EasyRPA: Industry Insights on Navigating AI and Automation
In today’s fast-paced business environment, many companies struggle with starting their AI journey, implementing automation effectively, and setting clear goals. This is especially challenging for small and medium-sized enterprises lacking resources and in-house expertise.
To address these concerns and provide actionable insights, IBA Group hosted a webinar titled Evolution of Automation from RPA to Intelligent Automation & AI.
Video
Webinar timeline
01:34 Our Speakers Introduction
03:30 About IBA Group
05:20 Intelligent Process Automation Benefits with IBA Group
12:30 Key Challenges and Solutions for Business with Automation
20:45 Risk-free Automation Journey
24:22 Use Case
29:21 EasyRPA Demo
34:05 Q&A Session
The webinar aimed to equip business leaders and decision-makers with the knowledge needed to implement and scale automation solutions effectively, using the shift from RPA to advanced Intelligent Automation and AI. Daniel Goodstein, President of IRPA AI, led the session. He introduced the following speakers who participated in the discussion:
Stuart McMillan: Digital Transformation Advisor at Amplio Technologies. Stuart helps clients realize significant business value by improving processes with strategic business process management methodologies and emerging technologies like automation and AI.
Lucy Titova: Chief Business Development Officer at IBA Group. Lucy has seven years of experience in AI and RPA projects with global vendors.
Sergey Zhmako: Executive VP at IBA Group. With over 20 years in IT, Sergey now focuses on RPA and oversees the EasyRPA platform in North America.
Sergey Zlobich: Department Chief at IBA Group Lithuania and the EasyRPA product owner.
Introducing EasyRPA
EasyRPA is an advanced automation platform developed by IBA Group. EasyRPA aims to address the limitations of traditional RPA by integrating hyper-automation and AI technologies. The platform offers significant cost savings through a zero-license cost model, making it an attractive option for small and medium businesses.
From RPA to Intelligent Automation
Dan Goodstein: Tell us more about the evolution of your platform.
Sergey Zhmako: Our journey with robotic process automation started with platforms like Blue Prism, WorkFusion, UiPath, and Automation Anywhere. We enhanced operations for our clients, improving accuracy and efficiency. After extensive experience with these platforms, we developed our own Java-based platform to complement existing low-code and no-code solutions.
Our platform’s real transformation began with the introduction of AI solutions like machine learning, natural language processing, and intelligent document processing. This advancement allowed us to automate more complex, end-to-end processes and handle unstructured data, resulting in enhanced efficiency and accuracy. Our platform can now manage complex decision-making tasks, offer real-time data analysis, and provide proactive management, significantly improving customer experience.
Dan Goodstein: Stuart, I’m curious about how you got involved as a partner company. Can you share the origins of that collaboration?
Stuart McMillan: I met IBA Group probably six or seven years ago. I was working in business process improvement, and this is when we first started to look at automation. Prior to that, it was simple process re-engineering in manufacturing that I was working on. We started to explore the ability to automate business processes on a larger scale beyond simple Excel macros.
We realized that Amplio and IBA Group were two sides of the same coin and quickly built a partnership. As we delivered value to our clients, we felt stuck with some of the platforms out there. The interfaces required specific training, and we needed a team skilled in a suite of automation systems. Our ROI was being hamstrung by the license fees. Together, we thought about what the next generation of this would look like. The team at EasyRPA worked wonders coming up with the EasyRPA platform, which has a universal language that doesn’t require specific training. The innovative business model offering it on a license-free basis adds to that ROI, especially as it compounds year on year. It’s a real game changer for anyone wishing to automate their business processes.
Key Challenges and Solutions
Dan Goodstein: What are some common challenges businesses face when implementing automation, and how does EasyRPA address them?
Stuart McMillan: Common challenges include:
- Identifying Value: Businesses often struggle to pinpoint where automation will deliver the most benefit, leading to investments in projects that don’t yield expected returns.
- Lack of Skills and Talent: The rapid pace of technological change makes it difficult to recruit and retain skilled professionals. EasyRPA’s use of Java helps mitigate this issue.
- Choosing the Right Technology Provider: With numerous options available, deciding on the best fit can be daunting, delaying projects and increasing costs.
- License Fees: Significant license fees can erode ROI. EasyRPA’s zero-license cost model ensures cost-effectiveness.
- Integration Issues: New automation technologies need seamless integration with existing systems. EasyRPA’s flexibility helps mitigate disruptions.
- Change Management and People: Resistance from employees can hinder successful implementation. Transparent communication and promoting innovation are key.
- Maintaining and Updating Solutions: Continuous investment and attention are required to keep automation systems effective as business needs evolve.
Real-Life Applications and Benefits
Lucy Titova: Approximately five years ago, a top manager from a global mobile operator approached us with a major issue: a manual mistake in an invoice ten times the correct amount was sent to a VIP client, risking the company’s reputation. At the time, the company had some process automation projects but lacked the budget for licenses, training, and certification. We provided business analysts and architects to describe their processes, and our development team implemented everything on our platform. The result was remarkable—tasks that previously took six hours were completed in 12 minutes by our EasyRPA bot. Employees could leave work on time, significantly improving their work-life balance.
