business considering cloud cost and cost optimization, there’s a need for a systematic approach.

However, workload optimization isn’t just about IT. It’s about how IT aligns with the broader business. Whether you’re considering cloud optimization, looking to automate using Kubernetes or leveraging the power of APIs to consolidate resources, the end game remains the same: efficient operations.

When it comes to workload performance, Redwood offers a unique perspective. With a focus on IT operations and automation, Redwood’s suite of tools helps streamline and orchestrate complex processes, bringing harmony to IT resources (read more about workload automation trends here). Integrating Redwood’s solutions into businesses, particularly for IT processes, can dramatically shift how you handle IT operations.

Workload optimization remains a focal point for businesses looking to scale and optimize as the IT landscape evolves. It’s not just about automation; it’s about aligning IT operations with business objectives. As you venture further into the world of workload optimization, remember to explore what Redwood has to offer and how these solutions can redefine your IT operations.

Every enterprise tech stack contains a diverse mix of software and systems designed to handle financial and business tasks, complicated analytics and industry-specific functionality. From ERPs and legacy software to workload automation and schedulers, an organization’s tech stack is complex, requiring skilled IT resources to execute business-critical tasks.

To drive greater operational efficiency and agility, many IT leaders have implemented workload automation platforms. These platforms offer easily-realized benefits: saving your IT team’s valuable time while giving you the ability to create end-to-end workflows, improve visibility and control over workflows, reduce lag time in processes and more. 

But many organizations have ended up with multiple workload automation platforms and schedulers, reducing the efficiency gains they originally sought. Now is the time to identify these duplicate systems and consolidate them into one robust, comprehensive platform. The improved productivity, efficiency and control this delivers will become your next competitive advantage.

Understanding your automation footprint

With the business-critical processes that workload automation platforms run, considering a major consolidation project requires some research and planning. Identifying all the schedulers running across the departments, divisions and companies within a global organization is a major task. 

Driven by mergers, different preferences of IT leaders, a lack of integrations and function-specific requirements, organizations may have at least eight tools being used for automation, according to Gartner.

These disparate systems bring with them several key challenges: multiple IT teams with different skill sets having to manage each platform, incompatible processes that may not meet company standards or best practices, an inability to automate across multiple systems and the lack of a business-wide picture of automation reach and efficacy.

Building a clear, complete picture of the current state of your automation will help you determine exactly what you can gain by consolidation — for your people, infrastructure, available resources and end results. 

Selecting an automation solution 

When evaluating which workload automation platform to consolidate your processes on, there are a number of questions to consider.

Will it support full-stack automation? 

It’s critical that whatever platform you choose offers the ability to automate all your enterprise applications — from legacy systems to modern platforms. You need a robust platform that can handle the processes across your current and future organization. Also, validate that there are either pre-built connectors or an API adapter you can use to connect with your current and future applications. 

Would you benefit from a SaaS solution? 

Choosing a cloud-native platform delivers considerable benefits, especially when it comes to migration, setup and maintenance. Cloud-based solutions support automated migrations with specially-designed tools. SaaS platforms are also easier to set up, streamlining your environment and speeding up deployment. And ongoing maintenance is handled instantly with seamless updates that don’t require your IT team’s intervention.

How easy is it to create new workflows?

Look for a solution that uses a no-code/low-code approach to process creation. Using shortcuts like job steps, repeatable variables and templates are all ways to put automation into the hands of more junior IT team members  so your senior staff can expand your automation initiatives.

Does it offer predictive monitoring?

Beyond an intuitive user interface, also look for features like proactive monitoring and alerting. With the ability to use predictive analytics to identify process issues before they occur, you can remediate them before they impact the business. Alerting can be set up in multiple channels so that admins are immediately notified, giving them 24/7 visibility into processes business-wide.

Are customer success services offered?

In addition to a robust feature set and an easy-to-use interface, ask about what customer success services are offered. With access to product experts that not only know automation best practices but are also invested in learning about your business, they can help provide guidance as you plan new automation initiatives and ensure you’re getting the most from new features and services.

How are migrations and onboarding handled?

The difference between a successful and unsuccessful migration can come down to the tools and the vendor resources working on it with your team. Ask about both the technology used to migrate processes as well as the strategy and support the migration team offers. Understand exactly what their team will handle and what you’re responsible for. Get a clear timeline and know the key milestones of the project. 

