That’s where Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) comes in. These platforms, like the one offered by Riverbed, combine AI, automation, and advanced analytics to fundamentally reshape how IT is managed. By turning raw data into real-time insight and action, AIOps helps organizations reduce costs, improve efficiency, and deliver consistently high-quality user experiences.

Here’s why AIOps for observability is a smart investment and how it helps IT teams stay ahead.

Solving observability challenges with AIOps

To truly understand the transformative potential of AIOps, it’s essential to see exactly how it addresses today’s most pressing IT management challenges:

Shifting from reactive to proactive IT management

Traditional IT systems force teams into taking a reactive approach to remediation, where they scramble to resolve issues after they’ve already caused damage. AIOps puts employees back on the front foot, leveraging predictive analytics to identify threats before they escalate.

Overcoming data overload

Modern IT environments generate vast volumes of data, with most of it staying underutilized. But by continuously analyzing this information, AIOps eliminates the need for IT teams to manually sift through every data source. However, a centralized data store is critical for this because without accessibility, AI solutions can’t operate at their full potential.

Reducing blind spots

For organizations operating across multiple cloud and on-premises environments, fragmented data can create problematic gaps in data visibility. But by providing end-to-end monitoring, AIOps helps businesses bridge their siloed departments and ensure their IT teams have complete oversight of their digital ecosystem.

Addressing the IT talent shortage

The demand for skilled IT professionals currently far exceeds the supply, which makes it difficult to confidently drive technological improvements in-house. AIOps can compensate for this talent shortfall and also improve staff retention by automating routine tasks, allowing organizations to scale upwards without overloading their valued employees.

Driving efficiency and reducing costs

AIOps doesn’t only fix problems—it makes IT operations smarter, faster, and more cost-effective. Riverbed’s AIOps solutions are already helping global organizations streamline operations and achieve measurable outcomes. Here’s how:

Smarter decision-making with real-time analytics

AIOps delivers instant insights into IT performance, enabling leaders to align their IT strategies with their broader business goals. For example, one global bank used Riverbed IQ to keep over 125,000 devices compliant during critical upgrades, driving commercial growth and protecting regulatory stability in the process.

Software license and device management audit

By monitoring usage, automating device and software upgrades, managing technology migrations, and making device management reductions. A global HR management software company achieved savings of almost $1M through software license reclamation.

Maximizing productivity of essential work

AIOps workflow automation can also free non-IT teams from the constraints of inefficient technology. An NHS Foundation Trust avoided unnecessary disruption for its clinicians by using our AIOps platform to streamline a fix for device unresponsiveness, saving over 2,500 monthly hours in an industry where every second counts.

Automating IT service desks

High ticket volumes can be overwhelming for IT teams, which is why AIOps auto-populates the triage process. Through this method, one major network carrier was able to resolve over 10,000 remediations per month, saving over $1M annually and reclaiming between 50-75 IT service desk hours per day.

When time and money define operational success, AIOps delivers on both. By partnering with Riverbed to reduce IT asset costs, guarantee system uptime and guide the strategic decisions, organizations can provide quality digital services in the areas where users need it the most.

Fueling innovation through AIOps

To stay future-ready, organizations must anticipate the challenges of tomorrow while addressing today’s needs. AIOps is pivotal in spearheading strategic innovation, supported by three crucial components:

1. Measurable impact of AIOps automation.

With our help, a global financial services company resolved over 13,000 incidents during a three-month period, eliminating 20 minutes per incident on average. As a result, they were able to improve customer satisfaction and accelerate employee productivity, while also accurately understanding how resources could be reallocated for greater efficiency.

2. Freeing IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

The automation of time-consuming IT processes allows organizations to refocus on cost-saving and performance-enhancing initiatives, like cloud adoption or security reinforcements, without being held back by IT constraints. Boosting IT efficiency means less time spent resolving operational bottlenecks, and more time on innovation and strategic initiatives.

3. Real-time insights for adaptive decision-making.

Live data analytics empower organizations to quickly adapt to changing market conditions. Having the ability to act on live data makes it easier to understand operational needs, which in turn provides IT leaders with the tools to drive growth.

