Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

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Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a type of automation technology that is transforming the way organizations operate. RPA relies on a scalable, digital workforce to streamline manual processes and reduce the burden on employees by giving repetitive tasks that can be performed more efficiently and more accurately to software bots.

When robotic process automation first arrived on the scene, the term was almost exclusively used to refer to the manipulation of systems and applications at the user interface-level. That’s where the “robotic” part comes in—the robot interacts with systems the same way a human user does—clicking buttons, typing login credentials into a website, reading words off a PDF, and so on. This definition of robotic process automation is still at the core of what RPA does. However, as the technology matures, it’s increasingly being presented as more of a comprehensive enterprise automation solution. One that can interact with a GUI, but also one that provides deep integrations and sophisticated, enterprise-class features.  

This shift in focus also expands the benefits of robotic process automation software from shaving a few hours off a user’s desktop tasks to powering an enterprise-wide digital transformation. Opportunities for automation exist virtually anywhere throughout the business because RPA is scalable, flexible, and it integrates workflows efficiently across the entire enterprise.