Objective: Define Robotic Process Automation and get started with Automation 360.
Before we dive too deep into the technical implementations of Automation 360, it’s helpful to build a strong foundation on what robotic process automation is, and what robotic process automation is not. Robotic Process Automation (or RPA as it's often referred to) is a technology that allows users to create, configure, and run software “bots” to emulate human interaction within their systems to automate business processes. The specialized software bots in question provide value to organizations by automating high-volume, repetitive, rule-based tasks in an auditable and reliable way while freeing up humans to focus on more cognitive tasks which may require subjective decision making or emotional intelligence. Automation 360 bots can do everything from capturing data from applications (excel, text, forms, web, etc) to navigating websites, performing data entry, and even interfacing with web services. While that all sounds fun from a technology perspective, the value provided to organizations by RPA is immense. Organizations have maximum flexibility to scale the number of bots working on any particular tasks up or down as workload demands. This also allows organizations to get more done with the same staffing levels as certain tasks can be automated by bots to make the work for humans more effective and more efficient.
To Do
Take a look at the following video to learn a bit more on “What is RPA?” Pay close attention to the benefits of RPA as you start to think about optimizing different processes within your own organization
As a recap, to that video, we know that RPA bots are fast, accurate, can scale quickly, and have a ton of compatibility with existing systems - whether they are graphical user interface (GUI) driven or application programming interface (API) driven. For an organization, RPA bots can improve employee productivity, provide an improved customer experience, and have full auditing capabilities for increase compliance.
Sign up for the Getting Started with RPA learning trail on Automation Anywhere University
This trail is designed for everyone who is new to Robotic Process Automation. The courses in this trail focus on basic RPA concepts and use cases as well as walk users through the process of building their first bot.
https://university.automationanywhere.com/rpa-learning-trails/getting-started-with-rpa/
Check out this industry analyst report on RPA from HFS – Top 10 Robotic Process Automation Products 2020
It will give you an overview of the RPA sector, and why Automation Anywhere’s product and roadmap stand out from the rest.
Summary
RPA bots are specialized software robots that automate high-volume, repetitive, rule-based tasks in an auditable and reliable way. These bots can help augment the tasks done by humans and can relieve staff from monotonous, repetitive work - enabling them to focus on higher value tasks. For more information on ‘What is RPA?’, check out the Resources column to the right.
Resources
Videos
Let’s Build a Bot! (Intro Bot Build for New RPA Developers)
Walk through the entire process of building your first bot in Automation 360 to do a login.
How-to Build Your First Bot in Automation Anywhere Community Edition
Brief video demonstrating how quickly and easily bots can be built.
Training
Introducing Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Learn the basics of Robotic Process Automation - understand its benefits for organizations as well as the capabilities offered for developers.
Hello Automation 360 Bot: Getting Started with Building Bots
Setup your machine and learn to build your first Robotic Process Automation bot using Automation 360.
Blog Posts
What are the primary responsibilities of a Robotic Process Automation developer and what does a typical day for them look like.
RPA for Small Business: Why and How to Start
RPA isnt just for large organizations. Learn how small and medium size businesses can use RPA to improve employee efficiency.
AAU Learner Takes Every Course in Less Than 3 Months
RPA felt so different, interesting, and new that I recaptured my passion for coding.
Reference Items
What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?
Automation Anywhere vs. UiPath comparison
Compare RPA Tools
Register Device and Install Bot Agent
Learn to set up your local device start building bots. Walks through the device registration as well as the Bot Agent installation.
A series of introductory bot building tutorials walking through the basics of creating your first bot to integrating with csv/xlsx.