Future-proof your organization with AIOps

Adopting AIOps isn’t just about keeping up with the latest technology trends. It’s about securing a competitive edge and delivering results that maximize a long-term ROI. By improving resilience, reducing costs, and driving efficiency, organizations can innovate freely, long into the future.

If you are ready to transform your IT operations and implement practical AI that is safe, secure and accurate, visit Riverbed’s AIOps homepage to request a demo or connect with our dedicated team. Resolve tomorrow’s IT issues today.

Across financial services, technology like machine learning is already being applied from the back office to the front, as it is used to replace human judgement in underwriting, assess risk in the payments industry, provide customers with conversational interfaces in mobile banking apps, and more.

The question is, how can banks keep up, get ahead, and capitalize on these exciting new advancements? Here are our top tips.

Meet your peers

Today, chains like Ethereum, Polygon and Solana have over 1.3 billion addresses–the equivalent of a bank account–and there are thousands of developers working on an open-source way to extend financial software, right now as you read this.

Essentially, FinTechs and neobanks have taken on the biggest names in the business, the likes of Visa and MasterCard, and they’re winning. An estimated $4 billion in capital is going into the FinTech sector a month and the decentralization of the finance industry is happening in front of our eyes. So, even the most established banks shouldn’t become complacent, and must embrace the opportunity to adapt.

Partner up

However, this seismic change can’t be tackled alone. Transformation begins with collaboration, and banks must find the right technology partners if they want to stay competitive.

Relationships work both ways, too, as tech giants lean on financial firms to offer their customers integrated banking solutions. For example, Apple Card was created in partnership with Goldman Sachs, or Amazon connecting pools of capital to underwrite the commerce that takes place on it.

Explore new platforms

In addition to the right partner, you need the right platform; one that’ll empower you to improve your visibility and understanding of what banking with you looks like for your customer. This is because digital experience is everything.

In Riverbed’s Global Digital Employee Experience (DEX) survey, 98% of FSI-leader respondents agreed DEX is important to remain competitive.

Keep your customers ‘appy’

So, let’s look at the user’s perspective for a moment. To them, this industry advancement is fantastic. They no longer need to distinguish payments, banking, and investing; as they are all integrated, usually in one easy-to-use, quick-to-navigate app or website.

They can send money to friends and family through social media messaging apps. They can save through payment apps. They can invest in treasuries through savings apps. They can oversee all their accounts, budgets, incomings, outgoings and more through financial management apps. Remember, if they can’t do all this on your app–preferably facilitated by a friendly robo-advisor–they’ll switch to a competitor, where they can.

Delve into your data

What lies at the heart of creating actionable insights and delivering these relevant digital experiences? Data.

It’s never been more vital to collect, analyze and extract actionable insight from full-fidelity data across all your platforms. To have great AI outcomes, you need great data.

The key is understanding what ‘normal’ looks like to you, so you can avoid falling below this benchmark and know when you’re achieving above it.

Invest in intelligent monitoring

By partnering with an AI observability leader and implementing their platform to monitor your data (that’s all the previous steps sorted), you can begin to establish that ‘normal’, discover the experiences of your employees and customers, and make improvements – all based on fact, rather than your best guesswork.

Automate, automate, automate

The best platforms in the market will even have integrated tools, powered by AI and machine learning, that automate those improvements. By automatically performing tasks like cutting complexity by creating logical shortcuts; addressing lower-level service desk issues; and fixing bugs; organizations can boost employee productivity and fine-tune apps. So, when new functionality does go live, it makes superior experiences for everyone.

Review your resources and make smart choices

By gaining insight into what resources you have, which you actually use, where you need more and how often they truly need updating or upgrading, you can make smarter choices, working more efficiently, and cost-effectively.

For example, consider:

• Right-sizing hardware – do you really need all those laptops, or would VDI spaces do the trick?
• Software – how many of those licenses actually have users assigned to them?
• Storage – how much data are we honestly using?
• And maintenance – do all our devices need replacing at once or are some still performing well?

