Riverbed unveils AI tool to automate workplace IT support

Riverbed has introduced an artificial intelligence-based self-service tool that automates diagnosis and resolution of common IT problems for employees, in a move that targets rising support costs and pressure on corporate helpdesks.

The new product, called Aternity Self-Service, is the company's first use of what it describes as Agentic AI within its digital employee experience portfolio. It sits on top of Riverbed's Aternity platform, which monitors performance and usage of applications and devices.

Riverbed said the software allows workers to initiate self-service requests when they experience issues. The system then runs its own triage, diagnostics and remediation steps for many incidents without the need for a human agent.

Helpdesk pressure

The launch comes as IT service desks face heavier workloads in hybrid and remote working environments. Many employees now rely on unified communications tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom for a large portion of their working week.

Riverbed's latest research, "The Future of IT Operations in the AI Era", surveyed 1,200 leaders and technical specialists across seven countries. The company said respondents reported that employees spend 42% of their work week using unified communications tools.

The study found that 43% of organisations reported performance issues with those tools. Riverbed said those problems are likely to represent a major source of helpdesk demand. Each related ticket takes an average of 43 minutes to resolve.

Analyst firm Gartner has projected that organisations that adopt intelligent IT service management automation could cut service desk incidents and requests by 60% by 2029 compared with 2025 levels. Riverbed is positioning Aternity Self-Service as a way for enterprises to start moving towards that level of automation.

Agent-based automation

Aternity Self-Service uses an AI agent that runs on employee devices and connects to Riverbed's observability data. The agent identifies common fault patterns. It then runs a sequence of checks and pre-defined fixes.

Riverbed said that once the software detects a problem, it carries out endpoint and network diagnostics. It then applies corrective actions and verifies whether the issue has been resolved.

Human oversight controls govern the automated workflow. If an issue persists after automated steps, the system creates a ticket that includes full diagnostic context. It then routes the ticket directly to a higher-level support team and bypasses first-line triage.

One scenario cited by the company involves a crash in a unified communications application. In that case, the AI agent runs diagnostics, isolates the service issue, restarts affected processes and checks that the application is back online.

Riverbed said employees can often resume work within minutes using this approach. The company said IT teams avoid manual investigation and repeated escalations for routine incidents.

Product features

Riverbed is highlighting four main elements in the new product. The first is autonomous issue resolution for recurring IT problems, which is designed to reduce ticket volumes and shorten mean time to resolution.

The second is what Riverbed calls an "open skills architecture". The system uses modular AI skills that work with endpoint telemetry and network analytics. This design aims to support deeper diagnosis and targeted fixes.

The third element is smarter ticket escalation. Unresolved incidents generate context-rich tickets that contain the diagnostics performed, actions taken and current status. This information is intended to streamline work for higher-tier support teams.

The final element is integration with corporate applications. Riverbed said organisations can deploy Aternity Self-Service into Microsoft Teams and other business systems. Employees can then use the tool in the same environment where they carry out daily tasks.

Governed autonomy

Riverbed said its design for Agentic AI includes controls for governed autonomy, collaboration between multiple agents, and human oversight. The company said this structure supports measurable operational impact while keeping IT teams in control of automated actions.

The vendor is positioning the approach as a way for enterprises to build out more scalable IT support operations. The aim is that employees spend less time waiting for support, while IT staff focus on higher-value and more strategic projects.

Richard Tworek, Chief Technology Officer at Riverbed, said the new tool changes how employees experience IT support.

"Aternity Self-Service delivers on the promise of Agentic AI by taking the employee frustration out of support and turning it into an IT productivity booster," said Richard Tworek, Chief Technology Officer at Riverbed. "By leveraging Riverbed's first new Agentic AI solution, employees can resolve common IT issues without waiting for the traditional ticket handling process to complete. The self-service agent runs diagnostics, applies fixes, records the analysis and the work done in a ticket for record-keeping and auditing, and gets the employee back to work in minutes rather than hours. This reduces ticket volume, speeds resolution, and frees IT teams to focus on higher-value projects that drive real business impact. With Riverbed, organisations can deliver a smarter, smoother, and truly seamless digital experience for every employee."

Riverbed said Aternity Self-Service is now in limited availability. The company is offering demonstrations for customers that want to assess AI-driven autonomous IT support in their own environments.