Centralization is the future

This move to consolidate workload automation is endorsed by Gartner’s recent research. Gartner analysts are forecasting that existing workload automation platforms will continue to evolve to align with today’s cloud infrastructure and event-driven business models. 

This advanced functionality will give IT leaders more agility while reducing complexity and making automation more accessible to business users. This will help leaders achieve their digital transformation goals and better position themselves for emerging technology and business needs.

A consolidated approach is also supported by EMA, an automation industry research group. In a recent survey, they found that nearly 60% of leaders believe their organization has too many scheduling and automation tools in place. A vast majority — 80% — believe that their organization would be more efficient if they consolidated their existing scheduling and automation tools. 

Benefits of workload automation consolidation

Organizations that invest in a workload automation consolidation project realize a range of benefits, from improved efficiency and simplified management to the ability to redeploy valuable IT resources into other, more business-critical areas. 

Executing a cohesive automation initiative across an organization is nearly impossible when multiple systems are being used. With no consistent processes, monitoring or reporting, there is no reliable way to get a clear picture of all your automation. Moving to a single workload automation platform gives IT leaders the ability to implement end-to-end processes, have visibility and control over all workflows and ensure all workloads are in compliance with regulations and security requirements.

Reporting across the organization is also improved, with all metrics being measured the same way and issues being identified and remediated consistently. Trends are easier to spot and IT teams aren’t spending hours correlating reporting.

Using one platform also simplifies ongoing maintenance and updates. Any issues can be handled with one vendor, with no conflicting issues or need to consult multiple support teams. Using a SaaS-based solution makes updates even more seamless, as they are rolled out without the need for hours of your team’s time to test and deploy.

When working with one workload automation vendor, organizations are able to deepen their relationship with their chosen supplier. Stronger partnerships give automation leaders the ability to invest in additional training, building skills in your in-house team. This not only benefits your organization’s ability to execute more advanced automation initiatives, it also frees up your IT team from manual tasks and allows them to focus on more impactful projects. 

Investing the time and resources into consolidating your workload automation tools will help organizations realize benefits across all layers of the business. From scaling quickly with new acquisitions and having complete visibility to redeploying IT resources to more valuable projects, consolidating into one platform will deliver significant efficiencies, deeper automation capabilities and a more effective IT team.

To learn more about the benefits of a consolidated workload automation platform, demo RunMyJobs by Redwood.

By accelerating the delivery of cloud resources in response to user demands, cloud IT automation enables organizations to scale quickly and efficiently. 

In this blog post, we will explore the most impactful use cases of cloud automation in the technology industry and highlight the key features of modern cloud automation tools.

What is cloud IT automation? 

Cloud IT automation uses software tools and technologies for IT infrastructure automation and application management in a cloud environment.

Traditionally, IT administrators would need to manually configure and deploy VMs, which can be time-consuming and prone to human error.

With cloud IT automation, IT admins can automate the process by using scripts and templates that define the configuration of the VMs. An IT administrator can create a script specifying a VM’s desired operating system, applications and security settings. The script can then be executed automatically to create multiple identical VMs, without manual intervention.

Cloud IT automation can also automate scaling resources up or down, depending on demand. For example, a script can be created to automatically add additional VMs during periods of high traffic or reduce the number of VMs during periods of low traffic without manual intervention.

In addition, the manual deployment of cloud resources can create security vulnerabilities, exposing an organization to various risks. By contrast, cloud IT automation can help to enhance security by ensuring that resources are consistently and securely provisioned, configured and managed.

Cloud IT automation vs. cloud IT orchestration: What’s the difference?

Cloud IT automation and cloud IT orchestration are two different approaches to managing IT infrastructure and applications in a cloud computing environment.

Cloud IT automation uses software tools and technologies to automate the management and operation of IT infrastructure and applications in the cloud. For example, automating the deployment of virtual machines, backing up IT data or identifying and eliminating unused processes. 

Cloud IT orchestration, on the other hand, manages multiple cloud services and applications as a cohesive system. It focuses on automating workflows and processes across different cloud services and applications. This can include automating the deployment of applications across multiple cloud environments, managing complex networking and security configurations and integrating various cloud services and applications.

While both automation and orchestration aim to simplify and streamline cloud management, automation focuses on automating individual tasks and processes, while orchestration focuses on coordinating and automating complex workflows and processes that span multiple cloud services and applications.

What are the benefits of cloud IT automation?

