What is RPA? All you need to know [OverView]
Last updated on 14th Jul 2020, Blog, General
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What is RPA? – How it Works, RPA Tools & Applications
The process of automating business operations with the help of robots to reduce human intervention is said to be Robotic Process Automation(RPA).
If I have to elaborate on each of these terms one by one, then
- Robots are entities that mimic human actions called Robots.
- A process is a sequence of steps that lead to meaningful activity. For example, the process of making tea or your favorite dish, etc.
- Automation is any process that is done by a robot without human intervention.
So, when we summarize all these terms together, then mimicking human actions to perform a sequence of steps, leading to meaningful activity, without any human intervention is also known as Robotic Process Automation.
How RPA Works?
- This question has always popped on whether RPA uses physical robots, or are there actual robots present to automate tasks.
- Well, let me tell you that RPA does not replace humans with actual robots. But, there are softwares available in the market which let you configure automation workflows to automate your business operations. According to our experts, the demand for RPA certification training is going to rise by 150% due to the lack of the skill set in the market.
- Though I have mentioned that RPA is implemented through software which is nothing but RPA Tools/Vendors, let me tell you a few guidelines on how to get started with RPA, before we start discussing tools.
How To Get Started With RPA?
You need to follow the below steps, to get started with RPA:
- Step 1: Gain extensive knowledge about the history behind RPA. That is, learn all about Traditional Automation.
- Step 2: Learn about RPA and the various Applications of RPA.
- Step 3: Choose the process that you wish to automate, and retrospect about the process dependencies. This is a way to make sure that your business doesn’t suffer loss while you are busy automating the task.
- Step 4: Gain extensive hands-on experience in RPA Tools, such as UiPath, Blue Prism, and Automation Anywhere.
Moving ahead with this article on What is RPA, let me tell you the top tools in the RPA market, which will help you automate tasks.
RPA Tools
RPA Tools/Vendors are the software through which you can configure tasks to get automated. In today’s market, there are RPA Vendors such as Blue Prism, Automation Anywhere, UiPath, WorkFusion, PegaSystems and many more. But, the leaders in the market are the trio (UiPath, Blue Prism & Automation Anywhere). Refer to the below Forrester Research on RPA, to know the current ranking of various RPA Tools.
Comparison of top tools
As I mentioned before the leaders in the RPA market are UiPath, Blue Prism, and Automation Anywhere. These tools are the most widely used tools in the industry for various purposes. These tools have their own advantages and drawbacks.
Market Trend of RPA Tools
Here, the red line here is UiPath, blue line Blue Prism and the yellow line is Automation Anywhere. As it is evident from the graph, UiPath emerges as a winner here. Now, if you are wondering why does UiPath win the game?
Then, you can consider the following table to know the reasons behind UiPath leading the game.
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| Features | UiPath | Blue Prism | Automation Anywhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is the trial version available? | Community edition/ Free edition is available | No trial version available | A trial version is available for 30 days |
| Is it user-friendly? | Provides the user-friendly visual designer | Provides a user-friendly visual designer, easier than Automation Anywhere | Developers friendly but requires high programming skills. |
| Popularity | Most Popular Tool | More popular than Automation Anywhere | The least popular tool in the trio |
All the tools are similar in their functioning and structure. But, if you are new to automation and want to learn how to automate tasks, then UiPath offers a free-edition with a drag and drop visual designer. This tool doesn’t need programming knowledge and can automate any number of tasks as you wish.
So, if you can master one tool, then this will give you a good headstart to enhance your career opportunities.
Moving ahead with this article on What is RPA, let me quickly tell you the various Applications of RPA.
Applications of RPA
Multinational companies such as Deloitte, Accenture, Capgemini and many more, use Robotic Process Automation in their day to day tasks. These companies benefit by using RPA as it provides, accurate, reliable, consistent outputs with high productivity rates. So, now let me tell you the top applications of RPA so that you know the various sectors in which RPA can be used.
As you can see in the above image RPA offers much more than testing. By using in accounting, financial service, and human resource industries, the pressure on a man is reduced and can harness his talents in a better way. So, RPA is a technology that will make your work easy, in a reliable manner.