Automation Anywhere Introduces Cloud-Native RPA to Enhance Industrial Bots

The push by Automation Anywhere to refactor its core portfolio of robotic process automation (RPA) applications so that they can run natively on the cloud was a hot topic at last week's Automation Anywhere Imagine Digital Conference.

“Our mission was to help our customers automate any process anywhere,” said Automation Anywhere CEO Mihir Shukla. He projected that the future of “anywhere” will include more cloud-native RPA through cloud-first application programming interfaces (API). This requires breaking down numerous Automation Anywhere applications into microservices that can be implemented, scaled, and handled more quickly than in the past server-based applications.

Shukla emphasized the benefits of this strategy in the highly competitive and ultra-active RPA space. Until now, competitors have mostly concentrated on migrating existing server applications to run on cloud virtual machine instances, he says.

“We call it ‘cloud wash,' since it is a hosted model in which the user does not benefit from cost scaling and web access,” Shukla said.

Shukla believes that cloud-native RPA can change the RPA landscape in the same manner that Salesforce disrupted the CRM industry by capitalizing on the fact that conventional CRM vendors were late to deliver a true SaaS substitute.

Along with cloud-native RPA updates, Automation Anywhere is focused on developing its method discovery and intelligent document tooling rather than relying on acquisitions, as other rivals have. Shukla promised improved integration through the use of indigenous tooling. In addition, the organization has created an open ecosystem that serves hundreds of vendors in the areas of artificial intelligence, intelligent process automation, and systems integration.

When compared to traditional server-based RPA architectures, Shukla claims that Automation Anywhere advancements minimize the cost of provisioning RPA, achieve improved scaling, and accelerate the pace of automated processes.