There was also a similar success story with a furniture manufacturer. The implementation of EasyRPA helped handle repetitive and labor-intensive tasks, reducing manual errors and significantly improving the efficiency and productivity of their operations. This case further illustrates how EasyRPA can adapt to different industries, providing tailored solutions that meet specific business needs and enhance overall performance.
We are currently engaged in a complex project for the Ministry of Health in a Gulf country. This project involves handling a mix of local languages, such as Arabic and English, demonstrating EasyRPA’s capability to recognize and process unusual languages. In just four months, the project has shown promising results, showcasing the platform’s adaptability and effectiveness in the healthcare domain.
We implemented around 500-600 processes, mostly engaging in outsourcing for various clients.
Sergey Zlobich: Let me show you a short demo of the purchase order matching process automated in SAP using the EasyRPA platform. EasyRPA robots assist with tasks like extracting, transferring, and analyzing information, integrating systems, and generating reports. Built-in AI and human-in-the-loop models incorporate the power of artificial intelligence and human decision-making into automated business processes.
Integration and Compliance
Dan Goodstein: What are the typical business processes you recommend to start with?
Stuart McMillan: We generally look for repetitive, rule-based, time-consuming processes prone to human error. This can be across all departments and business functions. Typical processes include multiple mouse clicks, keyboard data entry, filling in forms, copy-pasting information, logging in and out of software, screen switching, internet-based services, calculating, and manipulating data in databases. Anything that’s time-consuming, repetitive, labor-intensive, or involves standardized data is a good candidate. With generative AI, we can make unstructured data machine-readable, which expands the possibilities.
Dan Goodstein: When do clients typically see ROI?
Stuart McMillan: Typically, we see ROI in less than 12 months, sometimes much faster, depending on the complexity and volumes of the process. We look to get to value quickly by seeking those processes that will have an immediate impact on the business. We try to take a modular approach to get you to value quickly, focusing on the most impactful elements.
Dan Goodstein: If someone is currently using another automation platform, do they need to rip and replace it, or how do you enhance their existing setup?
Sergey Zhmako: Adding a second automation platform might seem to burden the infrastructure, but it has its advantages. Diversification allows the company to leverage the strengths of each platform for specific needs. It also reduces dependency on a single platform, minimizing the impact of potential failures or disruptions. Enhanced performance can be achieved by distributing workloads effectively, preventing bottlenecks, and ensuring smooth operations. Our zero-license cost model can also make it easier to automate additional processes if the budget is tight.
Dan Goodstein: Can EasyRPA integrate with Microsoft Office and comply with regulations like FedRAMP and CJIS?
Sergey Zhmako: Yes, EasyRPA can integrate with Microsoft Office. Regarding compliance, it depends on the region and client requirements. In Europe and the US, we comply with GDPR and can sign separate agreements with clients to meet their specific compliance needs.
Lucy Titova: We offer transparent calculations, meaning there are no hidden fees or unexpected charges. This includes no additional payments for using our development studio or for any backend work required to support the automation processes. Clients only pay for the actual time and materials used in their project.
Dan Goodstein: Sergey, can you work with mainframes, AS400, and Mainframe apps?
Sergey Zhmako: Yes, we can. IBA Group has a long history with mainframes and is one of the rare companies in Europe and possibly the world that keeps mainframe specialists and integrates new technologies into mainframes.
Lucy Titova: We don’t just specialize in robotic process automation; we offer a comprehensive range of IT services. Our expertise includes managing tasks related to SAP, mainframes, and systems created on Fortran. We also excel in areas such as data management, analytics, custom enterprise application development, and IT security. As a large integrator, we handle everything in-house, ensuring cohesive and efficient solutions for our clients.
Future Trends in Business Technology
Dan Goodstein: Looking ahead, what are the key trends in the future of business technology?
Stuart McMillan: We see three key trends:
- Augmented Human-Digital Workforces: Humans and machines will collaborate side by side, each playing to their strengths. Businesses can operate 24/7 with minimal need for frontline staff beyond human interaction roles.
- Fully Autonomous Enterprises: Every operation that can be automated will be automated, managed by human coders and business strategy leaders with minimal need for middle management.
- Decentralized Autonomous Organizations: These organizations will operate independently without human input. Strategy and decision-making will be fully codified, potentially on the blockchain, with automations automatically coded, managed, and repaired by AI models.
Conclusion
In the webinar, we’ve covered the evolution from RPA to intelligent automation, highlighted some components and benefits of the technologies, and looked at the future direction of business technology. We invite you to take advantage of our exclusive offer: a complimentary pilot program to experience the transformative benefits of our advanced automation solutions firsthand, with no commitment. Don’t miss this opportunity to streamline your processes, enhance efficiency, and drive significant business value.
For more information on EasyRPA or to schedule a free briefing with one of our subject matter experts, fill the form. Thank you for joining us on this journey to a fully autonomous enterprise.