What's Happening?
Accounting firms are increasingly adopting real-time automation to manage their virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) more efficiently. This shift is driven by the need to scale operations without incurring
prohibitive costs associated with manual infrastructure management. Sage, a global accounting software provider, exemplifies this trend by implementing real-time, policy-based automation that adjusts infrastructure based on actual usage patterns. This approach has allowed Sage to reduce its virtual machine (VM) infrastructure costs by over 60%, saving $123,000 in a single month and $1.5 million annually. The automation enables systems to self-recover after failures and align with business hours or seasonal cycles, eliminating the need for constant human intervention.
Why It's Important?
The adoption of real-time automation in accounting firms is crucial as it addresses the operational and financial bottlenecks posed by legacy VDI systems. These systems often require manual provisioning and static scheduling, leading to rising costs and underutilized resources. By automating infrastructure management, firms can scale their operations without increasing headcount, thus maintaining or even improving profit margins. This is particularly important in the finance sector, where firms face scaling limits due to the complexity and expense of managing virtual environments across different time zones and regional offices. Automation not only reduces operational overhead but also frees up IT teams to focus on innovation and other strategic initiatives.
What's Next?
As more accounting firms recognize the benefits of automation, it is likely that the trend will continue to grow. Firms may start by integrating automation into their existing cloud or VDI environments, focusing on actions that yield measurable impacts. This includes ensuring real-time usage data is available to drive accurate automation and implementing self-healing capabilities to minimize downtime. As firms iterate and expand their automation efforts, they can expect to see further reductions in operational costs and improvements in service delivery. The strategic use of automation could become a key differentiator in the competitive landscape of financial services.
