Time is the most valuable currency in IT

How automation and consolidation translates directly into productivity, speed, and agility

Voices

Dermot McCann, Kaseya

In association with Kaseya

As IT teams now quantify time as the new return on investment (ROI), Dermot McCann, executive vice president & general manager, Kaseya: International, outlines how automation and consolidation translates directly into productivity, speed, and agility.

In today’s world, time is the new ROI for IT teams. How can leaders quantify and communicate that value back to the wider business?

Time has become the most valuable currency in IT. Every minute spent managing tools, patching systems, or resolving repeat tickets is time that could be redirected toward innovation and growth.

Progressive IT leaders are reframing ROI, not just in terms of cost reduction, but in terms of time reinvestment. The ability to automate repetitive work and consolidate fragmented systems translates directly into productivity, speed, and agility.

When IT teams can demonstrate measurable outcomes, that leads to fewer tickets per technician, faster remediation, less context switching. It becomes clear that automation isn’t just improving efficiency; it’s strengthening the organisation’s ability to move faster and stay secure.

With platforms like Kaseya 365, leaders can quantify this impact in hours saved and projects accelerated – clear proof that time saved is value created.

Many IT teams struggle with tool sprawl and alert fatigue. What practical steps can help reduce those inefficiencies without sacrificing visibility and control?

Tool sprawl has become a silent drain on performance. Over time, IT environments accumulate multiple point solutions each useful in isolation but collectively adding complexity, cost, and cognitive load.

The first step is honest assessment: identify overlaps, underused tools, and unnecessary integrations. From there, the focus should shift to platform consolidation unifying critical functions like endpoint management, patching, backup, and monitoring under a single, cohesive framework.

That’s what Kaseya 365 was built for. By simplifying workflows and automating low-value alerts, teams can cut through the noise and focus on what matters: protecting systems, maintaining uptime, and driving improvement.

The result is tangible. Partners who consolidate see measurable reductions in technical workload and faster response times. Simplification doesn’t mean less visibility, it means smarter visibility, delivered through a single pane of glass.

Automation is a big theme in Kaseya’s strategy, from patching to compliance to backups. Where do you see automation delivering the biggest time savings in 2026?

In 2026, automation will define the operational maturity of internal IT. The most immediate gains will continue to come from patching, compliance, threat detection, and endpoint maintenance, areas where repetitive manual work can be fully automated with policy-based controls.

What’s changing is the depth of integration. With Kaseya 365, automation now connects decisions across tools: detecting an issue, applying the patch, verifying backup integrity, and reporting compliance all without human intervention.

For lean IT teams, that’s transformational. It eliminates task repetition, reduces error risk, and frees hundreds of technician hours each quarter. More importantly, it enables IT to shift from reactive support to proactive value creation.

Looking ahead, the next leap in automation will come from digital workers, intelligent, autonomous agents capable of taking action across systems, not just executing scripts. This evolution, powered by Agentic AI, will transform how IT teams operate. Instead of simply automating tasks, digital workers will learn from patterns, prioritise based on business context, and coordinate actions across multiple tools in real time.

Imagine an environment where an AI agent identifies a vulnerability, validates impact, applies the patch, verifies compliance, and updates reporting all autonomously. That’s where automation shifts from operational support to operational intelligence, fundamentally redefining productivity and the role of IT professionals in 2026 and beyond.

Kaseya 365 Endpoint was designed to simplify endpoint management. How does it specifically help IT teams save time compared to more traditional endpoint solutions?

Traditional endpoint management forces teams to juggle multiple systems, one for AV, another for backup, and another for monitoring. That fragmentation slows down delivery and creates friction at every turn.

Kaseya 365 Endpoint replaces that patchwork with a unified solution that covers all critical endpoint functions; security, patching, ransomware protection, monitoring, and backup managed through a single interface.

The operational impact is significant: automation completes tasks in minutes that once took hours, and organisations consistently report double-digit improvements in technician productivity. It also scales cleanly across locations and user bases, providing centralised control without sacrificing flexibility.

Ultimately, simplification is about speed, security, and scalability, the fundamentals of modern IT management.

Many companies now operate with a hybrid or fully remote workforce. How does Kaseya 365 Endpoint address the challenges of securing and managing devices in that environment?

The hybrid model has permanently redefined how IT operates. Devices now sit beyond traditional perimeters, making visibility and control more critical than ever.

Kaseya 365 Endpoint is built for that reality. Its cloud-native architecture gives IT teams the ability to monitor, patch, and secure every device, anywhere; without dependence on VPNs or on-site access.

Automated policies enforce consistent security standards across environments, and continuous monitoring detects anomalies early, triggering instant remediation. The result is a unified security posture, regardless of geography.

For IT leaders, this means fewer blind spots, faster response, and greater confidence in the resilience of their distributed workforce. Across every conversation I have with IT leaders – from London to Sydney to Johannesburg – the message is the same: time is the one resource no one can afford to waste.

Our mission is to give that time back. By consolidating tools, automating manual work, and simplifying the way IT operates, we enable teams to focus on innovation, security, and growth.

Kaseya 365 Endpoint brings that philosophy to life. It unifies patching, security, backup, and monitoring into one platform, reducing complexity and amplifying results.

Because in the end, the real return on investment isn’t measured only in cost savings. It’s measured in the time and capacity IT leaders gain to build the future.