March 2021 Summaries

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are increasingly being integrated into daily tasks and IT operations, contributing to the evolution of AIOps—Artificial Intelligence in IT Operations. AIOps incorporates big data and machine learning to automate processes like event correlation, anomaly detection, and causality determination, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and reliability of IT services. Key trends for AIOps in 2021 include the development of multi-purpose tools capable of handling diverse data types, faster incident response times through automated root cause analysis, increased reliance on AI for remote work adjustments, improved security and IT integration, and automated remediation of incidents. These advancements allow IT teams to focus on innovation and user experience, meeting the growing demands of a digital-first world while reducing operational costs and enhancing service delivery.

PagerDuty has introduced Change Impact Mapping to assist DevOps teams in identifying and responding to changes in digital systems that could lead to incidents. This tool provides real-time, contextual information by integrating change events from CI/CD pipelines and code repositories, offering complete visibility into changes and their potential impacts. Partnerships with tools like GitHub, GitLab, Evolven, Ansible, Buildkite, JFrog, and Jenkins allow PagerDuty to ingest change events, providing contextual data to help teams quickly identify and address issues. By mapping events to PagerDuty services, teams can efficiently track and respond to changes, improving incident management and prevention.

PagerDuty launched its first training webinar, PagerDuty 101, to help new users quickly understand and configure the platform to suit their team’s needs, covering essential functions like adding users, schedules, and escalation policies. As technical complexities increased, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company recognized the need for users to adopt best practices to fully leverage the platform's capabilities in automating incident responses and facilitating seamless information sharing. To address the knowledge gap and ensure efficient setup, PagerDuty introduced a new webinar series, PagerDuty 201, which aims to educate users on advanced functionalities and best practices, including setting up Technical and Business Services, exploring extensive API functionality, and conducting blameless postmortems. These webinars, along with ongoing resources like e-learning courses and support knowledge bases, are designed to enhance users' proficiency and maximize their investment in the platform.

In a year marked by significant global challenges, PagerDuty has reinforced its commitment to social impact through its dedicated arm, PagerDuty.org, focusing on advancing justice and health by leveraging their technical platform, grant funding, and employee involvement. Their inaugural social impact report highlights the organization's efforts, including supporting 255 social impact customers with technology services, providing over $1.1 million in grants to 418 organizations, and encouraging 93% of employees to engage in volunteering and financial donations. The report emphasizes transparency and concrete action, showcasing initiatives like the Civic Engagement and Social Justice toolkits, strategic grantmaking, and efforts to drive voter registration. PagerDuty plans to expand its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) program, aiming to foster cross-sector partnerships to address emerging needs in health, equity, and climate, maintaining a focus on transparency and collaboration with partners and grantees.

Australia faces a significant challenge in retaining female talent in the STEM fields, with many girls opting out as early as six years old due to a lack of female role models and understanding of STEM careers. Addressing this issue, PagerDuty has partnered with the Tech Girls Movement Foundation to support their annual Techgirls Competition, which aims to transform girls' perceptions of STEM by engaging them in problem-solving through social, business, and technical perspectives. This initiative includes creating business plans, pitch videos, and app prototypes by girls aged seven to 17, with support from female mentors to foster skills, confidence, and teamwork. PagerDuty, a global digital operations management platform, aligns its support with the competition through volunteering and mentorship, emphasizing the importance of digital skills for future technology innovators in Australia. This initiative coincides with Australia's governmental investment in enhancing STEM education among young learners and is particularly timely as it aligns with Women's History Month and International Women's Day, highlighting the importance of gender equity in STEM.

DevSecOps is a cultural and technological approach that integrates security into every phase of the DevOps cycle, fostering collaboration between development, operations, and security teams, similar to what DevOps achieved for development and operations. The practice emphasizes the importance of "shifting left," meaning security considerations are incorporated early in the software development lifecycle, starting from the design phase to minimize vulnerabilities and reduce costs associated with later-stage fixes. A key aspect of DevSecOps is building cross-functional empathy, encouraging team members from different disciplines to understand each other's challenges by engaging in activities like threat modeling and taking ownership of services in production. This collaborative culture is further enhanced by creating engaging and trust-building security training, which avoids punitive measures and instead focuses on boosting awareness and interest through interactive and customized content. The overarching objective is to cultivate an environment where security is intrinsic to the development process, ensuring that all teams are aligned and equipped to manage potential threats effectively.

Businesses are grappling with the challenge of meeting customer expectations in an increasingly competitive market, where failure to deliver an excellent customer experience (CX) can result in losing customers. Companies like Telefonica and Sterling Bank are leveraging artificial intelligence to transform customer service, significantly reducing call abandonment and the number of incoming calls by utilizing advanced digital customer service agents. The importance of personalization and relevance in loyalty programs is highlighted by Club Rakuten's multi-brand approach, which aims to enhance customer engagement by offering generous rewards. Despite the rise in online shopping post-COVID-19, UK marketers lag in adopting advanced technologies due to a shortage of AI and machine learning skills, with TSB exemplifying a proactive approach by digitalizing operations. Proper management of online reviews is crucial, as consumer trust in reviews impacts brand image, yet many businesses still track them manually. The Brand Resilience Index by Kin + Carta Connect reveals a neglect of humanity in business strategies, emphasizing the need for emotional connections with customers, while noting that many businesses have adapted well in terms of agility amidst the pandemic.