Cloud IT automation enables IT teams to provision resources quickly and efficiently while reducing the risk of human error and improving the overall reliability of the IT infrastructure. 

Here are some additional advantages of cloud IT automation.

Better cost management

Cutting down on cloud costs can be achieved by minimizing the manual effort involved in managing cloud-based operations, resulting in faster processes and even hands-free operations. 

With fewer manual processes, there will be fewer errors, less time spent on diagnosing and debugging issues and more time devoted to developing new ideas and innovations.

Maximizing cloud infrastructure

Cloud IT automation empowers IT teams to leverage every aspect of the cloud infrastructure by automating the management and operation of IT infrastructure and applications. 

Here are some key ways cloud IT automation makes the best out of the cloud:

• Automated storage and backup processes ensure that data is consistently, securely stored and backed up, minimizing the risk of data loss and downtime.
• Security and compliance management ensures that cloud resources are consistently and securely provisioned, configured and managed to meet industry standards and regulations, reducing the risk of data breaches and other security threats.
• Automated application of changes to configurations and settings ensures that changes are consistently and accurately applied, resulting in fewer errors and less downtime, ultimately improving overall efficiency.
• Automated code deployment ensures that code is consistently and accurately deployed, minimizing the risk of errors and downtime and enabling faster deployment of new features and functionality.

Enabling continuous deployment

Continuous deployment involves automating the application deployment pipeline to facilitate frequent updates. 

Teams adhering to DevOps best practices and aiming to establish a seamless continuous deployment process can leverage automation tools that automate deployments to cloud-based environments.

Enhancing security

Automating security-related IT processes such as vulnerability scanning, security patching and log monitoring, cloud IT automation helps to reduce the risk of security breaches and ensure compliance with industry regulations. 

Automation also helps to minimize downtime by quickly identifying and addressing security issues. 

Also, automation can ensure that disaster recovery and business continuity plans are regularly tested and updated to ensure the resilience of the infrastructure in case of unexpected events or disasters.

Automating backup processes

Cloud IT automation can enhance your resilience by automating backups on the cloud or automatically backing up your on-premises systems to a cloud-based environment.

Why IT teams use cloud IT automation

Helping hybrid cloud environments

Hybrid cloud setups can be complex, as they need seamless integration between local and public cloud systems, but cloud automation can offer a solution.

With cloud automation tools, syncing assets between on-premises data centers and cloud resources can allow for cloud bursting, which involves transferring workloads to the cloud when the application surpasses local resources.

Improving application development and testing

Automated software development pipelines require automatically provisioned dev/test environments for continuous delivery and continuous deployment. 

Cloud automation tools enable teams to rapidly deploy and scale resources for testing new releases on public clouds and release them for reuse once testing is complete.

Supports Infrastructure as Code (IaC) 

Cloud automation enables Infrastructure as Code (IaC) by defining IT infrastructure in configuration files and launching it automatically according to the configuration. IaC processes are similar to source code management, requiring version control, testing and development.

Cloud IT automation also allows more complex systems like: 

• Drawing from resource pools and defining common configuration items like VMs or containers to orchestrate complex systems.
• Loading application components and services and assembling them to improve operational environments.

Creating containers for a microservices application, loading components into container clusters, setting up storage and database, configuring a virtual network, creating load balancers and opening the workload to users.

Is Kubernetes a cloud IT automation tool?

Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates containerized applications’ deployment, scaling and management in a cloud-based environment. 

Kubernetes provides automation capabilities for tasks such as resource allocation, load balancing and self-healing of applications. It helps manage and orchestrate containers used to run almost every cloud workload.

The evolution of workload automation solutions

What we now know as workload automation software evolved from traditional job schedulers, but some current workload automation tools still have the same limits as legacy job scheduling software and batch processes. Traditional workload automation (WLA) strategies cannot cope with the increasingly complex workload types, volumes and enterprise applications of evolving business demands. As companies have implemented hybrid cloud, on-premises and multi-cloud environments, the limited capabilities and lack of agility of WLA solutions has left them incapable of keeping up.

However, some have advanced beyond early WLA functionality. The 2025 Gartner Critical Capabilities for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms (SOAP) report states that the SOAP market is now “mature, with vendors differentiated by core capabilities, innovation, integration breadth, use-case support and market responsiveness.”

