Developers are increasingly adopting intelligent, automated systems in the data center as they seek to offload manual processes in order to keep up with the accelerating pace of IT operations.

That conclusion was taken from a new survey of IT executives about the adoption of intelligent, AI-based systems and machines in the enterprise. However, the survey, sponsored by IT management software firm Ipswitch Inc., warned that early adopters have not yet gotten to grips with the security and access risks posed by delegating tasks to bots and other autonomous systems.

“IT decision makers recognize that, while a force for good, these technologies also expose the enterprise to new internal and external risk vectors,” said Tony Lock, an analyst with survey author Freeform Dynamics Ltd, in a statement. “As the pace of adoption increases, there will be no escaping the impact of intelligent systems on the enterprise, regardless of whether or not organizations directly invest in such technologies.”

Another key finding of the survey was that advanced algorithms, hyper-scale computing and massive datasets have helped AI systems become a “mainstream reality” in both the data center and the cloud.

“The inclusion of advanced processing and machine learning [capabilities] into more familiar applications is then driving progress from the other direction,” the survey authors noted.

Few disagree that the rapidly growing pace of IT operations means that DevOps teams are increasingly finding their hands full. Which means it comes as no surprise to learn that the vast majority of IT executives polled (91 percent) agreed that intelligent systems should be adopted to increase IT automation.

Much of the early focus of AI systems has been on offloading mundane, often non-mission-critical tasks to automation tools like machine learning systems. But we’re already seeing a shift to more advanced systems, especially in areas like the Internet of Things. Indeed, IoT development and platforms came out on top in a list of “to-dos” by survey respondents. Executives also cited emerging technologies such as rules-based, process-automation, complex event processing systems and workflow engines.

In response to the findings, Jeff Loeb, chief marketing officer at Ipswitch, urged IT professionals to keep their eyes wide open when considering using intelligent machines.

“As network managers grow more confident with intelligent systems, they will become increasingly willing to tackle more complex applications,” Loeb predicted.

Previous surveys on intelligent systems have highlighted middle managers’ fears, especially when it comes to issues like access and security. For example, a recent Accenture Strategy report found that while intelligent systems could undoubtedly free up time for managers to focus on other initiatives, many respondents were fearful of a “trust gap within the managerial ranks”.

However Ipswitch’s report found that 76 percent of IT executives viewed the technology favorably, saying it would reduce drudgery from IT operations. Meanwhile, just 32 percent said they were worried automation could one day replace them.

Still, executives continue to worry about the security aspects of deploying automated tools.

“Security and access measures already in place may not have been designed to deal with the new and different types of automated activity that will rapidly become the norm, let alone the likely increase in traffic and events that will need to be handled,” the survey warned.

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