In July, IBM announced their acquisition of WDG Automation, a Brazilian-based software provider that specializes in Robotic Process Automation (RPA), which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020.
The move enables IBM to expand their automation profile with RPA software and provide seamless integrations into IBM Cloud Pak for Automation and IBM Digital Business for Automation platform, offering their client base fully end-to-end automation platform.
Note, WDG will be available as a standalone service (RPA as a Service) too!
Why WDG Automation?
Founded in 2014, WDG Automation features an RPA platform, WDG Studio that automates repetitive back-office tasks. What makes WDG Studio stand out from other RPA tools is its simplicity. It doesn’t require extensive coding know-how. WDG Studio works by recording how a user interacts with a software application, for example, clicking or entering data. After recorded, WDG Studio then replicates the actions and automates the process.
WDG Automation’s RPA functionality provides clients the ability to accelerate automation to more parts of their organization with complex tasks, which helps their business save time and cut unnecessary operational costs due to redundant, laborious processes.
How the WGA Acquisition Influences IBM Clients
This acquisition allows IBM to host its own RPA tools within its own software suite. With the procurement of WDG Automation, IBM will implement 600 pre-built RPA functions into Cloud Pak for Automation. For consumers who are currently working with or considering working with IBM tools, they won’t have to go to an outside vendor for RPA anymore — they can get the software directly from IBM.
Clients of IBM can now accelerate bot deployment, streamline more end-to-end workflows, and more quickly identify automation opportunities in their business. WDG Automation’s RPA functionality includes the following benefits:
Efficiency
It’s been proven that implementing bots into work processes improves productivity. WDG enables automation of artificial intelligence capabilities, browser actions, data input and more.
Interoperability
With enterprises utilizing all kinds of different systems, interoperability is a sought-out asset. From legacy systems to chatbot and APIs, WDG has made it easy to integrate their solution into any system.
Security
WDG’s architecture is built to optimize security with single sign-on and Password Vault, which protects confidential data and stores log-in credentials for bots.
Reduced Costs
With manual workflows becoming automated, employees can focus on higher-revenue pursuits, resulting in more profit-driven initiatives.
RPA Capabilities Brought Over to IBM
- Unattended Bots: Schedule RPA bots to tackle repetitive, tedious tasks that work on their own without human intervention.
- Attended Bots: Deploy bots to perform repetitive tasks at any time, available on demand.
- Intelligent virtual agent chatbots: Provide and optimize customer experience by integrating RPA commands into chatbots.
- Optical Character Recognition: Extract structured data from unstructured content such as emails or documents.
- Low Code Authoring: Build bots fast and effortlessly with pre-built commands that don’t require code.
- Dashboards: Monitor and gain insights into operations.
Other capabilities within WDG Automation are Intelligent Automation and Interactive Voice Response. IBM also plans to include WDG’s RPA capabilities to automate IT operations within Watson AIOps and Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management.
Note that these added capabilities still permit use of OpenShift and Red Hat Enterprises Linux to run this software and deploy bots through the cloud.
How Pyramid Solutions Can Help
When you implement RPA, you’ll start seeing its affects almost immediately. In fact, it’s reported the return on investment (ROI) with RPA occurs within 12 months, according to Deloitte.
Our RPA services give you access to technical experts that help you every step of the way towards initial or enterprise level RPA implementations.
We feature a comprehensive assessment and roadmap that provides you with a strategy for your next RPA project to expedite your return on investment.
As a client, you’ll receive personal project managers that work alongside your team to understand your IT and business objectives and assess your current workplace environment. ]From this assessment, we’ll be able to identify which of your processes would be best suited for RPA and what third-party integrations you’ll need.
When the assessment is completed, we’ll deliver a roadmap outlining our recommended enterprise approach, our long-term recommendations with the integration of RPA best practices.
We’re available for you as consultants to help prioritize processes and select vendors, as developers to help you with customization and deployment, and as experts to help with training and support.
Note that IBM continues to support RPA vendors Automation Anywhere at this time.
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