Robotic Process Automation brings the technology to integrate software that was not possible to integrate in another reasonable way.

Nils Claasen and Julia Jääskeläinen interviewed enterprise architect Riku Turkia and learned how RPA is the next generation of business process automation.

I am working as an enterprise architect in the enterprise design services team. I have a long background in software development and have been focusing recently on Robotic Process Automation or in short RPA.

Computer excel in helping people to do things, they do not get tired, they work fast and reliably. Therefore, computers have been used already for a long time for business process automation. However, something still went wrong after many years through digital transformation many people were still spending their days filling forms.

RPA is the next generation of business process automation. RPA brings the technology to integrate software that was not possible to integrate in another reasonable way: e.g. too old, no API, not compatible, etc. That’s where RPA can help. E.g. data can be read from one application and transfer it to another, mimicking human users.

It is a lot quicker to work with RPA tools. There are many pre-built elements which can be easily combined e.g. via drag-and-drop. You however still need to think like a programmer especially. when taking on bigger problems.

• Robotic Process Automation (RPA) frees people from doing boring & repetitive tasks and for more challenging and rewarding tasks.
• RPA provides leaner, faster and more efficient processes with less manual efforts.
• RPA offers better protection of personal and sensitive data: Bots are not curious.