What is an Automated Action?
An automated action is a pre-defined operation carried out by an application, software, or device without requiring direct human intervention. Commonly, automated actions are activated by predetermined rules or events. Automated actions are most often controlled by a workflow, automation platform, or a script that executes on a defined event from a user.
An example of automated actions could be blocking a suspicious IP address in IT system management or in IT Service Management, restarting an application if it halts. The benefit of automated actions is the consistency, which effectively allows routine tasks to be completed without continual human intervention.
What are some examples of automated actions?
Automated actions exist across many domains:
- IT & Security: Automatically applying security patches to endpoints, quarantining malware, or triggering a backup when storage thresholds are reached. For instance, a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system can automatically disable a compromised user account once unusual login patterns are detected.
- Business Operations: When a customer completes a payment online, the system can immediately issue a receipt, trigger a shipping workflow, and update inventory levels — without human involvement.
- Smart Devices & IoT: A thermostat that lowers the temperature when no one is home, or smart lighting that turns off at sunrise, are examples of rule-based automated actions.
- Cloud Services: In AWS, automated actions can be tied to CloudWatch alarms. For example, scaling up EC2 instances when CPU usage stays above 70% for 5 minutes.
What are the benefits of using automated actions?
The benefits of automated actions apply to both operational and strategic:
- Efficiency & Scalability: Automated actions can perform tasks much faster than humans and can execute simultaneous actions across thousands of devices or processes. For instance, to apply configuration changes to 10,000 servers, using a script would take minutes instead of days of actual work from humans.
- Consistency & Accuracy: Automated actions generate effective outcomes based on pre-written rules, which lowers the possibility of human error. This is extremely important in sectors like finance, healthcare, or security, where human error could lead to debilitating consequences.
- Real-Time Action: Automated actions respond to triggers as soon as they are created. An organization may decide to implement automated actions on infrastructure buttons that may need to respond quickly to an ongoing attack, such as blocking a DDoS attack in real-time.
- Cost Savings: An organizational cost savings typically happens when automated actions help limit the amount of manual effort involved in an operational function. Effectively limiting manual efforts saves on hourly labor costs as well as downtime.
Are automated actions secure?
Automated actions can be secure, but their security really depends on how they are designed and governed. Poorly designed automations, such as scripts with hardcoded credentials or overly broad permissions, can create vulnerabilities. For example, if an organization implements an automated action rule that will automatically delete any “inactive” account, it can easily eliminate valid users and/or system accounts with no validation.