We want to invest in RPA but also consider other options for IT use cases. Our technology stack is modern, limiting RPA's suitability. We aim to remain neutral and weigh RPA against API for automation. RPA vendors claim that it's faster to get started and will show returns faster, and there is quick implementation and easy business-team adoption via UI development. How does RPA fit into automation with modern technology and APIs already available?
VP of Engineering in Banking, 201 - 500 employees
How about also considering other modern low code platforms, e.g. Airplane, Retool? Especially if your stack already has APIs and modern integration mechanisms in place.CTO in Software, 51 - 200 employees
RPA may result in a tech debt in the future because UI may change and you may want to change your systems that you automated Rely on APIs is a more resilient solution because APIs usually map the domain.
I strongly suggest to go for API automation, start simple with few APIs and some line of code and, after a while, try low-code/no-code solutions if are more simple for you.
As a target I suggest to model your APIs and build automation on top of them abstracting the vendor APIs
Director of IT, Self-employed
There is a skills question here.When considering a solution for any IT Use case, what skills and technology is available.
If an investment has already been made in RPA technology and skills, using it more will deliver more value, etc.
Most RPA can be used with UI and API.
When there is a need for "Human in the loop" for exceptions, or working in parallel, RPA can provide the flexible solution that be much harder to implement with 3GL code.
Whether a Tech Stack is modern or old, the usual question is whether the business processes are such that there is "Robotic" manual work taking place which is suitable for automation? That leads to the challenge of how to achieve the automation.
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Automation can help simplify banking compliance by providing an efficient, dependable, and scalable means of detecting and addressing any abnormalities or difficulties in a company's operations. Consistent low-code technology ...read moreYes64%
No30%
Not sure6%
Other (comment below)0%
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Director, Cloud Platform in Telecommunication, 1,001 - 5,000 employees
We tend to lean toward cloud-agnostic approaches. We prefer to keep things abstracted, so if at any point a vendor decides to hike up their prices or their support falls short, we're not stuck. This strategy allows ...read more
Extensively12%
Partially78%
Not yet, but we plan to6%
No, and we don't plan to4%
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However, it's important to recognize that RPA isn't always the best option for automation, especially in modern technology stacks. APIs can provide more flexibility, scalability, and deeper integration with your technology stack, making them a better fit for certain use cases.
So, as an IT professional, I believe that it's crucial to assess each use case carefully and determine whether RPA or API-based automation is the best fit. Depending on the task, a hybrid approach that combines RPA and API-based automation may be necessary.