The future of automation is Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms (SOAPs)

The 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for SOAPs report predicts that “by 2029, 90% of organizations currently delivering workload automation will be using service orchestration and automation platforms (SOAPs) to orchestrate workloads and data pipelines in hybrid environments across IT and business domains.”

SOAPs easily adapt to data pipelines, application architectures and cloud-native infrastructure. Add in that SOAPs seamlessly integrate with DevOps toolchains, and organizations have the operational efficiency, standardized processes and cost savings they need.

Here’s a look at how SOAPs will revolutionize process automation and digital transformation across a variety of use cases.

Event-driven automation

Speed up the progress of your workflows in your IT environment and have it respond to events in real time. Event-driven automation enables intelligent automation that triggers processes to begin once a specific action occurs. For example, an event could be when data or files are available to transfer. This reduces time-based dependencies and human intervention, freeing teams to focus on strategic work. Event-driven automation also makes real-time workflow monitoring and alerting more valuable as IT teams can track the health and performance of their automated processes.

Event-driven orchestration helps teams deliver accurate real-time results to business teams faster than ever so your organization can make better decisions.

End-to-end workflow orchestration

SOAPs enable IT operations teams to easily automate and streamline IT processes across on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments. Teams can enable process automation via APIs, open-source apps, web services and containers. This flexibility supports the fulfillment of service-level agreements (SLAs); teams can even receive notifications when SLAs are in danger of not being met. Other teams across the enterprise benefit, too. DevOps can leverage custom workflows and automation services/microservices with native SOA APIs and formats. And any business user who engages an ERP, CRM, finance tool or big data (Hadoop) pipeline will benefit from the streamlined data processing.

Smarter resource provisioning

As teams deploy more workloads to the cloud, automated provisioning with a SOAP can spin up servers on demand. With centralized control of cloud computing, resource provisioning and data, IT teams can automate provisioning to optimize operational efficiency and enable scalability.

Self-service for business and IT teams

Self-service options empower business users across the enterprise to run, monitor and request automated workflows through self-service native web forms and email processing. SOAPs offer consumable automation services, enabling users to publish any automated business process as interactive web service endpoints for user-friendly integration.

Better data management

SOAPs enable IT automation across disparate, cross-platform data sources. They also empower teams to orchestrate the data lifecycle through ingestion, transformation and storage pipelines as real-time streams, batched transactions or managed file transfer.

This makes it easier for teams to coordinate resource management applications, automate virtualization and run ETL testing and database tasks.

Single point of control for strong data security

Unlike traditional scheduling tools, SOAPs create a centralized platform for workflow automation, batch jobs and automating business applications. So not only can teams control processes and policies from one place, but they can also easily establish comprehensive audit trails for all processes and user activity. That means stronger, easier enforcement of business rules across the entire enterprise.

SaaS simplification

Reduce your infrastructure costs with a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) automation solution. Solutions like RunMyJobs by Redwood provide fully-hosted infrastructure that eliminates complexity and the endless maintenance lifecycle that on-premises automation infrastructure demands.

SaaS SOAPs also offer advantages like connectors that don’t require additional licensing and straightforward pricing that scales with the number of jobs you run. 

As workload automation management evolves, so must businesses in order to maintain their competitive edge. Demo RunMyJobs to discover what’s possible with a flexible, easy-to-use workload automation platform delivered by Redwood, a 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for SOAPs Leader.

Magic Quadrant is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.

As adoption of new cloud technologies increased the number of management tasks that had to be performed by IT, cloud automation and orchestration tools were developed to save time and complete these tasks faster. Modern cloud automation and orchestration tools are designed to simplify and optimize the management of hybrid-cloud, multi-cloud or cloud-native environments.

In this article, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about cloud automation and orchestration tools and the benefits they bring. We’ll deep dive into the differences between automation and orchestration tools and look at the benefits of combining these tools with a workload automation platform.

Read on to get the answers to:

• What are cloud automation tools?
• What are cloud orchestration tools?
• What can you gain with cloud orchestration and workload automation?
• What are some use cases for cloud orchestration with workload automation?

What are cloud automation tools?

Cloud automation tools manage elements of cloud resources and cloud infrastructure without the use of human intervention. When we refer to automation, we talk about making a single, straightforward task happen automatically, such as provisioning a virtual server or configuring a Kubernetes container. 

Cloud automation tools enable IT to accomplish more with less, reducing operational expenses, minimizing errors and preventing delays. Cloud automation tools can also be used to implement infrastructure-as-code, removing the need to manually configure and manage critical resources.

