The old notions regarding the separation of an organization’s Information Technology function from its core business practices are rapidly disappearing. In many cases, for many businesses and government entities, they may have already done so. What was once IT, has become, BT, Business Technology.

The transformation of IT into BT has been fueled by the promises and deployment of automation across all business functions. The rollout of ERP systems, the adoption of Internet and/or cloud-based software and infrastructure, the adoption of policy-based IT management (e.g. ITIL) are all done with the aim of providing automation, i.e., greater operational efficiency, to the business or agency. The automation can be applied to business functions native to your business’s core competency (like shipping a product, signing a contract), or to ancillary and support functions (like HR and IT administration). If automation can make your people more productive, if more meaningful work can get done in less time and at less cost, automation will pay for itself.

This paper discusses the need for business process automation and how it can make your company vastly more efficient. Continue reading to learn how to stay ahead of the curve on process automation during the twenty-ten decade.