IT teams have a lot to juggle, and are constantly under pressure to reduce both their workload and costs. However, that pressure comes with the fear of weakening security. There’s a balance between speed and security that they need to strike, and they can’t afford to sacrifice either.
Fortunately, they don’t have to. Efficiency and security aren’t mutually exclusive, and companies can achieve both. With the right automation tools and prioritization rules, efficiency and security are both within reach.
With that in mind, let’s explore how companies can use tools such as Splashtop AEM to reduce the burden on IT teams without compromising cybersecurity.
Where IT Workload Actually Comes From
Before we can determine how to reduce IT’s workload, we should examine its causes. These are the biggest factors that lead to an increased workload for IT teams:
1. Manual Patching and Remediation
Patching and remediation are essential for security, but manual handling can be time-consuming and error-prone. Consider the time spent manually scheduling, approving, and validating patches, as well as on emergency patches after hours. This all adds up to a slow, inefficient process that could be better managed through automation.
2. Chasing Device Inventory and Compliance Data
Managing inventories and ensuring compliance is essential, but tracking them manually with spreadsheets, scripts, and point-in-time scans is inefficient. These methods create busywork and build stress while occupying IT resources, which is the last thing you need when an audit approaches. Automated tools that can track inventory, detect new devices, and monitor for compliance can save IT teams both time and stress.
3. Repetitive Access Provisioning and Deprovisioning
Onboarding new employees, offboarding former ones, changing roles, and adjusting permissions, while vital for access security and efficiency, can be a time-consuming process. The more tools and permissions you need to manage per role, the lengthier the process becomes. Instead, consider automation tools that reduce manual effort by enforcing device-level policies, grouping endpoints by role or function, and automatically applying the right configurations and security controls as devices or responsibilities change.
4. Disconnected Tools and Dashboards
IT sprawl is one of the biggest contributors to increased workloads. When agents need to switch between multiple tools and applications, it only adds to the time and effort it takes to carry out a single task. While the various tools may add useful capabilities, consolidation is key for maintaining productivity.
Why Cutting Corners Is Not the Answer
While it can be tempting to make small sacrifices here and there to improve security, to do so is to court disaster. Cutting corners can create vulnerabilities and quickly add up in several ways, including:
Delaying patches increases exposure windows, as your endpoints go longer with unpatched vulnerabilities.
Relaxing access controls enables lateral movement, so compromised accounts can inflict more damage across a wider area.
Reducing monitoring creates blind spots, making it harder to spot vulnerabilities or suspicious activity.
Relying on users introduces inconsistency and error, as human error is unavoidable.
What “Reducing Workload” Should Actually Mean
Reducing workloads doesn’t mean reducing security. Rather, it means adding tools and functionality that streamline workflows and improve efficiency, empowering IT teams to accomplish more with less manual effort.
Ways to reduce IT workloads include:
Less manual effort, not less coverage: Using tools with automated, real-time monitoring and alerts helps improve efficiency while eliminating the need for IT agents to manually monitor endpoints.
Automation instead of repetition: Automation tools can eliminate repetitive manual tasks, freeing up agents to focus on more pressing matters.
Continuous visibility instead of periodic checks: Real-time visibility helps improve responsiveness and security without requiring agents to constantly check in.
Controlled access over broad permissions: Granting broad permissions increases the potential damage a single compromised account can cause. Setting permissions based on role and necessity helps improve security while reducing IT workload.
Fewer tools: Consolidating your tech stack makes it easier for IT teams to carry out important tasks without constantly switching between applications while maintaining consistent security.
How Automation Reduces Workload and Improves Security
Now that we understand the risks and objectives, we can consider the solution. Using software with automation features can reduce the workload on IT teams by automating repetitive manual tasks without compromising security.
1. Automation Eliminates Repetitive Tasks
One of the most impactful applications of automation is handling repetitive manual tasks. Even small tasks, like logging calls after a customer interaction, can add up to become big time sinks, so automating them helps save time and improve efficiency across IT teams.
2. Real-Time Visibility Reduces Investigation Time
Investigating issues is another major time drain, especially when visibility is limited. Automation tools with real-time visibility can detect and display device and patch statuses instantly, saving hours otherwise spent investigating devices and software.
3. Policy-Based Enforcement Prevents Rework
Enforcing security and compliance policies across endpoints can be challenging, but using policy-based tools ensures consistency and reduces follow-ups. These tools automatically enforce endpoint policies, security controls, and configuration standards in line with company policy and compliance requirements, reducing rework and ongoing manual oversight for IT teams.
