Tanium Survey Reveals Automation as Key to IT Productivity and Security Challenges

SYDNEY, Australia – March 3, 2025: Tanium today released new research highlighting the need for automation to mitigate human error, improve security, and reduce burnout. ‘The Impact of IT Operations Automation on the Morale, Productivity, and Security Posture of IT Teams’ report reveals nearly half of Australian IT teams (43%) are wasting up to 20 hours per month fixing human errors, with 17% dedicating at least three days resolving mistakes. 

When asked about automation’s role, 75% of IT workers agreed automation could help reduce burnout – an issue which has affected 69% of IT teams in the last 6 months. Additionally, more than 78% believe automation tools can improve overall security by shortening patch cycles, reducing vulnerability exposure, and improving incident response.

“The research demonstrates that automating IT operations will lead to better productivity and boosted morale by reducing burnout and creating more meaningful work. These factors alone play a major role in ensuring IT teams are best equipped to protect Australian organisations from cyber threats while being more productive and fulfilled,” says James Greenwood, RVP, Solutions Engineering and Customer Success at Tanium. “With automation, IT teams can focus on meaningful projects while strengthening their organisations security posture. Tanium’s Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM) platform helps mitigate human error and free up resources, in turn improving security and reducing the stress associated with IT roles that often lead to unaddressed vulnerabilities.”

According to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), human error accounts for 30% of data breaches – a statistic underscoring the need for automation.

Gary Blair, former CISO at Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, and Westpac recognizes this urgency “From the CISO’s perspective, cyber is a growing challenge across three dimensions: data, time and workforce. The reality is that most organisations are drowning in data, only some of which may be relevant to the cyber mission. The signal-to-noise ratio continues to evolve – the needle in the haystack is becoming more elusive, putting more pressure on IT teams than ever before. It’s no surprise human error is getting in the way of security,” said Blair.

C-Suite Underestimates IT Workload and Automation Needs

The research also highlights a disconnect between executives and IT teams regarding automation adoption. While IT professionals cite budget constraints as the primary barrier (49%), only 38% of C-suite leaders acknowledge budget as a limiting factor. Instead, they attribute slow adoption to company culture (13%) or a lack of perceived need.

As cyber threats continue to rise, automation offers a clear path to improving security, efficiency, and job satisfaction. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of IT workers want to adopt automation tools to focus on higher-value projects, and 90% say that manual, repetitive tasks negatively impact workforce morale.

Research Methodology

‘The Impact of IT Operations Automation on the Morale, Productivity and Security Posture of IT Teams’ report, aims to unveil the real-world and business impacts of IT operations automation on the morale, productivity and security posture of IT teams. All respondents have influence or decision-making authority over IT hardware and/or IT solutions and have visibility into or involvement with the delivery of their organisation’s endpoint management and security program.

The research was commissioned by Tanium and conducted by PureProfile between the 8th of October and the 15th of October 2024, surveying 110 Australian-based professionals working at companies employing over 1,000 people. 

To learn more about the impact of automation on IT operations, read the full Tanium commissioned research report or go to www.tanium.com/autonomous-endpoint-management/.

About Tanium
Tanium Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM) offers the most comprehensive solution for intelligently managing endpoints across industries, providing capabilities for asset discovery and inventory, vulnerability management, endpoint management, incident response, risk and compliance, and digital employee experience. The platform supports 34 million endpoints worldwide, including 40% of the Fortune 100, delivering increasingly efficient operations and an improved security posture at scale, with confidence, and in real-time. For more information on The Power of Certainty™, visit www.tanium.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

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