Cloud automation tools can be used to:

• Configure and install systems, containers or virtual machines.
• Provision and deprovision servers for auto-scaling.
• Allocate resources for workloads to optimize performance.

Some examples of more widely-used cloud automation tools include: 

• AWS CloudFormation
• Puppet
• Ansible
• Chef
• Kubernetes
• Terraform
• Microsoft Azure Automation

Whether IT teams need to back up data, update applications or keep track of deployed instances, cloud automation tools can reduce the need for human intervention. That gives IT more time to work on higher-value projects that impact long-term goals.

What are cloud orchestration tools?

Cloud orchestration tools enable IT to integrate, monitor and manage cross-platform processes, plus the infrastructure those processes run on. In large enterprises, critical cloud-based services are often running in multi-cloud environments — environments not designed to integrate seamlessly with one another. Cloud orchestration tools make it possible to assemble automated cloud management tasks into end-to-end workflows.

Cloud orchestration is important for two reasons:

1. Automated tasks don’t exist on their own. If a new application is being deployed, IT has to configure and provision the right resources, set up permissions, provide regular updates and more. Orchestration allows IT to coordinate these tasks into end-to-end processes with workflows.
2. IT is becoming increasingly heterogeneous. Most organizations need to maintain on-premises infrastructure or data centers. These legacy systems do not easily integrate with cloud-based systems without the use of custom scripts. Cloud orchestration tools provide methods to quickly integrate distinct applications and platforms under a single solution.

Many cloud providers offer automation tools to streamline configuration management for instances. Examples include Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, VMware and Google Cloud. The problem: These tools aren’t designed for cross-platform processes, often forcing IT to create and manage custom scripts or to go without orchestration at all, performing some tasks manually.

Cloud orchestration tools offer a way for IT to integrate a variety of disparate applications and systems and to assemble end-to-end workflows that can be managed and monitored from a single location. Why does that matter? With cloud orchestration tools, IT can quickly deploy new technologies and increase ROI on existing resources by creating processes that were otherwise unachievable.

What you gain with cloud orchestration and workload automation

IT teams using PaaS or IaaS solutions are likely already using some form of automation to streamline cloud management processes. This usually means one or more of the following:

• Vendor-specific automation tools
• Third-party solutions
• Custom scripts

Custom scripts are a time-consuming way to achieve end-to-end automation across vendor-specific tools and siloed systems. A more reliable, cost-effective, easier to use way to achieve true orchestration is by using what Gartner® calls a Service Orchestration and Automation Platform (SOAP). 

According to the 2025 Magic Quadrant™ for SOAPs report, “Service orchestration and automation platforms are essential for delivering business services through complex workloads. SOAPs unify workflow orchestration, workload automation and resource provisioning, extending across data pipelines and cloud-native architectures.”

Picture an orchestra. Automation means fine-tuning your strings section so it works as well as possible, fine-tuning your percussion section so it works as well as possible and fine-tuning your brass section so it works as well as possible. Orchestration means bringing all those pieces together and “conducting” them in a way that they’re all on the same page and work well together. The orchestra wouldn’t sound very good if the individual elements weren’t optimized, nor would it sound very good if the individual elements weren’t aligned. And if a new musician joins, they can see exactly how things are done in this orchestra. No need to go rogue or start over to learn everything from scratch.

These modern workload automation platforms provide direct integrations and low-code API accessibility that enable IT to rapidly integrate new tools and technologies, allowing users to assemble reliable, cross-platform processes. Orchestration tools provide the capabilities organizations require to be successful in the cloud, with the added advantage of being able to quickly adapt to new market demands and technology trends, e.g., microservices, containerization and distributed computing.

The right orchestration tool for your business, such as a SOAP, should offer a single pane of glass for scheduling and monitoring to make business systems, supply chain management systems and IT-critical systems work together seamlessly with minimal human intervention. 

SOAPs enhance traditional workload automation by supporting use cases in data pipelines, cloud-native infrastructures and application architectures.

2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant for SOAPs report

What are some use cases for cloud orchestration and workload automation?

A modern workload automation platform can provide a single location for IT to automate, monitor and manage processes that span private cloud, public cloud or on-premises infrastructure — enabling true end-to-end orchestration of processes. With a SOAP, IT teams can:

• Coordinate existing infrastructure automation tools (e.g., Terraform, Chef and Ansible).
• Consolidate cloud management tools (e.g., Saltstack and Rackware).
• Unify control over IT processes and business processes.

