AIOps, short for artificial intelligence in operations, is a process that uses AI to automate IT tasks. More and more organizations are adopting it as an AI commodity, but adoption is still lagging. According to a recent IDC investigationNearly half of companies said they were just getting started with AIOps, while a third said they had an AIOps roadmap but “still have a lot of work to do “.

Longtime Juniper Network executives Kannan Kothandaraman and Nitin Kumar thought they might know how to bring AIOps to scale. In 2019, they founded Selectorwhich uses data and AI to try to identify IT problems and ways to fix them.

“We had the initial idea for Selector after working with a major hyperscaler and understanding how they used data to better optimize their network operations,” Kothandaraman told TechCrunch. “They were able to leverage machine learning and AI across their entire network, using their data to drive efficiency.”

So Kothandaraman and Kumar started talking to similar companies in the space. Many were looking for help to do what the hyperscaler did, which was to integrate AI into their operations. After building a team, Kothandaraman and Kumar launched Selector. The company’s platform monitors the company’s infrastructure and prescribes actions in the event of an IT incident.

Via an AI-powered chat interface, users can ask questions about issues, such as “Where did this outage occur?” » – and Selector will respond in natural language.

“The main thing we do is simplify,” Kothandaraman said. “There is an explosion of complexity and data that teams are struggling to manage in companies. We provide the information these teams need to do their jobs.

Now, Selector has competition – and a lot of it. There is Keep And Sensorwhich aim to help operational teams reduce alert fatigue. Big Panda is one of the biggest players in AIOps, having raised hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital. And the holders like New relic And ServiceNow offer their own AIOps solutions.

Fortunately for Selector, the AIOps market is growing rapidly. By a estimatethe sector will generate $213.66 billion by 2033, up from $25.24 billion in 2023.

Selector, which has about 40 clients including AT&T, Bell Canada and Singtell, this month closed a $33 million Series B round led by Ansa. Kothandaraman would not share Selector’s valuation, but he said it has grown 4x since October 2021.

“Over the past two years, we have been deployed by some of the largest telecommunications and enterprise companies in the world,” he said. “Now we’re seeing increased demand from others. It’s time to invest in expanding our footprint and awareness.”

Bringing Selector’s total to $66 million, Series B proceeds will be put toward expanding the company’s footprint with new offices and staff in the United States, Canada, Europe, Singapore , in India and Japan, Kothandaraman said. Selector plans to increase its workforce from 115 people to 150 next year.

Two Bear Capital, Atlantic Bridge, Sinewave Ventures and aforementioned client AT&T, Bell Canada and Singtell also participated in Selector’s Series B round.