Agentic AI in IT management: Present and future

AI is revolutionizing IT management, unlocking new levels of automation, efficiency, and intelligence. With the evolution from generative AI to agentic AI, AI has rapidly evolved, giving IT teams smarter ways to get more quality work done, faster. Unlike previous models, agentic AI doesn’t just process information; it learns, adapts, and takes independent actions based on real-time data.

With the power of agentic AI, IT teams will be able to introduce even more efficiency and productivity to their organizations. AI-powered automation and intelligence are also set to enhance security and scalability, making it easier for companies to grow and thrive. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the key applications of AI in IT management, including IT support, intelligent automation, proactive security, and resource tracking. 

AI-powered IT support

One of the most common AI in ITSM (IT service management) use cases is AI-powered IT support. This means leveraging AI tools to help with ticket resolution and user support, which ultimately leads to faster response times and happier users and customers. 

AI-driven IT service desks

Modern ITSM platforms offer AI service desk capabilities, which means that virtual AI assistants can provide real-time IT support and help with issue resolution. Ticketing and help desk services are also reaping the benefits of AI. With functions like ticket creation, categorization, and intelligent routing, these tools yield faster response times. 

AI ticketing programs can resolve some issues independently, without human intervention, and can even automate common end-user solutions. But when necessary, they can also elevate the ticket to the appropriate technician – then, the AI companion remains available to help with script writing, command line generation, and more. A real-life example is Atera’s AI Copilot tool, which is transforming IT helpdesk work with 10X faster ticket resolution and 11-13 hours saved every week for technicians.

Predictive incident management

AI tools for IT offer incredible predictive analytics that can help with decision making as well as proactive incident management. These tools analyze historical data to anticipate system failures before they occur. For example, an agentic AI threat detection system can monitor traffic for patterns of suspicious activity, such as unusual network activity or unauthorized login attempts, and flag potential security breaches before they’ve affected the network.

With intelligent monitoring that detects anomalies and prevents disruptions, integrating AI into your IT management toolbox can help you keep your IT environment safe… but we’ll dive deeper into cybersecurity in a little bit. 

Intelligent automation for IT operations

While IT automation follows predefined scripts and rules, agentic AI leverages reasoning capabilities to assess a situation, analyze context, and dynamically decide which actions to take. This presents incredible possibilities for enhanced intelligent IT automation… 

Self-healing IT systems

Agentic AI tools can autonomously detect performance issues and apply fixes in real time, without the need for human intervention. If human intervention is needed, the AI platform will elevate the request to the appropriate technician. With intelligent automation, your organization will also be able to set up automated system optimizations to prevent downtime and enhance performance.

Automated patch and update management

Every IT pro knows the importance of patch management – and the tedious nature of manually installing patches. When you integrate agentic AI into your IT environment, you can trust AI agents to implement software updates and security patches that minimize vulnerabilities. Plus, these agents can even embrace intelligent scheduling to avoid disruptions during peak hours.

Proactive Cybersecurity with AI

Expert sources like Statista and others have been reporting on the rising rates of data breaches and cybercrime, as you can see from the chart below. When you use agentic AI in ITSM, you can embrace a more proactive cybersecurity posture. 

AI-Powered threat detection and response

With continuous network monitoring, AI-powered tools can identify security breaches in real time. These tools will analyze past data to better identify and understand anomalies, making it easy for AI agents to determine when a breach is occurring – and even identify potential weaknesses and implement fixes before a breach happens. 

AI tools can now automate threat isolation, mitigation, and prevention strategies. In other words, AI can help ensure that your entire cybersecurity process from start to finish is maximally strong against malevolent actors. 

Adaptive endpoint protection

Because agentic AI remembers past actions, learns from data, and refines its approach over time, it is an excellent defense against new and emerging threats. This means that IT tools that are powered by agentic AI actually grow even more effective with continued use. 

