As you have seen in our previous articles, acronyms are numerous in the technology sector. It is sometimes difficult to see clearly in this vocabulary. But when you're looking to automate processes to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and free up more time for your teams, it's essential to look at what these acronyms mean.
Today, we are trying to explain to you the difference between IPA and RPA. Should one be preferred or the other? The answer to this question is not that obvious. It's actually not about comparing IPA and RPA but rather about understanding how the two technologies are linked.
What is RPA?
Robotic process automation is a technology that allows you to easily create and manage software robots that can act like humans working on a computer.. These robots understand what's on a screen, identify data, and perform a wide range of actions: filling out forms or extracting data. Without these software robots, these time-consuming tasks would have to be carried out by a human.
So RPA frees up your team to take care of more valuable, interesting, and intelligent tasks that we can't leave to machines.. So, RPA robots improve the activity of your human resources.
What is the IPA?
Intelligent process automation is an extremely effective tool for the digital transformation of your business. IPA includes RPA but goes much further. In fact, IPA refers to the application of artificial intelligence and related new technologies - including computer vision, cognitive automation, and machine learning - to RPA. IPA also integrates digital process automation (DPA) to enable your RPA robots to perform tasks more efficiently.. IPA helps your company employees learn about digital transformation by making processes easier to access.
According to our partner Bizagi, the little extra of IPA is in the data layer it brings to the system. Indeed, where RPA automates specific tasks and actions, IPA acts more like an orchestrator.. IPA automates the flow of data between humans and software robots across your business. It connects all of your company's employees, applications, devices, and information channels on a secure platform.
Once the data is all in one place, you can use AI technology to gather deeper insights, allowing for smarter, faster decision-making. This technology can be used either by your employees to improve their daily performance, or to program your software robots..
What is the difference between RPA and IPA?
The difference between RPA and IPA is that RPA is a component of IPA rather than an alternative to it. RPA is used to perform repetitive tasks with minimal variation, while IPA (RPA + DPA + AI) is used to handle more complex end-to-end processes.
RPA applies rules stipulated by humans to perform a task, for example, sending an automatic response to an email. IPA, on the other hand, integrates AI technologies such as machine learning and can therefore perform tasks that require judgment and analysis, without requiring human intervention. In addition, the IPA is able to manage exceptions and learn continuously to improve performance.
Additionally, RPA can only process structured data, while IPA can also handle unstructured data.
Conclusion
So, IPA allows you to transform the way you work for long-term success.. Indeed, this convergence of technologies produces automation capabilities that significantly increase the business value and competitive advantages of your business. Our partner UiPath creates IPA solutions using artificial intelligence to amplify the power of their RPA technology.
About StoryShaper:
StoryShaper is an innovative start-up that supports its customers in defining their digital strategy and the development of automation solutions tailor-made.
Sources: StoryShaper, Bizagi, UiPath
