Efficient Plant June 2018 - 36

cloud-based solutions

Have You
Met RPA?

RPA DELIVERS

Key features of RPA include:
speed: bots completing tasks faster than humans
productivity: free of human error, and 24/7
scalability: quick ramp up or down to match work
fluctuations
compliance: comprehensive audit trails.

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Robot Process Automation removes barriers to cloud-ERP adoption.

DESPITE PROVEN BENEFITS, some organizations still
struggle to switch from legacy applications to a cloud-based
ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. As explained by
Dharm Sadasivan of the Plymouth, MI-based IT consulting
firm Thirdware (thirdware.com), Robotic Process Automation
(RPA) can ease the move by bridging the gap between old and
new. Not familiar with RPA? Sadasivan elaborated on it in a recent blog post for QAD, Santa Barbara, CA (qad.com). Among
his points:

QAD, Santa Barbara, CA, is a provider of internal network and
cloud-based ERP solutions for manufacturers.
For more information,visit qad.com.

| EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Think of RPA as a virtual employee who fetches and interacts with data
from disparate systems, just like a human.
RPA is a platform- and application-agnostic operation at the user-interface
level, i.e., presentation layer, allowing RPA bots to do anything trained
users can do.
Since RPA doesn't operate at a program level, it doesn't require any
code-level changes to user software systems, thereby leaving underlying
applications and IT infrastructure untouched.
Manual tasks that are often associated with access and sharing of
data between two separate and unrelated systems are ideal for an RPA
bot. Examples include logging into legacy applications; generating or
downloading files and reports; entering and sorting downloaded data into
spreadsheets; logging onto a cloud ERP; updating or creating account,
item, customer, and supplier records; and sending notifications and
updating legacy systems. In short, RPA removes the barriers of cloud-ERP
adoption by automating tasks that would otherwise have to be manually
performed on two or more applications.
Incorporating RPA into an implementation, migration, or upgrade program
on a cloud ERP can significantly amplify benefits of the new system.
Including RPA during the ERP core model build or pilot project helps
with the process of re-engineering or designing future-state business
processes that can be automated. This can save significant rework, effort,
and cost. RPA bots are also helpful for launches and rollouts, especially
in areas of data migration and testing.

As they become obsolete, all legacy applications will need to be updated or
replaced. Until then, RPA allows organizations to advance their technology
with the adoption of cloud ERP while leveraging critical functions that legacy
applications can provide.
To read Sadisivan's complete blog post, "Could Leveraging Robotic Process
Automation Help Move You to the Cloud?" go to blog.qad.com. EP
- Jane Alexander, Managing Editor

JUNE 2018

http://www.thirdware.com http://www.qad.com http://blog.qad.com http://www.qad.com http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant June 2018