With adaptive endpoint protection, you can ensure higher-grade security through intelligent access control and anomaly detection for every single device in your network. 

For example, an AI-driven endpoint security system can detect an unusual login attempt—such as an “employee”, which may be a bad actor using an employee’s credentials, logging in from a new location, or at an odd hour. Instead of blindly allowing access, the AI can enforce adaptive authentication, requiring additional verification or restricting access until the user’s identity is confirmed.

AI in IT asset and resource management

Much of IT asset and resource management is currently stuck in the past – and many organizations use time-consuming manual methods to track inventory and allocate resources. With AI’s predictive power and optimization abilities, you can embrace the AI digital transformation and bring your IT asset and resource management into the modern age. 

Intelligent IT inventory tracking

Agentic AI tools can monitor IT assets, predict hardware and software needs, and optimize resource allocation. These programs can determine if your organization’s investments are being used to their fullest capacities and can recognize when an asset needs to be replaced. Smart automation allows for cost-effective IT procurement and usage. 

AI-Driven cost optimization

AI tools for IT can also be used to optimize costs, saving you countless dollars in the long run. These tools identify underutilized resources, redundant software, and unnecessary expenses. Plus, they can provide intelligent recommendations for budget-friendly IT infrastructure management. Although NVIDIA reports that 15% of organizations struggle to adopt AI because of lacking an AI budget (see graphic below), they also report that investing in AI pays off. 

The future of AI in IT management

As agentic AI continues to develop, we expect to see AI tools evolving toward fully autonomous IT operations. Of course, it’s crucial to embrace AI in IT while ensuring that you practice responsible and ethical AI usage. Additionally, working to ensure that your IT team has high levels of AI literacy can help you leverage AI while maintaining the necessary oversight.

As the technology behind AI continues to advance, we believe AI will play an ever more prominent role in optimizing IT workflows. It’s crucial to embrace the AI wave in order to maintain a competitive edge in the IT industry and ensure your company’s productivity and efficiency are on par with evolving industry standards.

We also foresee that agentic AI will play a huge role in mitigating security threats and reducing the risk and severity of data breaches that damage trust, reputation, and your bottom line. 

That’s why we’ve worked hard to develop an intuitive, easy-to-use AI solution integrated into our existing architecture to bring your cybersecurity defense to the next level. Let’s explore a bit more about the ins and outs of Atera’s AI tools…  

Atera’s AI-driven IT solutions

Our AI Copilot tool offers AI ticketing, automation, and predictive analytics. Copilot helps drive ticket resolution with functions like remote session summaries, command-line generation, real-time device troubleshooting, instant ticket summaries, script generation, and knowledge base connection. When appropriate, it elevates issues to a human technician – but many tickets can be resolved without any human intervention. Our users have seen incredible success, as evidenced in our case studies. 

For instance, our customer Leeds United, a football club, uses Atera’s all-in-one, AI-powered platform to drive down costs while keeping devices secure. While they were previously relying on manual processes like spreadsheets that caused inefficiencies, they wanted to speed up their workflows and drive a more productive work environment. See below Leeds United complete feedback on Atera’s AI capabilities:

By incorporating Atera’s AI tools, they were able to reduce ticket volume by 35%, freeing up technicians to work on more complex problems. 

The Superior Court of California County of San Mateo also leverages Atera to enhance efficiency, reduce ticket resolution times, and boost remote support capabilities. Using Atera has resulted in support calls going from taking 2-3 hours, to being resolved in minutes.

Be an early adopter of agentic AI technologies for your IT management

Are you ready to redefine how you do IT? AI is changing the world of IT management, making it more autonomous, intelligent, and proactive. While agentic AI is still a developing technology, one thing is clear: Organizations that embrace AI-driven IT solutions will gain a competitive edge in efficiency and security. With Atera, you can do just that. 

Leverage Atera’s agentic AI solutions to see how efficient your IT department can be. Start your 30-day free trial today, with no credit card required.