Use case #1: Orchestration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) 

SOAPs have the power to orchestrate automated processes across any hybrid environment, including hybrid cloud or multi-cloud (when more than one public cloud service provider is in use). These WLA tools are flexible enough to orchestrate workflows across multiple cloud providers and even existing applications and on-premises systems. Below, we outline two technical examples of how a SOAP can help orchestrate automation with Amazon Web Services (AWS). 

Now one of the most popular public cloud providers in use today, AWS offers over 100 services from over 20 regions across multiple continents. With a SOAP, you can integrate with AWS to add in the following capabilities to orchestrate end-to-end automation.

• EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud): A SOAP can provision or deprovision one or multiple EC2 instances. Or, if you have a customized virtual server, you can provision it with Amazon Machine Image (AMI). A default or customized virtual server can be provisioned in any AWS region in an event-based way with a SOAP. 
• Cloud storage: With AWS, you can leverage different tiers of storage such as S3 and Glacier. With a SOAP, you gain access to a centralized way to implement long-term log storage. Compressing logs and automatically transferring them to S3 on a regular schedule is just one example.

SOAPs are flexible enough to integrate in a similar way with other popular cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure or GCP, enabling powerful, cross-platform automation.

Use case #2: Streamlining billing operations across multiple cloud environments 

Many business sectors, such as retail or utilities, have large, complex billing, payment or invoicing systems. Often, these critical processes involve managing and processing data from multiple cloud and containerized environments across multiple providers just to send their customers an accurate invoice.

With a SOAP, IT teams can orchestrate these processes and data across on-premises, cloud and containerized environments. The flexibility of a SOAP enables the seamless coordination of legacy applications, data, OS activity and web API interactions to integrate with any system, application and technology.

Choosing the right orchestration platform

With cloud adoption continuing to grow rapidly and hybrid and multi-cloud environments becoming more prevalent, cloud orchestration is a key way to ensure organizations can maximize the potential of their hybrid IT ecosystem. A SOAP can serve as a single pane of glass for interconnecting cloud automation and orchestration tools, as well as the cloud services themselves. When combined with workload automation, cloud orchestration reduces errors by allowing IT teams to reuse automated tasks as building blocks for larger workflows.

Magic Quadrant is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.

When deciding where to deploy workload automation in your business, there are advantages and trade-offs between cloud-based SaaS and on-prem workload automation. 

Cloud-native SaaS workload automation can bring significant benefits to an enterprise, including efficiency, resiliency and cost savings. 

But there are business and technical reasons that can make on-prem workload automation the right choice (or the only choice). Let’s take a closer look.

When is on-prem workload automation the only choice?

Today, on-prem is probably the only option available for applications and industries that are very high-security. If you’re dealing with government, military, nuclear, biochem, issues of national security, high public risk or even a perception of high public risk, your workload automation will almost certainly need to be on-prem.

Facilities that house systems like these often also have physical access restrictions (i.e., you need clearance to access the systems or be where they are) and typically have no outside network connectivity. For  applications that are isolated and insulated like that, there’s very little likelihood of that changing. No one wants nuclear codes, military secrets and deployment plans being exposed anywhere. Those are going to stay in an on-prem environment, and any associated automation will too.

When is on-prem workload automation the right choice?

Alternatively, there are systems insulated by choice more than regulation. For example, systems that are high targets for intrusion, distributed denial of service (DDoS) or ransomware attacks. If you’re a big presence in the marketplace, a supply chain or a manufacturing system, you’re at higher risk of DDoS and other attacks, and the consequences are very painful. 

A common line of prevention is to design parts of the infrastructure and operations to be air-gapped, and simply not expose them to the internet.  When that’s that case, it makes sense to have automation on-prem because everything is contained within your environment. While you could spend your time deploying extensive measures to mitigate risk, some organizations prefer to avoid the risk and effort of trying to respond to evolving attacks.

When is on-prem workload automation the “right now” choice?

On-prem has been the preferred choice for industries with heavy regulations and legal liability. These include public funds, banking, finance, energy and utilities. There’s a high degree of regulatory influence (and potential criminal charges!) over how these systems are deployed and built and work. 

