1. RPA is only 7 per cent complete – report
Just 7 per cent of digitally enabled task workers have been impacted by the use of RPA, according to an IDC white paper commissioned by RPA vendor UiPath. The white paper also predicts a 70 per cent compound annual growth rate in the number of task workers who will be impacted by RPA between 2020 and 2025, eventually bringing the proportion impacted up to 10 per cent.

2. Microsoft updates Power Automate RPA to address ‘hyperautomation’
Microsoft has extended the reach of its Power Automate robotic process automation (RPA) and cloud integration platform with process capture and analytics capabilities. Microsoft process advisor will help Power Automate go beyond RPA into broader hyperautomation, defined by Gartner as a business-driven, disciplined approach to rapidly identify, vet and automate as many business and IT processes as possible.

3. Salesforce throws hat into RPA ring
Salesforce is looking to enter the RPA market by buying German RPA company Servicetrace. Salesforce intends to make Servicetrace part of MuleSoft, the API and integration company it bought in 2018. The aim is for Servicetrace to add an automation layer to MuleSoft’s tool kit.

4. Blue Prism agrees to US buyout
Automation firm Blue Prism is set to be sold for £1.1 billion in the latest takeover of a UK tech company by a foreign buyer. It has reached a deal with US tech backer Vista to go private and merge with TIBCO, another Vista-owned software business. Blue Prism builds software to automate back-office tasks like invoicing and compliance checks, and supported NHS efforts to order PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5. RPA accelerating business transformation – panel
The market for RPA grew substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a discussion at VentureBeat’s Transform 2021 virtual conference, enterprises looked to scale up operations while lightening the load on remote workers. Research by Deloitte found that 53 per cent of respondents are beginning to deploy RPA.

6. Konica Minolta and Automation Anywhere announce RPA alliance
RPA provider Automation Anywhere has announced an agreement to enhance Konica Minolta’s Intelligent Information Management services portfolio with its cloud-native platform. This will enable customers to simplify the automation of end-to-end business processes, bringing significant productivity gains and helping customers with digital transformation. Automation Anywhere also announced a new tool for simplifying how enterprises adopt, deploy and scale RPA, as well as launching a learning and support hub with resources designed to guide customers through process automation development and implementation workflows.

7. CFOs need to broaden approach to automation – report
CFOs are “overusing” robotic process automation (RPA) to meet efficiency goals in data management and simplify tasks as part of their digitisation strategy, according to Gartner. This goes against the trend of hyperautomation, which requires the adoption of various automation initiatives, rather than just a single type of tool.

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