Empowering IT Operation Teams with Artificial Intelligence

As organizations venture into the brave new world of artificial intelligence (AI) in the enterprise, the first stop in the journey is in many cases the organization’s own IT operations department.

This trend is underscored in recent industry research. A study by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), for example, found that AI in IT is a common entry point into the use of AI and machine learning in the enterprise. In a survey of IT leaders, the firm determined that the top two use cases for AI were IT systems management-and-orchestration functions and IT system log file error analysis.1

The majority of the respondents in the ESG survey liked the idea of using AI as a recommendation engine, while a significant percentage of the remaining respondents wanted a system that can automatically detect, analyze, recommend and apply changes as needed. Either way, these IT leaders appeared eager to get into the business of AI for IT operations, or AIOps.

So, what falls under the umbrella of AIOps? According to Gartner, which defined the term, AIOps is the application of machine learning and data science to IT operations problems.

“AIOps platforms combine big data and ML functionality to enhance and partially replace all primary IT operations functions, including availability and performance monitoring, event correlation and analysis, and IT service management and automation,” according to a Gartner blog.2

Far-reaching benefits

The benefits of AIOps in the enterprise are far reaching. AIOps helps data center operators identify emerging issues so they can proactively address those issues — assuming the software doesn’t take action on its own to fix the problems. AIOps might also help operators ferret out the root causes of outages and performance problems.

Another important benefit is that AIOps automates and accelerates many routine processes, including various technical-support functions. This automation eases the burden on overworked IT departments and frees them to focus on higher-value work, such as process improvement and software development.

“AIOps platforms enhance IT operations through greater insights by combining big data, machine learning and visualization,” Gartner notes in a summary of its Market Guide for AIOps Platforms. “I&O leaders should initiate AIOps deployment to refine performance analysis today and augment to IT service management and automation over the next two to five years.”3

Enabling AIOps

To help organizations put AIOps to work in their IT operations, IT infrastructure vendors and application providers are building AI-driven monitoring and management capabilities into their products and solutions. This is very much the case at Dell Technologies, which has a focus to accelerate the innovation and momentum of AI in IT operations.

A few examples:

• Dell Technologies Capital has invested in Moogsoft, a market leader in applying AI to IT operations.4 Powered by purpose-built machine learning algorithms, the Moogsoft’s AIOps platform is designed to greatly reduce IT alerts and ticket volumes, suggest root causes and enable cross-team collaboration to solve incidents faster.
• The next-generation Dell EMC PowerMax storage solution is built with an embedded machine learning engine that makes autonomous storage a reality. Leveraging predictive analytics and pattern recognition, a single PowerMax system can analyze and forecast millions of datasets in real-time and drive billions of decisions per day to maximize the efficiency and performance of mixed data storage workloads.5
• Dell EMC Services is leveraging AI, machine learning and deep learning to transform system support and deployment. Through the combination of AI and connected technologies in Dell EMC servers, storage systems and networking devices, system issues can now be proactively resolved faster than ever before.⁵

Welcome to the future of IT operations

As data centers grow in size and complexity, there is a corresponding need for solutions that apply the power of machine learning and deep learning to IT operations to improve the performance and availability of IT systems and services while automating labor-intensive processes. AIOps meet this need.

And with a global ecosystem developing innovative new AIOps software and hardware solutions, it’s clear that artificial intelligence will play an ever-larger role in solving key challenges in IT operations.

To learn more

For a closer look at the capabilities of a robust AIOps platform, visit Moogsoft.com.

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1 Enterprise Strategy Group, “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Infrastructure Matters,” a report prepared for Dell EMC, 2018.

2 Gartner blog, “How to Get Started With AIOps,” March 26, 2019.

3 Gartner, “Market Guide for AIOps Platforms,” November 12, 2018.

4 Dell Technologies, “Dell Technologies Capital Announces Strong Exit & Investment Momentum in its First Year Out of Stealth,” April 30, 2018. “Dell Technologies Unveils New IOT Strategy, Division And Solutions To Accelerate Customer Adoption,” October 10, 2017.

5 Dell Technologies, “Dell Technologies Makes Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Real,” May 1, 2018.