Regulations are slow to catch up with technology, but they do. Cloud systems are no longer new and unproven, and regulators have begun to shift from their initial skepticism. As SaaS becomes more widespread, more adopted, more accepted and certified, the industry regulations have started to change. 

Remember how no one could use cell phones on airplanes a few years ago? Regulations eventually converged with technology and ease of use. Point being, if you think on-prem is your only option due to regulatory requirements or mindsets of the past, things may have changed — and if they haven’t yet, it’s highly likely that they will.. You may be able to explore your cloud options, including automation, to future-proof your business.

Sometimes, you’re culturally or organizationally invested in on-prem. These are often established companies with very deep benches of skilled teams, elaborate data center deployments and may even depend on legacy applications that still run on mainframes. Moving off this architecture may not not be a priority because it is very difficult to do and can’t be done quickly. In these environments, it makes sense to deploy workload automation tools on-prem. But carefully consider the future.

Cultural norms, talented teams and levels of effort are all easily mutable. COVID made us all aware of how fragile “the way things are” can be. Change is constant. It’s getting harder to hire for legacy systems. Organizational changes like mergers, acquisitions and expansions can bring a radically different tech stack. 

Advantages of cloud-based SaaS workload automation

The most immediate advantage of using SaaS workload automation is cost reduction. It’s not uncommon to achieve savings of $200,000-$250,000 through elimination of extensive hardware and its maintenance. That liberates a meaningful budget for new headcount and new tools.

SaaS also sharply reduces maintenance by taking the effort for on-prem backups, security patches (OS, BIOS, middleware, etc.), software updates and hardware upgrades off your shoulders. That’s work that is essential but doesn’t move the organization forward. Switching to the cloud gives the entire team more time to focus on automation, strategy and higher-value business goals.

Cloud-based automation is also resilient and reliable. It provides load balancing and can scale easily to highly variable and high-volume workloads. As SaaS, your workload automation platform can deliver guaranteed uptime with rapid recovery if anything goes wrong. Don’t underestimate how heavy a burden this is for the team to shoulder and how much relief and time to focus on what’s important they’ll gain without it.

Cloud is the future, and nearly every organization will eventually be taking advantage of it for at least some part of their infrastructure and operations, or go full “cloud-first.” If you’re on-prem, it’s smart to ensure that your organization’s automation system can help you  reach or bridge to the cloud and respond to the market’s sea change. 

The right workload automation solution can do both: It can support on-prem deployment when that’s the need or the desire and support cloud-native SaaS deployments, so that no matter what your goals, you’re never locked in — or out — of the needs of the future.

Learn more about how your company’s characteristics and priorities can tip the balance on where to deploy your workload automation. Watch our free webinar. 

According to the Forbes’ 2018 State of the Cloud report, 77% of enterprises have at least one application or portion of their infrastructure in the cloud. Many technology-oriented businesses aim to move 100% of services to the cloud. This adoption has been fairly gradual, but it shows little sign of tailing off.

How does a service-based landscape fit with automation?

Traditional automation tools aren’t able to leverage the benefits of the cloud, which is why we took a different approach to job scheduling with RunMyJobs by Redwood.

Where inferior alternatives require on-premises installation and significant capex commitments, our customers pay a transparent subscription and cost-per-usage fee — and nothing else. There are no additional infrastructure costs or personnel required to manage that infrastructure. Cloud delivery means that there are no added system or database maintenance costs, as well as no need to manage application upgrades, fixes or patches. This method also eliminates downtime.

Automation-as-a-service in the real world

Take Whitbread, for example: a multinational organization with more than 50,000 employees that supports thousands of hotels and restaurants around the world. Since moving to RunMyJobs, the company now automates 1.3 million business-critical file transfers across 800 servers per month. Its IT team has converted 8,000 jobs into just 100. All now run in a more organized and fully documented way.

They made the switch to cloud delivery with no downtime, no added hardware costs and no interruption to their business.

The power of simplicity

RunMyJobs is designed to be used by the typical IT user, not a specialist. It provides an intuitive, drag-and-drop process interface and centralized dashboard. That means there’s no compound complexity in scaling operations up, when that time comes. And there’s no reliance on institutional knowledge of complex software packages.

Cloud, in the consumer world, is a shorthand for accessibility, ease-of-use, predictability and reliability. You should be expecting exactly the same from your automation solution. And if you can’t, you should talk to us.

Try the world’s only enterprise cloud-based solution for job scheduling and process automation. Get a demo of RunMyJobs.