What's Happening?
Westpac is advancing its infrastructure automation program by integrating event-driven automation and AIOps, supported by Ansible. Sean Dudding, the Patterns automation service owner, revealed at a Red Hat Ansible event in Sydney that the bank is transitioning from optimizing its environment to transforming it to improve customer experiences. The initiative aims to streamline IT resource management, benefiting millions of Westpac's customers in Australia. Initially utilizing AWX, an open-source controller for Ansible tasks, Westpac has now adopted the enterprise-supported Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) for enhanced support and collaboration with Red Hat. This move allows Westpac to influence product roadmaps and fast-track solutions through direct engineering connections with Red Hat.
Why It's Important?
The adoption of AIOps and event-driven automation by Westpac signifies a significant shift in how financial institutions manage IT infrastructure. By leveraging these technologies, Westpac aims to reduce manual efforts and human risk, thereby enhancing service reliability and customer satisfaction. This development is crucial for the banking industry as it navigates increasing demands for digital transformation and operational efficiency. The collaboration with Red Hat not only provides Westpac with technical support but also positions the bank to influence future technological advancements, potentially setting a precedent for other banks seeking similar partnerships.
What's Next?
Westpac plans to prioritize the implementation of event-driven automation and AIOps, focusing on monitoring trusted event sources and triggering automation based on specific occurrences. This approach is expected to improve the bank's return on investment by utilizing pre-developed automated tasks. The evolution of AIOps will enable Westpac to automate processes across its environment using AI, reducing outage risks and enhancing customer services. As Westpac continues to collaborate with Red Hat, further advancements in automation and infrastructure management are anticipated, potentially influencing broader industry practices.