What is workflow automation? 

The more an organization can focus its knowledge workers on novel, creative, and high-value work, the more value it can deliver. This simple idea crystallizes the importance of workflow automation in value delivery. 

Workflow automation uses software to execute tasks and processes without human interaction. Applying workflow automation to use cases such as approval hierarchies, compliance checks, or data validation enhances their effectiveness. Applying workflow automation to repeatable tasks increases throughput, reduces human error, and ensures consistency in business operations.

As tedious but essential tasks are automated, departments can free up professionals to focus on higher-value, strategic initiatives and functions. This is particularly true in the rapidly evolving world of cybersecurity, where organizations are forced to continuously adapt to new techniques implemented by threat actors. 

Of course, automation for automation’s sake doesn’t deliver value. Effective automation requires human oversight and strategy to implement. In this article, we’ll explore workflow automation — its core concepts, benefits, and implementation challenges as well as its critical role in enhancing cybersecurity operations.

Core concepts of workflow automation

Though specific implementations of workflow automation will vary widely across industries, organizations, and teams, there are several fundamental concepts that apply across the board. To begin our deep dive into workflow automation, let’s consider three core concepts. 

Tasks vs. processes

A workflow automation can be categorized as either a task automation or a process automation. The table below summarizes the differences between the two.

Triggers and actions

Triggers and actions are the building blocks of workflow automations. A trigger is an event that begins an automated workflow (e.g., a customer places an order). An action is a task or process that is initiated when a trigger occurs (e.g., an email confirmation is automatically sent to the customer with an order number). 

Tools and technologies

A variety of tools and technologies facilitate workflow automation. Cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) platforms like Zapier simplify workflows by connecting different applications. Their scalability and user-friendly interfaces, often employing no-code or low-code approaches, empower teams without technical expertise to build and optimize automated processes efficiently.

Other technologies are more targeted for specific fields or disciplines. This includes software development automation tools like Jenkins or SaaS robotic process automation (RPA) tools like UiPath, which provide extended functionality through plugins or integrations to meet specific project or business requirements.

What are the benefits of workflow automation?

Workflow automation provides cybersecurity teams and the broader organization with benefits such as:

• Increased efficiency: Reduces the time required for complex processes from hours to minutes, with minimal human intervention. For example, this might include automating invoice processing to shorten multi-step approval workflows from days to hours, enabling faster responses to business demands.
• Consistency and accuracy: Predefined rules allow tasks to be executed with identical precision every time. This could be particularly relevant for industries like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, where precision is critical. Additionally, automating processes simplifies auditing by providing clear, traceable records of changes and their effects.
• Scalability: Flexibility to handle fluctuating traffic by automatically scaling out workloads that can handle the increased traffic. Once traffic is normalized, automation can scale in workloads to ensure optimal resource utilization and cost efficiency.
• Enhanced employee productivity: Employees are free to redirect their focus to strategic and creative initiatives that drive innovation and growth, boosting employee productivity and increasing job satisfaction.

What types of workflows can be automated?

Most work domains can benefit from workflow automation. Below is a table that includes just some of the automations that can enhance efficiency and reliability:

Common challenges in implementing workflow automation

Workflow automation offers significant benefits, but implementing and maintaining it can be challenging. Organizations must first determine which workflows to automate, communicating clearly to prepare employees for incoming changes while keeping everything secure and updated.

Understanding and defining scope

When establishing a workflow automation plan, organizations should:

• Identify tasks suitable for automation and avoid complex tasks without clear steps or relying heavily on human judgment
• Gain a clear understanding of workflows to identify processes where automation can provide the most value or highest ROI 
• Identify repetitive, rule-based processes that can benefit from automation without compromising quality

Automating the wrong thing can be worse than sticking with a manual process. For example, automating a customer service workflow that requires personalized responses could result in generic communication, harming customer satisfaction.

Change management

The introduction of automation will affect how teams operate. Without proper planning, moving toward greater automation could be met with resistance. Clear communication, effective training, and well-defined expectations are critical to fostering a culture that embraces automation as an enabler of more strategic and creative work.

Complexity and cost

Consider the costs associated with workflow automation. These can include upfront costs such as:

• Software licenses
• Infrastructure upgrades
• Employee training

Additionally, workflows that involve complex steps, dependencies, and conditional logic often require custom development or significant configuration to accommodate the business needs of the organization. 

Maintenance and updates

Automated workflows often rely on integrations between multiple tools and platforms, which require: 

• Maintenance and update management for any related systems, this might include API changes, software upgrades, or deprecations 
• Regular auditing for security standards — for example, an automated data monitoring process needs to be regularly reviewed and updated to comply with data protection laws like the GDPR or CCPA

Four strategic best practices for implementing workflow automation in cybersecurity 

To successfully implement workflow automation, it's important to follow strategic best practices that ensure a smooth transition and maximum impact. The practices below can help cybersecurity teams rack up automation wins, build momentum, and gain organizational buy-in to scale automation initiatives further. 

#1: Start small

Begin by applying automation to simple, well-defined processes. Teams can familiarize themselves with the tools, resolve initial challenges, and demonstrate the benefits of automation before scaling up to more complex workflows. 

#2: Involve stakeholders

Collaboration with team members and stakeholders in the early stages ensures alignment while presenting opportunities to address concerns and fill in the knowledge gaps between teams. Incorporating feedback from different teams fosters mature solutions that meet real business needs.

#3: Focus on ROI

Prioritize the tasks that deliver the most value, such as high-frequency, time-intensive tasks or those with high human error rates.  

#4: Monitor and optimize

Workflow automation isn’t always a “set it and forget it” solution and may require ongoing attention. Monitoring and optimization steps may include:

• Continuous review to ensure workflow automations meet performance and security standards
• Defining success metrics to evaluate automation effectiveness and relevance over time
• Collecting logs and metrics from different sources in real time using log management and observability tools like CrowdStrike® Falcon LogScale™

Leveraging workflow automation in cybersecurity

Workflow automation has emerged as a critical aspect of cybersecurity operations. Automation reduces response time by enabling teams to detect and respond to threats in real time, minimizing the window of exposure to potential attacks. Automating routine tasks, such as log analysis or initial threat classification, helps eliminate manual errors, which can lead to missed threats or false positives.

Teams must also address the security posture of the workflow automations they implement. For example, robust security controls — such as role-based access control (RBAC) and regular audits — must be in place to prevent vulnerabilities in automated workflows.

Security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) platforms like CrowdStrike Falcon® Fusion SOAR leverage workflow automation to handle security incidents. This orchestration ensures faster, more consistent responses to incidents, mitigating risks effectively. With Falcon Fusion SOAR, organizations can elevate their performance with a scalable solution for modern security operations centers (SOCs).

To learn more about the CrowdStrike Falcon® platform, try the platform free for 15 days. See firsthand how you can stop breaches, improve compliance, and address any security challenges you face.