The role of automation has never been more critical. In the third episode of XOAP’s Cloud Meets Hybrid | Automation Talks podcast, Mathias Kowalkowski from SVA joined Mario Istuk to discuss the evolution of IT automation—what’s improved, what remains painfully unchanged and where things are heading.
Here are the key insights:
Automation isn't keeping pace
Despite years of buzz and innovation, many organizations still treat automation as an afterthought—especially in workplace environments. Mathias pointed out a common pattern: legacy tools originally built for on-premises use are being force-fit into cloud environments. This “lift and shift” mindset leads to bloated complexity, with infrastructure duplicated unnecessarily in the cloud.
| You’re forcing yourself to use the old solution that’s probably not adaptable to the cloud.
Instead of rethinking their approach, many teams double down on outdated methods, compounding inefficiencies.
Hybrid IT is the new norm
We’re now well past the cloud-only hype. The reality is hybrid. Workloads are distributed between on-prem and various cloud environments, and automation must be able to span across them seamlessly.
| Automation has to adapt to different environments, because you probably don’t want to repeat yourself.
A consistent, scalable automation framework that operates across hybrid environments is no longer optional—it’s table stakes.
Automation Talks #03
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Workplace automation: stuck in the past
From manual image builds to scattered PowerShell scripts, workplace automation is one of the most neglected areas in enterprise IT.
Mathias highlighted that many IT teams still build master images by hand, and updates are often reactive—triggered by zero-day patches or application issues. The result? Fragile, inconsistent systems and major time sinks.
| You can’t rebuild consistently by hand.
A CI/CD-style pipeline for workplace management is essential. The pace of OS updates (e.g., Windows feature updates) and app changes demands an agile, repeatable and testable approach to automation.
The real barriers: fear, complexity and misconceptions
Interestingly, the biggest hurdle isn’t always lack of expertise—it’s fear. Fear of complexity, steep learning curves and failed implementations.
| The fear of automation and the complexity of automation is still real.
But this fear is increasingly unfounded. Modern tools—like SaaS-based deployment solutions, standardized scripting frameworks (e.g., PowerShell Application Deployment Toolkit) and pre-packaged app catalogs—have dramatically lowered the entry barrier.
Strategic starting points for Q3/Q4 2025
For teams aiming to modernize their workplace automation strategy, Mathias suggests a few clear first steps:
• Adopt standardized frameworks like PSADT for app packaging.
• Leverage SaaS-based automation platforms to reduce infrastructure complexity.
• Utilize curated application catalogs to speed up and stabilize deployments.
• Embrace modular, scalable approaches—think CI/CD pipelines applied to endpoint management.
These are no longer “nice to haves” but strategic necessities for keeping pace with vendor update cycles and ensuring user experience doesn’t suffer.
Cloud Meets Hybrid | Automation Talks is a podcast by XOAP on infrastructure automation, the future of IT, and emerging technologies, hosted by Mario Istuk. Watch it on YouTube or follow on Spotify for an audio version.
🎧 Latest full-length episodes featuring expert guests:
- What’s changed in IT automation… and what has not? With Mathias Kowalkowski (SVA)
- How to approach security compliance automation? With Norbert Ponak (Clourity)
- Cloud-only has failed. How to get hybrid IT right? With Sinisa Sokolic (XOAP)
Featured image by slidesgo on Freepik
