How to Convince Your IT Department to Implement Applications and Automation in the Organization

Process automation and the deployment of modern applications are currently among the key drivers of organizational growth. Based on my experience—in projects for both large corporations and mid-sized companies in Poland—well-planned implementations can boost team efficiency by up to several dozen percent, reduce operational costs, and shorten task completion times. In a conversation with the HR department of a manufacturing company, I learned that automating their employee onboarding saved them over 40 hours of work per month. Similarly, the management board of a service company with dozens of office workers highlighted that deploying a leave-request application within Microsoft Teams reduced their email volume by 70%.

Despite these tangible benefits, many organizations face resistance—most frequently from IT departments. This is a natural reaction, as teams responsible for infrastructure and security are wary of the risks tied to new solutions. When speaking with CIOs in Polish companies, I often hear: "How do we ensure compliance with security policies?" or "Who has access to our company data?" These concerns are entirely justified. Therefore, the key is to understand the IT perspective and prepare arguments demonstrating that automation can be secure, compliant with regulations, and aligned with business objectives.

In this article, I will share proven strategies on how to convince your IT department to embrace automation and new applications. I will draw on real-world case studies, practical arguments that actually work, and best practices from projects executed in Poland.

Why Automation and New Applications are Crucial for Company Growth

Automating business processes and deploying new applications is an investment that can bring immense benefits to organizations. Specifically, it allows them to:

• Boost efficiency – Automating repetitive tasks enables employees to focus on more strategic activities, thereby increasing overall productivity.
• Save time – Automated processes save countless hours of manual work.
• Reduce errors – Automation minimizes the risk of human error, which is particularly critical in industries where precision and regulatory compliance are essential.
• Increase competitiveness – Companies that adopt modern technologies can react more swiftly to market changes and deliver services that are better tailored to customer needs.
• Enhance security – Automation applications often offer advanced security features, such as automatic updates, continuous monitoring, and data encryption, which provide better protection for company assets.

For these reasons, implementing new applications and automation is absolutely essential for organizational growth.

Typical IT Department Concerns Regarding Automation and New Applications

The IT department in every organization aims to ensure system stability, security, and compliance. Because of this, new applications and automation processes can naturally raise certain concerns:

• Data security – New applications can introduce vulnerabilities into security systems, and the IT department often worries that they might expose the company to cyberattacks.
• Compliance with IT policies – IT may fear that new applications will conflict with existing security policies, potentially leading to issues during audits or regulatory inspections.
• Implementation and support costs – New technologies entail costs for deployment, employee training, and ongoing technical support, which can strain the IT budget.
• Integration complexity – Integrating new tools with the existing IT infrastructure can be difficult and time-consuming. IT naturally worries that this process will introduce unnecessary complications.
• Permissions and role management – Introducing new applications requires granular management of access rights and user roles to avoid violating security policy principles.

Understanding these concerns is the first critical step toward successfully persuading IT to embrace process automation and the deployment of solutions like Microsoft Copilot within the company.

How to Formulate Arguments to Convince IT

1. Gathering Data and Needs Analysis

• Identify specific processes that can be automated. Presenting a concrete number of hours that will be saved through automation can strongly help justify the implementation.
• Industry case studies – Showcasing examples of companies that have successfully adopted automation and new applications can help dispel IT's doubts.
• Impact on security – If new applications, such as OneDrive or SharePoint, are ultimately intended to improve the security of file sharing within the organization, it is worth presenting exactly how this change will protect the company from threats.
• ROI (Return on Investment) – Presenting a cost-benefit analysis of deploying new applications will help justify the investment. Highlight how automation can generate savings (e.g., by reducing labor costs, eliminating human error, or increasing overall efficiency).

2. Identifying Risks and Mitigation Strategies

When speaking with the IT department, it is crucial not only to highlight the benefits but also to take a realistic approach to the risks associated with deploying new tools.

• Risk 1: Integration complexity – To mitigate this issue, you can propose a phased rollout, starting with a limited scope, such as a pilot program in a specific department.
• Risk 2: Data security – Proposing tools that offer built-in features like data encryption or two-factor authentication (2FA) can alleviate security concerns.
• Risk 3: Compliance with IT policies – You can suggest conducting a thorough security audit prior to the application's deployment to verify its strict compliance with existing IT policies.

3. Aligning Arguments with Business Goals and Security

Emphasizing how automation and new applications align with broader organizational goals—such as increasing efficiency, shortening response times to market changes, or improving competitiveness—will help justify the decision to implement the technology. Additionally, it is highly effective to note that deploying new tools can actually support compliance with security policies by ensuring the applications meet industry-specific requirements.

