Intelligent Automation vs. RPA: Difference Between the Two

    INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION VS. RPA

    Automation is the technique of creating a process within a system that helps an organization in operating its systems automatically.

    Automation services are being used in various sectors like IT, manufacturing, transportation, operations, etc.
    The evolution of automation in this decade is expected to rise at a great speed.

    Automation of your process may involve the use of various technologies like robotics, telemetry sensors, etc.
    Now, we’ll go to the difference b/w the two technologies, which are the major divisions of automation i.e. RPA and IA.

    Intelligent Automation (IA)

    Intelligent automation provides automated solutions to the software. It also makes use of artificial intelligence, machine learning for the decision-making process.

    Also, it helps an organization in integrating the systems which are present within — thus helping in reducing the storage of duplicate data.

    Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

    RPA is used to reduce the repetitive tasks which are performed by a human. With RPA tools, an organization can interpret applications for triggering responses, establishing communications with other systems or to process a transaction.

    RPA can be used to generate email responses or to deploy bots. This can be done through different automated ERP systems.

    Now, let us Look at the Major Differentiator Between RPA and IA

    Coming to RPA, it works on a set of rules which are used to automate work and not have any variation. RPA helps you in minimizing the repetitive tasks. For example: filling out your details for login.

    But when unstructured data is involved, RPA lacks scalability. Here in IA comes into the act.

    Intelligent automation or IA is a combination of all the things which are present in RPA, but it also contains very useful bots. These bots have the capability to learn and analyze data in real-time.

    Difference between RPA and IA Based on their Applications

    IA vs. RPA in Retail

    Companies using IA use bots that are capable of thinking on their own. These bots help in improving the efficiency of an organization by fulfilling the orders received from the customers.

    While in the supply chain, these bots can also travel around the warehouses without colliding with other traffic. Thanks to the AI-derived intelligence and sensors present in it.

    In the case of companies using RPA, it handles constantly changing shipping status and orders from the customers. The RPA also helps an organization in providing insights about the orders which a customer has placed.

    With RPA, the customer also gets an estimated delivery time as soon as they select the product.

    IA vs. RPA in Banking & Finance

    As we know, traditional banking processes are very lengthy. RPA is used in banks to fetch information about the customers. Also, it can be used to fix appointments.

    RPA also helps the customers in selecting that financial product that suits them the most. Also, it can renew insurance policies for the customers.

    On the other hand, intelligent automation helps in processing of incoming and outgoing transactions. This also helps in investigating the payment issues while reducing the dependency on employees.

    Also, IA can create reports and helps the companies in drawing conclusions and that too, without any human intervention.

    Risk management is also key in IA. It helps the companies in identifying the potential risks involved within a transaction.

    Also Read: Blue Prism Vs. UiPath: Which Tool is Better?

    Top Most Companies for RPA

    • UiPath
    • Blue Prism
    • Automation Anywhere
    • AutomationEdge
    • AntWorks

    Top Most Companies for IA

    • BetterCloud
    • Leanplum
    • 6Sense
    • WorkFusion
    • Kyndi

    The Evolution from RPA to IA

    The first variant of RPA was introduced 20 years back. At first, it consisted of only screen scraping and desktop macros, which used to automate tasks.

    At that time, the ERP systems were made but consisted of a lot of manual work. So a need arose at that time to automate such things, but RPA was still not capable of doing so.

    Since RPA at that time was not capable of doing such things, an update to it was made as still a lot of work was done manually.

    But this time, the update made sure the work becomes automated with the help of adding extensions and add-ons.
    Now the need for 3rd-generation RPA arose.

    Here, modern cognitive functions were brought into use. These were based on machine learning, NLP, and AI tools. These tools helped in automating the software with ease.

    The evolution of RPA over the years has resulted in business growth for many companies. It also helped many businesses in improving performance and lowering the operational cost.

    There are still many companies present in the market that are using manual techniques of doing work, which is very repetitive. Such work can be automated using bots.

    Moreover, those processes which are complex and require human interference can also be slightly automated using such bots.

    As automation technology is evolving, the need for capturing value is also on the rise. To align with this rise and to gain customers, intelligent automation is now preferred by many organizations.

    Intelligent automation technology consists of various bots that can mimic like humans and can work nonstop, providing more ROI to the business.

    Conclusion

    For now, we can say that there’s a massive potential for intelligent automation in improving efficiency for the business.

    Also Read:

    Top Applications of NLP Across Industries

    How can Robotic Process Automation Help in Finance Sector?