Robotic process automation (RPA) and low-code: What’s the difference?
RPA is a software tool that automates certain tasks within an organization. This can include activities like data entry, data extraction, and data analysis.
Low-code software is another type of software. It’s a programming language that allows a developer to develop programs without writing code. This saves time and makes the software easier to write.
So, what are the benefits of using RPA or low-code? And how do they compare in a head to head; Low Code vs RPA?
Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
RPA is the application of technology to automate tasks that would have been done manually. You can design virtual bots to carry out the same repetitive tasks that the human employees in a company do, including migrating data, filtering information or completing business-related forms.
The main objective of robotic process automation is to program bots that can take over some of the repetitive activities in an organization so the human employees can concentrate on the organization’s core competencies.
How does RPA work?
There are several forms of RPA technologies available in the market presently. However, at its most basic level, robotic process automation can be realized by employing intelligent or programmed bots.
Intelligent robots utilize artificial intelligence to learn how a task is carried out. They follow the mouse clicks and movements of the user progressively and after they have collected adequate data, they can carry out those tasks without human intervention.
On the other hand, programmed bots follow pre-set rules and stages that have been set up by the programmer. An RPA can be used to carry out tasks such as:
- Migrating systems data, folders and files
- Reading and scraping information from websites and other systems
- Extracting content from PDFs, emails and other company documents
- Completing forms
- Copy-pasting information from one system to the other
- And so much more.
Benefits of Robotic Process Automation
Robotic process automation works best when you want to automate one part of a specific task, and programmable or intelligent bots are replicated across various business units. Several RPA tools are tailored to meet the demands of non-developers, so their implementation for relatively simple tasks usually takes place swiftly.
When you delegate the tedious, repetitive business tasks to bots, your human workers will have plenty of time to concentrate on the strategic activities of your business. Besides, bots work 24/7 so you don’t have to worry about fatigue or human error caused by sleep.
Low-Code Process Automation
Low-code process automation is a visual, intuitive approach to application development that can also be employed in automating business tasks, complex workflows and end-to-end processes. Instead of automating only the repetitive tasks in a legacy system, low-code automation allows you to redesign the business processes according to the capabilities of today’s technologies. It also provides you with the flexibility to integrate modern digitization.
Benefits of Low-Code Process Automation
One of the main advantages of low-code process automation is that apps can be regularly updated depending on how often the company needs to change. Although it is more advanced and sophisticated as compared to robotic process automation, low-code stands out by allowing both non-technical and technical users to work collaboratively on process automation projects.
The majority of low-code app development platforms use a simple app development environment equipped with drag-and-drop features and intuitive user interfaces that citizen developers and new developers in all business units will find easy to navigate.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and low-code = Perfect Combination
The way RPA is designed, it cannot solve particular challenges. It only works with quality, structured data, which means that if the data in a particular system is unstructured, it may fail to automate the task.
On the other hand, low-code process automation is comprehensive and can work easily with legacy systems to structure business data via APIs. If you’d like to reconstruct your old system, you can achieve that swiftly and cost-efficiently.
With RPA techniques, low-code can be employed to design process automation apps that can integrate with the existing IT systems.
Judy Jackson is a digital marketing professional and a prolific writer for Frogman.org.uk. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Judy specializes in crafting compelling content that helps businesses enhance their online presence and connect with their target audience.
