IT Automation: The Quest for Lights Out

The Two-Second Validation

However, before you go through the rigor of design and project planning for each of these components, you have one more filter to apply. This filter is simply a—thirty-thousand-foot—intuitive assessment of the feasibility of the automation projects. It's what I call "the two-second validation."

Although the assessment is largely intuitive, I have identified some questions to consider. The reason this is an intuitive process is that the data is largely situational and therefore varies from company to company and time to time. To validate the feasibility of any given initiative, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is there an executive-level directive to cut costs and headcount?

• Does the culture support technology investment ...