One of the most interesting technology solutions to arrive on the business application stage over the last few years is robotic process automation or RPA. RPA takes a bunch of other solutions that each had their place in a narrowly defined environment and brings them together to create a more powerful tool capable of automating many more business processes. The sum is greater than the parts!
So, what is it? In layman terms, RPA is a tool which teaches a user’s computer to automatically perform a series of manual tasks. These manual tasks could include:
I am sure you can think of many such tasks in your own life as well as your organization.
One terrific example is the onboarding of a new employee. Historically this process involves many paper or scanned documents, dozens of individual data points, data entry into multiple systems, and perhaps even the printing of paper documents for an employee folder. This process can take an HR manager several hours per employee to complete. Yet in the world of RPA, once the source documents have been digitized, the tool can handle all these tasks in moments leaving an HR director more time to focus on the impactful elements of his or her job.
But how can you decide if RPA is a solution for your business tasks? The answer – or at least a clue – may lie in the following table which is divided in four quadrants with the current level of digital processing across the x axis and the level of complexity up the y axis
Complexity is the amount that the steps of a task change from one instance to another – irrespective of number of steps. An example is the processing of invoices from a single vendor which are unlikely to change from invoice to invoice. On the other side of that coin, the processing of all the documents defining a relationship with a vendor (which includes invoices as well as financials, POs, LOA, and correspondence) is complicated and may require previously undefined steps often. Preparation of tax schedules that may reference checks, websites, and statements from any number of providers is another example of a task with steps that can change from instance to instance.
Current level of digital processing represents the portion of the steps that are processed by the computer. Anything that requires paper obviously possesses a low level of digital processing. But reading scanned handwritten documents is another process that requires human intervention even though it is done on a computer.
It is not surprising that some processes are not candidates for RPA. Anything in Quadrant II where the process is manual, changes with each instance, and requires expertise and human intuition will not automate – even when done on a computer. A clear example is custom software development where an individual must think through the solution and test that it does what was intended.
Quadrant III includes processes that may go either way. Clearly the manual steps will need to be processed by a human, but the static nature of the activity suggests that some automation may be possible. An example of a Quadrant III task that can’t be automated by RPA is picking grapes (a duck walks into a bar…). But a process of recording retail shrinkage (theft and spoilage) which involves physical measuring of inventory followed by computer processing, distribution, and recording could benefit from some RPA.
Quadrant I offers additional opportunities for semi-automation. Tasks in this area are fully digital but require lots of manual intervention. Both of my examples of complication above, preparing tax schedules and defining a relationship that includes many types of digital documents are examples that can benefit from semi-automation.
Quadrant IV is where RPA really shines. Regardless how many steps are included in each task or how many tasks are included in each process, each component can be easily defined and does not change from instance to instance. Returning to my example above, it does not matter how many different systems are involved in the onboarding of a new employees, if they are all accessible from one computer and are the same for every new hire, an RPA robot can be used to complete the entire task. Do you have processes in your organization that meet the criteria of Quadrant IV?
According to Gartner, there are a variety of actions to consider when creating a SASE roadmap.
Short term:
Longer term:
Clearly this post is an over-simplification of possible scenarios and avoids the inevitable gray areas between quadrants, but this is only intended to get you thinking about how RPA might be useful in your organization. If you are seeking deeper answers to your RPA questions, stay tuned to our future posts or give one of us at Netrix a call. We would love to help you explore the efficiency improving and costs savings that RPA may be able to deliver.
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Ashish has been part of the organization since 2000, starting with Structure Technologies which merged with Netrix in 2012. During the 20+ years, Ashish has worked in various areas of the organization, from Engineering, Project Management, Sales Engineering, and Technical Architect and Team Management to Product Management and Product Development. Ashish has expertise in Unified Communications and Contact Center and started the development of TetraVX Products at Netrix. As a Technical Fellow,
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Don joined Netrix Global in 2013 as a Partner, driving significant growth in the Microsoft Alliance nationally and professional services delivery business. In 2020, Don led the M&A growth strategy and execution, which included the acquisition of five businesses and one divesture. In 2022, Don was asked by the board to take a leadership position over the global professional services business and lead growth, transformation and development of the teams and services while completing the integrations and value delivery of all acquired companies into one global organization.
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Jay joined Netrix in 2015 to start the End User Compute practice as Windows 10 was about to be released. Within two years of starting that practice, Netrix became Microsoft’s Windows 10 Partner of the Year. Jay now has moved from engineering to a sales leadership role overseeing all aspects of the Microsoft relationship. Jay holds a Bachelor of Computer Information Systems Degree from Devry University. He is happy to be a proud parent of a young son and has married his wife, Manali, for over 20 years. Jay and his family like to travel, cook, and watch basketball and movies.
