DeepKnowHow
PluralSight Skill Challenge
Automation

RPA 4.0 – Extend the automation scope

RPA 4.0 – Extend the automation scope

Enterprises increasingly adopt the low code-no code automation platforms to drive enterprise productivity. As enterprises face market disruptions time and again, they seek to simplify the process complexities with the goal to improve process efficiency in their different departments and build their cashflows. Similarly, when enterprises adopt automation platforms, capacity building is also an immediate ask.

RPA 4.0 is a holistic ensemble of robotic process automation (RPA) and intelligent document processing (IDP) along with other automation tools of choice, such as application programming interfaces (APIs), rules engines, analytics, so on and so forth. Also termed Intelligent Automation, RPA 4.0 is a progression along the automation continuum and is greater than the sum of the parts.

Salient points

    • RPA 4.0 has a more significant business outcome than standalone automation solutions.
    • RPA 4.0 extends the automation ambit with the inclusion of different technologies.
    • Cloud-hosted RPA 4.0 extends the automation scope beyond geographies, thus driving economies of scale.

RPA 4.0 – Centre of Excellence driven rollouts

Businesses are in a constant state of reflux. Point automation solutions don’t offer a comprehensive solution to enterprise automation requirements. Successful automation practices involve an integrated approach that takes a holistic view of the processes as well as synergizes the outcomes of different automation technologies to achieve the desired business results. Hence, the Centre of Excellence or CoE-driven RPA 4.0 rollouts are more successful and achieve a faster return on investment or RoI.

The integrated RPA 4.0 approach synergizes the individual strengths of the technologies. RPA downloads files from emails, portals, and websites. AI/ML-driven IDP extracts the unstructured data from the files, converts it into a structured format, and integrates it with the other systems. RPA and APIs combination make the connections with the other systems robust by overcoming fragility. The RPA 4.0 CoE has the overall knowledge about the enterprise processes, existing automation solutions, and the processes that will lead to faster RoI. This oversight enables better leverage of the integrated approach.

RPA 4.0 and Cloud

RPA 4.0 and the allied low code-no code technology platforms are Cloud-ready. Enterprises host the ensemble either on-premise or on Cloud as per their requirement. Note that hosting the RPA 4.0 ensemble on Cloud gives a significant thrust to the automation exercise.

Cloud enables to access the automation solutions and execute them anytime, anywhere through a central cockpit application. Even if the locations are geographically distant, the branch offices can download the bot and execute the automation scenario. If one branch receives the forms in unstructured data format, they extract the data with the Cloud IDP solution, convert it to structured data, and push the data to the other systems through API connectors. This approach is cost-efficient and delivers robust outcomes across geographically dispersed areas. It offers optimum automation mileage and reaches.

Read How businesses utilize cloud power.

RPA 4.0 – The business advantage

RPA 4.0 integrated approach has a superior automation outcome as compared to the individual technologies involved.

  • Improves cost efficiency: It is more than the sum of parts. It synergizes the technologies’ strengths and reduces the cycle time from days to hours and from hours to minutes. It improves the cost savings across the automation effort.
  • Capacity building: The people, process, and technology integration drives a significant capacity improvement across geographies and allows businesses to plan business expansions with the existing resources.
  • Statutory compliance: The RPA 4.0 approach allows businesses to abide by all compliance formalities in a seamless manner across all industry sectors.
  • Process simplification: RPA 4.0 simplifies the process architectures that are built-in siloes over a period of time. It provides a holistic solution to enterprise automation requirements. It is true in the case of the Finance and Accounting and Procurement automation solutions that are mostly built in stages over decades.
  • Return on Investments: RPA 4.0 integrated solutions deliver faster RoI in most automation scenarios.
  • Robust automation: It overcomes the fragileness of individual technology automation and delivers robust outcomes that are future-ready for long-term success.

In short

RPA 4.0 extends the scope of automation delivered by individual technologies. The integrated approach delivers more than the sum of parts. The Cloud-hosted CoE-driven automation solutions extend the scope beyond localized functions and across geographic barriers.