CIOs Turn to AI to Break the Cycle of Routine IT Maintenance

Routine tasks—often termed "keeping the lights on" (KTLO)—have long been viewed as an unavoidable tax on IT departments. However, Info-Tech Research Group principal research director Fred Chagnon suggests this mindset is obsolete. By deploying AI, organizations can automate manual processes, freeing up both budget and staff time for more meaningful work. The firm warns against reactive cost-cutting measures, such as extending hardware lifecycles or aggressive outsourcing, which often exacerbate technical debt and security vulnerabilities.

To move toward a smarter operational model, Info-Tech proposes five specific tactics: intelligent incident management, autonomous patch deployment, data curation, generative AI-powered service desks, and AI-assisted code documentation. These efforts are intended to be implemented through a structured four-step framework that identifies opportunities, quantifies labor savings, assesses organizational risk, and builds a concrete portfolio for launch. Beyond immediate efficiency, this shift serves as a practical training ground, allowing IT teams to sharpen their AI skills within controlled, measurable environments before scaling these capabilities across the broader enterprise.