Amidst the accelerating trend of digital transformation, businesses across various industries are leveraging PagerDuty to enhance their digital operations and ensure seamless customer experiences. The platform is invaluable not only to companies with complex digital infrastructures but also to any organization with a digital presence, providing tools that manage digital operations effectively. Examples include 1-Stop Connections in logistics, which uses PagerDuty to address supply chain inefficiencies, and Human Services Center in mental health services, which ensures its hotline is operational 24/7 with the help of PagerDuty's call routing and escalation policies. A real estate law firm utilizes the platform to maintain client services amid remote work, while a solar energy company relies on it to keep its energy forecasting API functional. Additionally, a student safety company employs PagerDuty to ensure its AI-driven monitoring system is always operational, safeguarding students from harmful online content. These use cases underscore PagerDuty's role in fostering cross-team collaboration, maintaining service reliability, and enabling businesses to adapt to a digital-first world.

PagerDuty has announced a series of updates and enhancements aimed at refining its platform's capabilities to support cloud migration, improve customer service, and streamline collaboration and communication. Key updates include advancements in AIOps and machine learning to optimize issue resolution, features like Suggested Technical Service Dependencies for dependency mapping, and Content-Based Alert Grouping for better alert management. The platform now supports Automated Triggers for incident resolution and Change Impact Mapping with new integrations such as Ansible, GitLab, and Jenkins, enhancing visibility and understanding of change impacts. Additionally, the Audit Trail Reporting UI offers enhanced compliance and operational visibility, while new integrations with Microsoft Teams and AWS aim to bolster incident management and cloud migration efforts. The mobile app has also been improved to ensure seamless user experiences across iOS and Android devices, and a new version of the Zendesk integration enhances communication between engineering and support teams. These updates are part of PagerDuty's ongoing efforts to provide flexible, efficient, and real-time solutions for modern work environments.

Burnout in the workplace, officially classified as an "occupational phenomenon" by the World Health Organization, is increasingly scrutinized as remote work becomes more prevalent, affecting up to 18% of the general working population and significantly higher percentages in the caring and mental health professions. Factors contributing to burnout include the emotional investment in work, sedentary lifestyles, lack of autonomy, unclear job roles, and toxic workplace cultures. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues, with many employees experiencing unprecedented fatigue. Solutions proposed include training managers to recognize and address burnout symptoms, promoting positive leadership role models, encouraging work-life boundaries, and offering stress-relief perks like gym memberships. Creating a supportive community and fostering social connections are emphasized as crucial preventive measures.

PagerDuty's Employee Resource Group, Array, celebrated Black History Month by focusing on "Black Futures Month: Excellence, Resilience, and Equity," emphasizing the need to change the narrative by elevating Black voices within the organization and broader community. The month featured a moderated Black Leadership panel with board members Dr. Alec Gallimore and Bonita C. Stewart, who discussed leadership, allyship, and building character. The initiative included the creation of a Black Futures Month Yearbook to spotlight Black and Latinx talent, collaborative events with other tech companies, and community outreach to schools. Array also launched a Reverse Mentorship Program to foster mutual growth between senior leaders and Black and Brown employees. The celebration further included cultural experiences with Black-owned businesses and artists, promoting a future where excellence is celebrated and equity is measured, aiming to leave a lasting legacy that advances the Black community.

International Women's Day holds significant importance for PagerDuty, as the company seeks to address gender inequality, promote gender parity, and celebrate women's achievements, particularly in the technology and DevOps fields where women are underrepresented. To reinforce its commitment to gender diversity, PagerDuty is hosting a virtual event titled 'Women in DevOps: 2021 Priorities' on March 9, featuring discussions led by eight female leaders, including CEO Jennifer Tejada, on topics such as diversity in DevOps, remote education, and strategies for increasing female representation. The event aims to inspire change by highlighting the achievements of women, exploring challenges they face in entering and thriving in DevOps, and discussing the future role of women in this sector. Through initiatives like its Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity report, PagerDuty emphasizes transparency and sets a vision for a more inclusive future, encouraging a global conversation on diversity, equality, and the vital contributions of women in technology.

IDC's research on PagerDuty customers reveals substantial benefits from using the platform, including an average annual benefit of $3.48 million, a three-year ROI of 795%, and a payback period of just over two months. Interviews with 14 organizations, averaging 22,700 employees and responsible for over 190 business applications, highlighted enhanced productivity, improved incident management, and reduced operational costs as key advantages. Customers shared experiences of faster incident resolution, with some noting that resolving a major incident swiftly could recoup PagerDuty's costs in a single event. Automation was frequently cited as a significant benefit, reducing manual labor and enabling self-healing of incidents, ultimately leading to improved customer satisfaction and better IT metrics. The findings suggest that PagerDuty's platform optimizes digital operations management, as further detailed in the IDC Business Value White Paper.