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Michael started his career in Talent Acquisition as a headhunter with an external recruiting agency. He brought those skills to the corporate side working with IBM, HP/HPE, Nutanix and OVH US. He is known for his ability to create and maintain strong relationships with hiring managers, HR teams, and other key stakeholders, and is committed to delivering a seamless and positive candidate experience.
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Before joining Netrix, Jim held various marketing and strategy positions at start-ups and global 500 companies, most recently leading marketing and strategy initiatives at Entrust and Thales. He is a strong advocate of using cybersecurity and cloud computing technologies to create a competitive edge and enhance business outcomes. His goal is to help clients maximize the benefits of these technologies. Jim is often invited to speak at industry events where he shares his expertise and insights.
Jim has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of California and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
Vladimir Gotsev has over 25 years of experience in Information Technology, serving in various roles since joining the team in 2005. As a leader he championed several professional services practices throughout the years. He led the managed services practice and security practice from the ground up and launched many service offerings and partnerships at Netrix.
Vlad led the transition to the Netrix Professional Services practice in 2021. Throughout his career Vlad’s passion and focus has been to help customers define and execute their digital transformation strategy while maximizing business value.
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Prior to being appointed CEO at Netrix Global, Russ was a member of the company’s Board of Directors in conjunction with a successful run as CEO of Infrascale, a cloud-based data protection, backup, and disaster recovery solution provider. Russ served as President and CEO of the U.S. business of OVHcloud, a cloud computing company based in France, where he oversaw the acquisition and integration of vCloud Air from VMware in 2017. Before OVHcloud, Russ was a member of the Executive Leadership Team at GoDaddy, following the company’s 2013 acquisition of Media Temple , where he had served as President and COO. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Science Center of Northern Virginia and the Advisory Board at Virtru.
Russ graduated with a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from James Madison University, where he remains an active alumnus and Chairman of the Advisory Council for the Madison Center for Civic Engagement.
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Greg Price is an executive with 25 years of experience serving the healthcare and information technology spaces. He has in-depth expertise in Executive Leadership, IT strategy, solution assessment, enterprise integration, application development, business intelligence, revenue cycle management, and electronic medical records in behavioral health, pain management and addiction settings. Greg has extensive knowledge in US and International business operations, with a specific focus on the India and the Philippines markets. In these specific regions, he has managed entities from inception to operations with more than 200 people.
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Mike holds a degree in Political Science and Business Communications from the University of Kansas. Mike is a proud father of two. He is actively involved with endurance racing, from 17 Ironman total distance finishes to summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Justin Rapacz has over 25 years of experience in Information Technology, with many of those years spent at Netrix serving in various roles since joining the team in 1998. Leading several professional services practices throughout the years, Justin made the transition to leading the Netrix Managed Services practice in 2016.
With a deep technical foundation, Justin’s focus in managed services has been on delivering both technical and business value to his customers. Today Justin leads the recurring services delivery organization servicing the end-user to the hybrid data center and everything in between.
Justin has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from DeVry Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is the father of two boys and enjoys travel, technology, pinball, and cooking.
Adam brings over 17 years of experience in IT operations, cloud infrastructure, security, and compliance management to Netrix. As a leader, he has established, scaled, and run global IT teams that excel in providing world-class service to the organizations they serve. Experienced in both startups and established companies, Adam has a demonstrated track record for transforming IT teams to deliver and exceed mission-critical business objectives.
Prior to Netrix, Adam managed global IT operations organizations at VMWare, OVHcloud US, and AWS.
Adam is a proud husband and father of two boys. In his downtime, he enjoys personal fitness, cooking, and fishing.
Brian joins Netrix with 27 years of experience in strategy, vision-setting, planning, and execution. He has built brand experiences for millions of users and managed critical Fortune 100 customer relationships by scaling product, marketing, and operational organizations that put customers first. Before Netrix, Brian served as the COO at Infrascale, Head of R&D for Virtru, and General Manager for OVHcloud US.
Brian’s success stems from working for technology industry giants, including HP, Palm, eBay, AT&T, YP, and GoDaddy – as well as startups. As the Chief Operating Officer at Netrix, he strives to meet customer needs and achieve company goals. He manages both the customer-product interaction functions — including product management, product development, infrastructure operations – as well as internal functions of enterprise systems and IT. Brian is an advocate for efficient processes, effective use of resources, delighted customers, happy employees, exceptional results, and unrestrained creativity.
Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. He is a proud pug owner, a Peloton enthusiast, a home-improvement junkie, and sings with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington.
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Before joining Netrix, Carolyn led people strategy at technology companies such as Infrascale and OVH US. She also spent several years with CGI, a global technology and services provider, leading a team of 20 HR professionals supporting 6,500 employees worldwide, responsible for talent strategies, workforce development, and employee engagement.
Carolyn has a BA in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and holds her SHRM-SCP and SPHR certifications. She is an avid hockey fan and loves anything chocolate!