• Show how process automation directly impacts the achievement of company goals (e.g., faster customer service, reduction of errors).
• Emphasize that better control over processes also translates to enhanced security and regulatory compliance.
• Point out how new AI tools in the workplace, such as Microsoft Copilot, can actively support security and boost productivity without forcing the IT department to make compromises.

Who to Talk To and How to Prepare Your Communication

In the process of convincing the IT department to implement automation, engaging the right people is crucial. Here are the key stakeholder groups you should talk to:

• The IT Department – Responsible for the technical side of the deployment. It is worth focusing on technical aspects, integration with existing infrastructure, security, and compliance.
• The Security Department – Security specialists will be responsible for assessing the risks associated with new tools and their compliance with security policies. Application vendors provide extensive security documentation for various scenarios. For instance, Microsoft has created a dedicated website focused entirely on security. You can find it here: Microsoft Trust Center. On this site, you can verify all compliances and certificates.
• Managers and Business Leaders – It is vital for the board or operational department leaders to support the implementation by demonstrating how automation supports the organization's goals.
• The Compliance Department – Verifies whether the new solutions comply with legal regulations such as GDPR, PCI DSS, or other industry-specific requirements.

Common Questions from the Management Board

Here are the most common questions raised by the management board. It is highly recommended to prepare for them in advance:

• What problem are we solving? Does the deployment address real needs, or is it just a passing trend?
• What business goals does the tool support? Will it improve efficiency, shorten response times, or increase competitiveness?
• What KPIs will we measure to evaluate the success of the implementation?
• What is the total cost of deployment? (This includes not just licenses, but also integration, training, and maintenance).
• Data security – does the tool provide encryption and MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)?
• Compliance with IT policies and regulations (e.g., GDPR) – is a security audit planned?
• Does the vendor hold security and compliance certificates?
• Do we have a change management strategy? How will we prepare employees for the new tool?
• Are the business processes well-documented and ready for automation? A lack of standardization can hinder deployment.
• Does the team understand why we are implementing the system? How are we communicating the benefits?
• Is the tool compatible with our IT architecture? What does integration with current systems look like?
• Is the solution scalable and flexible? Does it support the company's future growth plans?
• What will the permissions management model look like? Do we have a plan for controlling roles and access?
• What post-deployment support does the vendor provide?
• What are the contingency plans in case the deployment fails?

Building trust relies on a partnership approach and showing that we share a common goal: the company's growth while maintaining high IT standards.

Testing and Deployment: Step by Step

How to test integrations and Microsoft tools?Testing new applications before full deployment is a critical step that helps avoid problems. Companies using Microsoft technologies can leverage test environments, such as Azure DevTest Labs, sandboxes, or conduct pilot programs to test applications on a small, controlled scale.

How to showcase test results?It is important to present test results in the form of reports, demos, or case studies that demonstrate the tangible benefits of the deployment. You can also prepare prototypes to show how the application works under real-world conditions.

How to roll out solutions gradually?Deploying new applications should be done in phases. You can start with a pilot in a single department and, following positive results, proceed to a full rollout. This minimizes risk and allows the IT department to adapt to the new solutions more easily.

Permissions and Security

When deploying new applications, special attention must be paid to access and role management. A detailed access management plan must be created, strictly aligning with the company's security policies.

How to ensure compliance with IT policies?Before deploying any tools, it is crucial to verify that they comply with internal IT policies, both in terms of security and integration with existing infrastructure.

• This approach minimizes risks and allows IT to maintain control over changes.
• Remember that you can only convince IT if security is prioritized from the very beginning of the project.

Process Automation with AI: How to Securely Deploy Copilot in Your Company

Introducing AI-based tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, requires special attention. It is critical that these tools are properly configured, ensuring data control and compliance with security policies.

• Choose AI tools from trusted vendors that meet IT security requirements.
• Provide IT with detailed information about the architecture, data processing methods, and compliance certificates.
• Propose a pilot deployment of Copilot for a specific process—with full monitoring of the results.
• Emphasize that Copilot can relieve the IT department by automating repetitive tasks without interfering with critical systems.

Summary

• Gather data and prepare arguments tied directly to business goals and security.
• Engage key IT and business stakeholders, focusing on partnership-based communication.
• Propose testing integrations in a sandbox environment and running pilot programs.
• Prioritize permissions management and compliance with IT policies.
• Deploy AI and Copilot in a controlled and transparent manner.

If you want to successfully convince IT to automate processes and deploy modern applications, focus on open communication, reliable data, and the gradual testing of integrations and deployments.