Today most large organizations store their data in digital format, and new data is generated all the time in multiple offices around the world. Though some of this data becomes redundant and can be safely discarded after some time, a significant part of the information can be critical to the organizations operation. If there is any downtime, not only is the reputation of the organization damaged, it also becomes difficult to retain existing customers and acquire new customers.
To prevent any loss of data in case of unexpected software or hardware failures, most companies have a contingency plan in place, where backups of all important data are taken at regular intervals. However, for a large organisation, the volume of data can be massive , and if the backups are taken manually , the chances of human error exist. To prevent this problem, companies use automation software to ensure that all IT related applications can used and data stored with the minimum of human intervention.
Some of the features of IT automation software include Task Builder, which supports a customizable action list, conditions which will trigger a workflow or task, secure FTP, database connectivity, active directory, file manipulation using automated file and folder commands to copy, move, rename, delete files, web services, POP3 and SMTP email. More than 200 actions can be performed and there is extensive support for widely used software and protocols like XML, FTP/SFTP, file management, SQL, WMI, HTTP, PGP and Cryptography, DLL Calls, VB Scripts, Excel, GUI automation, Terminal Emulation, Telnet, SNMP.
Existing data generated by business processes in Microsoft Excel format can be easily integrated into the automation software. It also reduces the hassle of developing custom code for an application, debugging it and maintaining it. Users can check the suitability of the software by downloading a free 30 day trial version after providing some basic information about their company.