IT Governance as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Infrastructure Automation and Realised Business Value

Authors

  • Niko Moretti Department of Information Systems and Technology Management, Indian Institute of Science Author
  • Mira Noori Department of Information Systems and Technology Management, Sorbonne University Author

Abstract

Infrastructure automation is expected to improve speed and reliability, but realised business value may depend on the governance environment in which automation is deployed. We tested this proposition using survey and operational data from 214 IT units across medium and large organisations. Automation maturity was measured through deployment coverage, repeatability, self-service capability, and automated control integration; governance maturity captured accountability, risk management, change control, and performance oversight. Business value outcomes included service lead time, incident-related disruption, operating effort, and stakeholder-rated responsiveness. Automation maturity was associated with improved outcomes, but interaction analysis showed that the relationship was stronger at higher levels of governance maturity. In low-governance environments, extensive automation reduced delivery time yet showed little association with incident reduction or stakeholder value. Change traceability and ownership clarity accounted for a substantial portion of the moderating effect. The findings suggest that technical automation alone does not guarantee organisational benefit. Governance structures that define decision rights, evidence, and exception handling may determine whether faster infrastructure execution is converted into reliable and measurable business value.

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issue7

Published

2026-06-01

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 01 (2026): Agentic AI, Intelligent Automation and Emerging Computing Frontiers

Section

Articles

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Authors retain copyright. Articles published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0) may be shared and adapted for any purpose, including commercially, provided appropriate credit is given, a link to the licence is supplied, and changes are indicated. No additional legal or technological restrictions may be imposed. Third-party material is included only where its credit line permits. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Earlier publications remain subject to their stated licence and author agreements unless the rights holder authorizes a change.