Tanium launches Automate to streamline IT tasks & boost ROI

Tanium has announced the general availability of Tanium Automate, a new addition to its Converged Endpoint Management (XEM) platform.

This solution enables organisations to automate common IT operations and security tasks in real-time. The introduction of Tanium Automate aims to help IT and security teams increase efficiency by automating repetitive tasks, a significant need given the current skills shortage and budget constraints faced by many organisations.

Research indicates that automation has substantial potential in the workplace.

Approximately 50% of employee activities can be automated, and about 60% of occupations have at least 30% of their tasks that are automatable. Furthermore, 88% of business leaders believe that automating IT work tasks can enhance both happiness and engagement at work.

The new solution draws on the Tanium platform's extensive capabilities in endpoint management and security. It leverages real-time architecture and scalability to allow operators to replace manual processes with no-code and low-code orchestration. This significantly streamlines operations across both IT and security domains.

Matt Quinn, Chief Technology Officer at Tanium, stated, "Automate radically simplifies complex automations through dynamic real-time endpoint targeting, allowing organisations to manage automations in even the most diverse, scaled IT environments. By bridging automations seamlessly between IT and security teams, it provides operational excellence and gives both resiliency and confidence to all our customers."

Early adopters have already reported positive outcomes from implementing the new solution.

For instance, VF Corporation, known for brands such as JanSport, Eastpak, Timberland, and The North Face, has found Tanium Automate useful in patching servers and remediating vulnerabilities. David Anderson, patch automation and vulnerability remediation lead at the company, said, "When patching servers and remediating vulnerabilities, it’s critical that we stop all services and confirm they are off before proceeding."

"This is exceedingly difficult, especially because we only have a two- or three-hour maintenance window to complete updates. Automate allows us to easily control specific services, verify their status, and deploy patches within a single platform."

Traditionally, implementing automation solutions has been complex, often requiring highly skilled expertise.

Tanium Automate aims to address this by providing a no-code to low-code experience, making it accessible to individuals with varying levels of technical skills. This feature allows the creation of repeatable playbooks to automate even the most complex task sequences.

Phil Harris, Research Director, Government, Risk and Compliance at IDC, commented, "With Automate, customers will eliminate cumbersome, manual, and time-consuming tasks, accelerating productivity through the automation of actions and streamlining workflows. This makes the overall experience of manageability effective, repeatable, accurate, and streamlined with minimal disruption to IT environments, with increased potential to save costs and reduce risks by automating routine tasks and workflows."

Tanium's partner ecosystem, which includes System Integrators, Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Value-Added Resellers (VARs), and Technology alliance Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), has been involved in the product's launch. These partners are expected to deliver best practices and customer use cases through Tanium Automation playbooks, adding further value across various industry verticals such as financial services, healthcare, and the public sector.

Mike Fluharty, President of True Zero Technologies, highlighted the benefits of the new launch, saying, "The ROI and process automation our end customers have experienced to date is a true testament to the power of Tanium’s real-time visibility and control. With the introduction of AEM and debut of Tanium Automate, we can deliver added workflow automation, reduce cybersecurity and technical risk, and better serve even the most unique of customers."

In addition to Tanium Automate, Tanium has introduced Tanium Ask, an AI-powered natural language interface currently in private preview.

This feature aims to make querying data from millions of endpoints faster and more intuitive by allowing users to ask sophisticated questions without the need to understand complex syntax. For example, customers could use the AI-powered question bar to request a list of machines that haven't been rebooted and patched within the last 30 days, then quickly deploy an Automate playbook to bring those endpoints into compliance.

Gartner has recently given Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM) an ‘Emerging’ rating in their annual Hype Cycle report, emphasising its potential to accelerate patching, configuration, and experience management while reducing digital friction.

The report highlights that rapid development in AI and machine learning capabilities has made it difficult for IT teams to keep up, further raising the need for such automated solutions.