These can all have a significant impact on your IT investment.

Monitor trends and patterns today and into the future

With all the data you are monitoring, AI can be used not only to see what’s going on today, but also to model what might happen tomorrow, and how you can stay on top of it.

Let’s say, for example, customers regularly visit your banking app on payday to spend, save and invest their cash. You can predict this pattern, allocating additional bandwidth towards the end of the month so network performance stays smooth.

Protect your budget and our planet

Investing in, and releasing, new tech can be costly. But in turn, these technologies can allow you to save money and cut your carbon footprint. By carrying out all the steps above–using data-driven insight to right-size, increase productivity and predict trends–you can improve ROI while using fewer resources.

Riverbed’s AI-powered observability solutions are transforming the digital financial landscape by providing seamless and secure user experiences across every channel–integrating with other technologies, and incorporating AI and machine learning, to provide proactive remediation, reduce costs and cut carbon impact. Get in touch with our expert team, so we can work together to bring your bank into the future.

That’s why I’m looking forward to EMPOWEREDx—Riverbed’s annual customer community event. Last year’s global roadshow served as an opportunity to meet users and discover the challenges IT teams are facing, such as data overload and the need for more automation. This year, we’re visiting five cities across three continents to discuss Igniting Exceptional Digital Experiences, and to connect with those seeking to become leaders in the digital experience movement. In addition to Riverbed’s executive and technical speakers, I’m excited that we’ll have many customers—including EDF Energy, Global Credit Union, Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust NHS, Unilever, and many more—joining us to share their digital experience journeys. 

As Global CIO at Riverbed and formerly a CTO at JPMorgan Chase, I understand the allure and excitement of cutting-edge tech solutions. However, it’s important not to lose sight of the ultimate goal: enhancing the lives of the people who use these technologies. At Riverbed, our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and their satisfaction and success are the driving forces behind our innovations.

The EMPOWEREDx event is a reflection of our commitment to nurturing a strong relationship with our valued customers. It offers us the chance to listen directly to your experiences, challenges, and triumphs — gaining invaluable insights that shape the future of our solutions. EMPOWEREDx also provides a platform for us to showcase our latest innovations, giving you hands-on experiences and live demonstrations. Our hope is that this tangible and interactive approach further fosters trust and confidence in our products, as you get to witness firsthand how they can revolutionize your digital experiences and drive meaningful results in your organizations.

Join in for an immersive experience 

What sets EMPOWEREDx apart from other events is that we designed it to be a fully immersive event and not just a place to hear speakers talk. So bring your laptops or tablets and be prepared to take part in breakout sessions. You can expect presentations, demo or lab experiences, and roundtable discussions aligned with key use cases. For example, here’s what we’ll be covering throughout the event during the breakouts.

• Intelligent incident response & remediation: In this hands-on lab and discussion, you’ll delve into the world of intelligent automation and discover how it can free your IT staff from monotonous tasks, leading to a transformation within your IT organization.
• IT cost optimization: IT is always dealing with budget constraints, especially with today’s economic climate. The pressure is on to cut costs, and we’ll reveal how to do it while actually improving digital experiences.
• Redefining digital excellence: Learn how high-fidelity performance data from multiple domains enables IT teams to accurately identify user experience issues and take prescriptive, targeted actions. The result? Increased employee productivity, happier employees, improved service quality, and a positive customer experience.

Join us live!  

We’re looking forward to meeting you and having you take part in what’s sure to be an unforgettable event. If you live near one of these cities, mark your calendars. 

• August 23: Brisbane, Australia
• September 12: Dallas, USA
• September 19: NYC, USA
• September 19-20: Paris, France
• October 10: London, UK

EMPOWEREDx is an opportunity to develop deeper relationships with other Riverbed customers and gain insights that will help you become a leader in the digital experience movement. If you can’t make it to one of our stops, schedule a free demo of Riverbed solutions or Riverbed Acceleration solutions to discover how our technology creates transformative digital experiences. We look forward to seeing you at EMPOWEREDx!