A few years back, I wrote a blog entitled “RPA vs API: Which is better and why?“. The question remains as relevant as ever. A fully functioning API is always the first choice. However, APIs can be limited and costly to customize. It can also take months or even years to implement one. Since an API is essentially a “hook” into an application the code can be intricate and not easily changed. RPA, on the other hand, can work with any application. The technology to interact with these applications is only getting better and more advanced. In addition to cloud-based options that are readily available, the scale RPA can work at is unlimited. What limited RPA previously is no longer an issue.
RPA, especially with the UiPath Studio and Studio X and Orchestrator, is without question, the greatest integration platform out there.
It’s often surprising when speaking with customers and prospects about the capability offered. It’s often thought that RPA can only do what the bots are taught to do. That is hardly the case. The RPA platform is built on the .net framework which is the backbone to all things Microsoft. Simple things like Database connections, rest API calls, sFTP are readily available. In addition, any developer can create custom activities in Visual Studio.net and pop them into their bot’s workflow. Essentially you can do anything you need to in the UiPath Studio. Call API’s natively? Check. Make references to libraries? Check. The list goes on and on. The importance of a fully formed development environment is tantamount. To have everything a developer would ever need to accomplish any task really opens the doors to the type of integration capabilities that can exist. Instead of purchasing new software or solutions for everything, companies utilize one platform to solve many issues both simple and complex.
While this may not mean a lot to decision makers at most companies right now, it should.
To have RPA as a tool can reduce the need to buy MORE software or partner with yet another company to accomplish a set of integration points. The UiPath Enterprise platform gives companies a leg up when creating fast and agile solutions needed quickly, without expensive one-off software solutions.
Written by: Peter Camp, CTO & Founder, CampTek Software
