Is RPA the glue for Digital Transformation with SaaS Clouds?

Every organisation larger than a sole trader makes use of multiple computer applications whether they are called ERP, CRM, HCM, Accounts etc.

Unless the business has been a very rapid adopter of Cloud or only started in the Cloud era, it is likely that the organisation has a mixture of on-premise applications and cloud applications (SaaS).

Of course, cost has driven the adoption of Cloud applications part of that is the bundling of the support and enhancements into the Cloud service. Every subscriber to the Cloud service gets the same functionality although there may options to selectively tailor some aspects. As the combination of Cloud applications and on-premise software varies across businesses, there are often gaps and overlaps which need to be addressed. These “Adjustments” to the ideal position can involve functionality and data issues.

When “Adjustments” are needed for on-premise applications it has traditionally been the role of IT Developers to create bespoke solutions. In the Cloud world, customers do not have access to the Cloud software to make any “Adjustments”. These scenarios can give rise to business users manually overcoming the challenges by doing manual activity to duplicate data between systems to achieve alignment or creating “Spreadsheet applications” to track or manage the differences.

As RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is designed to automate manual activity on computer applications through the use of existing interfaces (GUI or Green Screen) this can be a practical solution to addressing the “Adjustments” to the less than ideal fit between applications (SaaS). It is easy to see that a software robot being used out of normal business hours can be an effective approach to not only addressing any known “Adjustments” between applications but also a route to deliver audit and integrity checking.

With the drive for digital transformation and as the adoption of Cloud applications grows, the need for RPA to deliver “Integration Glue” is going to grow. In Ether Solutions’ opinion it will not stop, as second generation cloud applications are considered and adopted, the cycle of transition from one cloud application to another will again create scenarios where RPA software robots will be used to deliver the consistency, the parallel run and probably the migration.

With the growth in UiPath’s “GO!” library of pre-configured robot interfaces, it could lead to a scenario where it becomes vary easy for a business to transition from one cloud application to a competitor SaaS in an automated fashion. This could be a real challenge for the cloud application vendors.

With such a range of potential uses, an investment in RPA software robots is likely to be good, as the ROI is attractive.