Platformization: Reducing Complexity through Unified Experience and Automation

Modern technology is layered with complexity. While AI holds the promise of automation, it cannot eliminate complexity on its own. As I like to say: You cannot automate away complexity.

A common misconception is that AI’s primary goal is to simplify everything. However, if an organization is already operating in a complex environment, introducing AI without careful planning only layers in new intricacies rather than reducing them. AI requires data, training, and ongoing oversight—often adding challenges instead of removing them. Simplicity must be built from the ground up.

In our recent CIO Insights Report: Priorities and Investment Plans in the Era of Platformization, 50% of CIOs noted that expanding IT responsibilities were a top challenge, while 52% reported difficulties with technology integration. It’s clear that complexities, fragmentated licensing, and siloed applications weigh on CIOs and the answer is not merely automation.

The solution, however, could lie in platformization: a shift toward unified, intuitive platforms designed to simplify, integrate, and deliver value with built-in AI from day one.

CIOs are already moving in this direction. According to the same report, 88% of CIOs would prefer a single, integrated platform to manage networking, AI, and security—allowing them to streamline operations without adding unnecessary layers of complexity.

Here’s how platformization can empower organizations to manage complexity and fully leverage AI and automation:

1. A single, unified experience

Platformization brings applications, features, and data together into a single cohesive ecosystem. This unification enables integrated workflows, consistent services, and comprehensive data visibility, making it easier for CIOs to oversee operations, assess risks, and simplify tasks like AI deployment. Security, for instance, becomes a manageable component within a unified platform rather than a disparate set of policies scattered across various systems.

2. Simplified automation and deep integration

Platformized systems make it easy to connect workflows using common services and data. Deep data integration drives more seamless control and compliance, making it easier to complete complex tasks for teams that oversee security and compliance. By consolidating maintenance and integration tasks, platformization also significantly improves efficiency, and reduces operating costs.

Common services—such as single sign-on (SSO), alerting, and security—are tightly integrated, removing redundant steps and creating an intuitive user experience. If a technology vendor lacks a clear, common data strategy tied to their platform, they may not truly grasp the platform concept.

3. Scalable and seamless growth

A platform approach enables scalable growth without overhauls. New devices, tools, and capabilities can be added as needed, all within the same environment. This is particularly critical for network security, which today must be integrated with connectivity rather than treated as an afterthought. As everything connects, the first concern is often security—and when networking and security converge on a single platform, IT leaders can reduce vulnerabilities, avoid blind spots, and improve overall compliance.

4. Embedded, pervasive AI

With platformization, AI is woven into every layer, deepening automation capabilities and accelerating workflows across the board. A platform-centric AI approach enables faster learning, deployment, and troubleshooting, leveraging consistent data and insights to reduce cycle times and streamline management. As the AI adapts to the environment, it can provide intelligent recommendations that make the platform increasingly intuitive for users, saving time and reducing training costs.

High-quality platformization ultimately maximizes the power of AI by embedding it throughout every interaction. If AI is added as a standalone chatbot or secondary product, it fails to deliver the full potential of integrated intelligence. A platform-native AI, however, supports both the internal structure and the external experience, adding seamless, ongoing value across all operations.

5. Customization without complexity

Platformization allows for straightforward customization that doesn’t rely on a jigsaw of APIs. As platform capabilities expand, organizations can adopt internal productization strategies that address unique needs without the burdens of traditional development. Unlike the API-reliant customization of the past, platformization enables simple, unified enhancements that add value directly to the user experience.

Ultimately, platformization is not just a technical evolution but a strategic approach to reduce complexity, leverage the full power of automation, and deliver a seamless, intuitive experience for modern IT leaders and the businesses they support.