7 Things to Consider When Choosing an Automation Vendor

7 Things to Consider When Choosing an Automation Vendor

Choosing the right RPA vendor for your business means you can invest more of your human resources into boosting returns and developing optimal strategies for future growth. Take a look at the vendor’s track record and the niche they specialize in.

Choosing a Vendor

One of the most important things to consider when choosing a potential RPA vendor is how well they understand the process that makes up your organization’s workflow. The more knowledge and understanding they have of this process, the easier it becomes to design an innovative solution for your business.

A skilled automation partner works closely with your employees to develop the process design. That’s why it’s also important to choose a partner with consulting expertise beyond just IT.

The vendor you choose should be able to support you with everything from implementing turn-key solutions to transferring expertise to your internal team so they can further develop your organization’s RPA capabilities.

Platform

Your potential RPA vendor needs to deliver software products. The platform they offer should be compatible with your company’s existing architecture and legacy systems.

We recommend an open platform that supports original and customized integrations with other technologies, such as UiPath. Some examples of existing integrations include BPM (Bizagi, K2, Bonitasoft, Appian), OCR (Google, Microsoft, ABBYY, Ephesoft), Google Suite, image analysis (Google, Microsoft, Amazon), Node-RED, Microsoft Office Suite, Slack, CyberArk, Microsoft Azure, ServiceNow, and Active Directory.

Implementation Flexibility

Think carefully before choosing an RPA vendor that only offers on-premises installations. If you go with a vendor limited to local solutions, and later want to move toward cloud-based maintenance, for example, your automation process could face significant delays.

Look for a vendor that offers a broad range of implementation options: on-premises, cloud, and hybrid. Also make sure the vendor’s solution can work across multiple interface types and with your existing applications and legacy systems. The automation should be low-code, non-disruptive, non-invasive, and easy to implement.

Data Security

Make sure your business complies with industry laws and regulations and is protected against security threats.

Choose an RPA vendor that can help you stay compliant with current laws and regulations by logging information about automated workflows in an activity log. These logs can be used for internal or external audits.

Choose an RPA platform that demonstrates a high level of information security, for example through ISO certification, with multi-factor authentication and detailed user access management.

The Implementation Process

The vendor you choose should help and enable you to reach your automation goals. The implementation process for their platform should integrate seamlessly with your systems, avoiding any disruption to existing processes. A vendor with a flexible platform and methodology can be key to your success, as they can support your needs from launch through to scaling.

Support

For most businesses, implementation involves close collaboration with a third party — often to bring in advice and skills that are lacking internally. This support ranges from turnkey solutions to transferring expertise to internal teams and building internal RPA delivery capabilities. Few businesses plan to develop and implement RPA without outside help.

Maintenance

A robot that isn’t working is like having a production line come to a complete halt. Productivity drops immediately, and the whole point of the automation is lost. Understand your critical processes, scheduled runs throughout the day, and agreed service-level agreements (SLAs). For example, if someone depends on a robot to verify signatures as part of their work, that requires a shorter SLA response time than, say, an overnight run uploading the previous day’s work.

That’s why, when choosing a maintenance partner, it’s important to compare what they offer against your actual needs.

The right vendor will, over time, help your business operate in a leaner, more efficient, and more cost-effective way.

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