IT Process Automation Evaluation Criteria

Heterogeneous Support

Will the vendor support all your systems and tools?

IT process automation is all about integrating underlying systems, which have no interoperability, so an IT process/service can be delivered across these systems. Unless your server, storage and network environment is single-vendor, it is unlikely that a solution from a big management vendor will provide the integration and innovation you require.

"Established IT management tool vendors are likely to focus first on integrating their own portfolios with RBA tools, leaving integration with third-party competitive tools as a distant, secondary task provided at additional cost." Gartner*

Deep Script/code Free Integration

Can my operations team modify and build processes?

A script/code free approach to process automation, where the vendor provides deep API level integration thereby removing the complexity from the user, is the cornerstone to delivering a flexible, feature rich solution with rapid implementation and centralized management.

"Expect acquired RBA products that provided generic [script-based] IT management tool integration to lose their multi vendor tool focus and to support the purchasing company's portfolio." Gartner*

Dymanic Process Configuration via a Data Bus

What happens to my processes when my environment changes?

A mature IT process automation vendor should provide full support for customized environments and dynamically adapt processes as your infrastructure configuration changes (new server, security updates, changes in IP address, service desk field etc.). Managing workflow processes with form-based configuration, and a data bus which allows information to be configured and results passed downstream - rather than hardcoded scripts, eliminates the need for programming resources and removes the risk of the processes breaking when target servers, systems or network tools change. 

"Beware that there is a risk of vendor lock-in once larger vendors enter the market, owing to a lack of the integration standards needed to automate IT operations processes." Gartner*

Technical Selection Criteria

The Design Experience: What's under the hood?	Opalis
Workflow process design console	Yes
Automatically detects configuration changes in target systems (when new servers, fields and data are added or modified)	Yes
Drag-drop-and-link to create new processes or modify existing processes	Yes
Web-based dashboard for monitoring and process metrics	Yes
Out-of-the-box reports (support customization)	Yes
Integration: How is it really done?
Comprehensive set of pre-built workflow objects (activities)	Yes
Deep integration via partner API and SDK	Yes
Command line, XML, Java and script support	Yes
Integrate events, tickets, jobs and CIs	Yes
Read, add, edit, parse and monitor data	Yes
Orchestration: How does it control target systems?
Data bus technology	Yes
Dynamically configure objects in the workflow	Yes
Dynamically set conditions to branch and control workflow	Yes
Event, scheduled or interactive process triggers	Yes
Monitors events in external systems to triggered the process (does not require external system to know when to trigger the process)	Yes
Architecture: Is it enterprise ready?
Agent-less architecture for central process management	Yes
Clustered architecture that works with your existing fail over strategy	Yes
No single point of failure architecture	Yes

* David Williams, Gartner, IT Operations Management Run Book Automation Market Consolidation Will Accelerate July 9, 2007