Modern enterprises are based on an ecosystem of different applications. A single business process can involve a CRM, ERP, marketing automation tools, HR platforms, and collaboration software. While each application is very good in its own right, the workflows that span across different tools are often plagued with fragmentation, manual effort, and inefficiency.
Enterprise app automation addresses this challenge. By connecting applications and workflows and automating repetitive processes, organizations can reduce their carbon footprint, improve the accuracy of their data, and make a faster way in their decision-making process.
This article explores enterprise app automation in depth, covering its benefits, technical foundations, real-world use cases, ROI potential, and implementation best practices. Platforms like Workato will be discussed as a good automation option.
The Enterprise Challenge: Disparate Systems & Manual Processes
Enterprises nowadays typically have dozens of applications that are executed across departments. While these systems make the departments more efficient, disconnected workflows produce bottlenecks in the operations:
- Manual Data Entry: Employees spend hours on transferring data from one system to another, and that is a wastage of productivity.
- Delayed Reporting: Consolidating data in a delayed way, which is manually done, hinders decision-making.
- Process Inconsistency: With a lack of automation, processes would vary from one team to another, which leads to errors and inefficiency.
- Limited Visibility: Managers have a hard time gaining a single perspective of processes and performance measures.
Enterprise app automation is designed to solve these challenges, enabling organizations to connect systems, streamline workflows, and improve operational agility.
What is enterprise app automation?
Enterprise app automation involves connecting multiple applications and orchestrating workflows across them. And unlike simple automation that will occur within one application, it is focused on cross-application workflows that will allow for consistent and efficient processes throughout the organization.
Key Features Include:
- Integration Across Systems: Everything flows with no problem between the applications.
- Workflow Orchestration: Workflow takes place in a predetermined order within various tools.
- Automated Execution: Actions are triggered automatically based on events or conditions.
- Monitoring and Analytics: Workflows are monitored, optimized, and analyzed in real time.
Examples of Enterprise App Automation:
- When a new lead is captured in a CRM, the marketing email is sent out, the sales pipeline is updated, and a follow up task is automatically scheduled.
- Accounts are created across the HR, IT, and collaboration platforms without manual intervention with the help of employee onboarding provisions.
- Approval of the invoice in ERP systems will update the accounting software and inform the managers.
The Technical Foundations of Enterprise App Automation
Modern enterprise automation platforms are built around three pillars of technology: integration, orchestration, and governance.
Integration Layer
The integration layer helps to communicate the applications with each other in the secured and live data:
- APIs and Webhooks: Make System-to-System Communication.
- Pre-built Connectors: Make it easy for you to integrate with popular enterprise applications.
- Event-Driven Architecture: Causes workflow to flow in an automatic manner due to some events.
Workflow Orchestration
Orchestration is providing the execution of tasks in the right order on multiple applications. Features include:
- Approval or branching workflows are conditional and logical.
- Time Management and Dependency Management
- Automated Notifications Escalation process.
Monitoring, Analytics, and Governance
Automation platforms are used to provide dashboards and real-time monitoring to ensure that things are running as expected. Some of the features of governance include:
- Role-based access controls
- Audit trails for compliance
- Analytics of Workflow Improvement
External reference: Forrester Report on Enterprise Automation Platforms
Business Benefits of Enterprise App Automation
Implementing enterprise app automation delivers measurable benefits:
Accelerated Operations
Automating the same tasks reduces the cycle times. For instance, the onboarding of a customer across multiple systems may occur within a few minutes vs. days.
Increased Accuracy, Data Error
Automation helps in reducing errors due to manual data input and maintaining consistency of activities for all applications.
Enhanced Compliance and Governance
Rule-based workflows are supporting the backup of internal policies and compliance with regulations in an automated manner. This reduces the risk factor in the areas of finance, HR, and operations.
Increased Cross-Functional Collaboration
Automation enables seamless communication and task handoffs between departments, which can help to improve efficiency and transparency.
Quantifiable ROI
According to Deloitte, the productivity of organizations that implement enterprise automation solutions has improved by an average of 20-30%, and they have 40% fewer errors, including operational errors.
Enterprise App Automation in Action
Scenario 1: Sales and Marketing Alignment
- CRM leads are used to send automatic email campaigns and follow-up schedule of leads.
- Tasks are created in project management tools without making any manual interventions.
- Marketing performance dashboards are dynamic and up-to-date.
Scenario 2: Workflows of Finance and accounting
- Based on predefined thresholds, the invoice approvals are sent on an automated basis.
- Accounting and ERP systems are in synchronization in real-time.
- Consolidated financial reporting is performed without manual involvement.
Scenario 3: Automation of IT & HR
- Employee onboarding accounts, access, and training are automatically created.
- Offboarding and revoked access and archives data efficiently.
Platforms That Enable Enterprise App Automation
Workato is one such example of a platform for enterprise-scale automation. Its features include:
- Low-Code Workflow Design: Allows User to Create Visual Work flows for business users.
- Cross-App Connectors: Hundreds of Cross-App Integrations Pre-built.
- AI-Driven Orchestration: Predicts and Intelligently Windows Workflows.
- Governance and Security: Role-based access and audit trails.
External reference: Workato Product Overview
Such platforms are able to solve the main issue of the disconnected application due to operational efficiency, scalability, and understanding of automated workflows.
Best Practices for Implementing Enterprise App Automation
- Identify High-Impact Workflows: Focus on repetitive processes that cross multiple applications.
- Start with Low-Code Solutions: Empowering Business Users to Design Workflows.
- Integrate Governance Early: Make it so that there’s some compliance and auditing from day one.
- Monitor and Optimize Continuously: Dashboards and analytics can be used to optimize and fine-tune automation.
- Train Teams: Train staff regarding the best practices of dealing with automated systems.
Conclusion: Enterprise App Automation as a Strategic Imperative
Enterprise app automation is essential for modern organizations seeking efficiency, agility, and strategic insight. Through connecting applications with one another, sequences of activities (workflows) and repetitive job tasks, businesses can:
- Silos and integration of operations.
- Reduce the manual work and errors.
- Improve real-time decision-making.
- Enable Cross-Functional Collaboration.
There are platforms like Workato that provide integration, low-code, automation, and AI orchestration that help enterprises to implement these types of solutions on a large scale. For organizations seeking operational excellence and competitive advantage, enterprise app automation is foundational.
FAQs:
What is enterprise app automation?
Enterprise app automation connects multiple business applications and automates workflows across them, reducing manual effort, improving accuracy, and enabling faster decision-making.
Which are the most benefited departments?
Sales, marketing, finance, HR, IT, operations, and customer support are all potential beneficiaries of cross-application automation in terms of efficiency and accuracy.
Will the non-technical users be able to implement automation?
Yes. Low-code platforms like Workato allow the business user to create workflows with zero knowledge of programming.
How does automation help to increase compliance?
Automation enforces standardization of processes, creates audit trails, and ensures compliance with regulations, reducing operation risks.
Does automation replace the existing software?
No. It improves and orchestrates existing applications and creates agile workflows at no cost of replacing existing systems.
How can the enterprises measure ROI?
Metrics such as reduced process cycle times, reduced error rates, increased employee productivity, and faster reporting are some ways to provide measurable ROI.