Most business organizations in today’s digital epoch are starting to make use of Robotic Process Automation tools (RPA) – business-processing mechanisms that gather artificial intelligence to automate administrative tasks and other programming interfaces. A 2016 Oxford University review indicated that due to the increasing impact of RPA in society, 35% of jobs may be automated by 2035. It is likely that RPA is emerging to be a functional business support system for enterprises based on current technological trends.
What is Unattended Automation in RPA?
Unattended automation in RPA is, by definition, an automation process that generally does not require any form of human intervention when executing its mechanisms. This technology is programmed to administrate tasks only through an electronic/virtual programming interface and, as such, is self-generated. In offices, this type of RPA is commonly used as a back-end system, primarily because its artificial intelligence can gather, distribute, and analyze large amounts of data for a business organization in a cohesive manner.
While most unattended RPA bots are not designed to be monitored by humans, certain advanced programs have incorporated technology to send real-time prompts to employees in the event of a system malfunction. This is done to prevent the RPA bot from throwing logging exceptions, a series of failure warnings that often interrupts the normal flow of execution and thus, requires special repairing processes.
How to Generate Unattended Automation
Unattended RPA bots may be generated in a plethora of ways through the company’s general programming interface. As suggested in the previous section of this article, the bot’s most common use is the depositing of data through a network share resource. These shared drives may contain a list of the company’s daily invoices and other administrative logs, which the bot opens on its own and likewise proceeds to perform the triggered automated process.
For more advanced RPA programs, however, triggering a bot is likely housed at/generated through a higher software platform. This platform handles the entire generation process of several RPA bots, distributing commands through an automated downstream. For instance, advanced unattended automation is utilized by multinational banks when their mobile applications require software processing to access confidential banking information. The bot is given a REST or dormant interface, which appears as a “web service” that allows the distribution of data into the application.
Why Is Unattended Automation Relevant in Today’s Digital Age?
According to Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, , when applied to a business operation, can either magnify the company’s efficiency or inefficiency. This means that unattended automation technology, when used properly, has the potential to completely take over in the organization of more mundane, administrative responsibilities. It subsequently allows for a shift in intellectual focus for human workers, since they are now able to concentrate in more meaningful, interpersonal roles.
So they say, unattended automation is nothing but a software tool that assists in doing the dirty work for humans – but in retrospect, this artificial intelligence is a valuable asset for companies to increase employee productivity, function, and intellect. After all, a robot can be your teammate in the office.