IT Support Automation Playbook: 12 Workflows to Automate First

1. Password Reset Self-Service

Password resets are the single highest-volume, lowest-complexity ticket category in every IT department. A self-service portal with MFA verification (authenticator app, SMS, or security questions) eliminates 80-95% of password tickets. Implementation requires Active Directory integration and an identity verification flow.

Prerequisites: MFA deployed to users, AD/Entra ID accessible via API

2. Automatic Ticket Classification and Routing

Every ticket that a human reads, categorizes, and assigns to the right queue is time that could be automated. AI-based classification reads the ticket subject and body, assigns a category and priority, and routes it to the correct team. Accuracy rates of 85-92% are achievable with modern NLP models trained on your historical ticket data.

Prerequisites: 6+ months of categorized ticket history, IT service platform with API

3. New Employee Onboarding Provisioning

Automate the creation of AD accounts, email mailboxes, group memberships, and software license assignments based on department and role. Triggered by HR system (when a new hire record is created) or by a structured request form. Reduces onboarding from 2-4 hours of technician time to 5 minutes of verification.

Prerequisites: HR system with API or webhook, standardized role-to-permission mapping

4. Software Installation Requests

Build a self-service software catalog where users request pre-approved applications. Approved requests trigger automated deployment via SCCM, Intune, or Munki. Unapproved software routes to a manager for approval before deployment. Eliminates the back-and-forth of manual software requests.

Prerequisites: Software deployment tool (SCCM/Intune/Munki), approved software list

5. VPN and Network Access Requests

Automate VPN account creation, network group assignment, and firewall rule requests through a structured form with manager approval. Once approved, the system provisions access automatically. Deprovisioning triggers on employee offboarding.

Prerequisites: VPN/NAC system with API, manager approval workflow

6. Certificate Expiry Monitoring and Renewal

Automated scanning of SSL/TLS certificates across all domains and internal services. Alerts at 90, 60, and 30 days before expiry. Auto-renewal for certificates managed through ACME-compatible CAs. The ROI calculation understates the value because it does not include the cost of outages caused by expired certificates.

Prerequisites: Certificate inventory, DNS access, ACME-compatible CA for auto-renewal

7. Hardware Replacement Workflow

When a hardware asset reaches end-of-life or a user reports a failure, automate the replacement process: generate a purchase requisition, create a deployment ticket, schedule the swap, and update the asset database. Connects procurement, helpdesk, and asset management into one workflow.

8. Offboarding and Access Revocation

Triggered by HR termination record. Disables AD account, revokes VPN access, removes from distribution lists, transfers mailbox to manager, wipes mobile devices, and generates a compliance report. The security value of immediate, complete deprovisioning far exceeds the time savings.

9. Recurring Maintenance Automation

Automate scheduled tasks: disk cleanup on servers, log rotation, backup verification, patch compliance reporting, and printer queue clearing. Create scheduled jobs that run, verify success, and only create tickets when they fail. Eliminates the human labor of routine maintenance while improving reliability.

10. Knowledge Base Auto-Generation

When a ticket is resolved, the AI analyzes the problem-solution pattern and generates a draft knowledge base article. A technician reviews and publishes it. Over time, this builds a comprehensive KB that deflects future tickets. The ROI compounds as the KB grows and more users find answers before submitting tickets.

11. SLA Breach Prediction and Prevention

Machine learning model trained on historical ticket data predicts which tickets are likely to breach SLA based on category, current workload, and technician assignment. Proactive alerts and automatic re-prioritization prevent breaches before they happen rather than reporting on them after the fact.

12. Chatbot for Common IT Questions

AI chatbot integrated into your messaging platform (Teams/Slack) that answers common IT questions, walks users through troubleshooting steps, and creates tickets when it cannot resolve the issue. Requires training on your KB and iterative improvement based on conversation logs. High initial effort but scales to handle increasing volume without additional cost.