How Splashtop Reduces IT Workload Without Sacrificing Security
When you want to streamline IT workflows and securely reduce workloads, you can do so with Splashtop AEM (Autonomous Endpoint Management). Splashtop AEM features automation and endpoint management tools that continuously monitor devices, provide CVE-based vulnerability insights, and automate patching, remediation, and routine maintenance tasks to improve efficiency without compromising security.
Splashtop AEM includes:
1. Automated Endpoint Management With Splashtop AEM
Splashtop AEM enables easy monitoring and management of remote endpoints from a single console. This includes automated OS and third-party software patching to keep devices up to date, along with CVE-based vulnerability detection and remediation to reduce exposure to known security risks. This keeps devices protected without requiring extra work from IT teams.
2. Real-Time Device Visibility Across the Environment
Splashtop AEM provides visibility into each remote device, including inventory, patch status, and performance. This eliminates the need to manually check inventories, as everything is updated in real time through automation. It also supports audit readiness by providing clear, up-to-date inventory information for both hardware and software.
3. Remote Access and Remote Support Reduce Physical Work
When organizations adopt remote and hybrid work models, supporting remote employees can be challenging. Splashtop’s remote support tools empower IT teams to quickly connect to remote devices for troubleshooting and maintenance, improving resolution speed while reducing the need for physical access, on-site visits, or unsecured workarounds.
4. Centralized Control Replaces Tool Sprawl
More tools and dashboards mean more time spent switching between them to carry out the same tasks. Reducing sprawl and consolidating disparate tools improves efficiency by giving IT teams fewer dashboards to manage and clearer ownership, while making it easier to manage and automate similar systems from a single place.
Step-by-Step: Reducing IT Workload the Right Way
When you want to reduce IT’s workload without compromising security, it’s easy to do so with Splashtop AEM. Follow these simple steps, and you can bring the power of automation and real-time visibility to your IT team:
Identify the most time-consuming manual IT tasks to prioritize your automation needs.
Deploy Splashtop AEM, define device groups, and configure automation policies for patching, remediation, and monitoring based on risk tolerance and operational priorities.
Set role-based access controls and group rules to limit access scope and reduce monitoring overhead.
Use real-time visibility to identify vulnerabilities and prevent incidents.
Use automated reporting to validate outcomes, rather than running manual checks.
Once you follow these steps, you’ll find your IT teams can work more efficiently, tasks are carried out automatically, and your endpoints remain secure.
Common Mistakes That Increase Workload Over Time
Of course, mistakes can and do happen in any business. These mistakes can lead to increased IT workloads, whether through a sudden spike or creeping growth over time, so organizations should be aware.
Watch out for these common mistakes when using automation to reduce IT workload:
Adding tools instead of simplifying workflows: the solution to increased workload isn’t “more tools.” Instead, it’s a matter of consolidating and simplifying to achieve the same results without sprawl.
Over-customizing scripts that require constant upkeep: The purpose of scripts is to automate tasks and carry them out without requiring manual intervention. If the scripts are overly complex and constantly require upkeep, they defeat their purpose and only create new obstacles.
Treating security and IT operations as separate efforts: Operations and security should go hand in hand. If you want to reduce your IT workload, look for secure solutions that enhance cybersecurity and streamline IT workflows, rather than focusing on one at the expense of the other.
Waiting for incidents before investing in automation: Automation is great for reducing workloads, improving security, and identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities. If you wait until after a security incident before investing in automation, you’re already too late. As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and it’s very true here, as investing in automation tools is an effective use of resources to prevent even more costly disasters.
Less Manual Work, Stronger Security
You can reduce your IT workload without reducing security. With the right automation, visibility, and access control tools, you can lighten your IT team's workload while maintaining strong security across your network, devices, and accounts.
Splashtop AEM gives your IT teams the power to support, monitor, manage, and update remote endpoints across your company, with seamless automation and real-time security insights. With it, you can monitor endpoints, proactively address issues, and reduce workloads, without sacrificing security.
Splashtop AEM includes:
Automated patching for OS, third-party, and custom apps.
AI-assisted CVE-based vulnerability insights.
Customizable policy frameworks that can be enforced throughout your network.
Hardware and software inventory tracking and management across all endpoints.
Alerts and remediation to automatically resolve issues before they become problems.
Background actions to access tools like task managers and device managers without interrupting users.
Ready to keep security strong while making work easier for your IT teams? Get started with Splashtop AEM today with a free trial.
