We are using a virtual machine and running the UiPath bots on that virtual machine. A little bit of cloud is involved, but mostly, it's on-premises because it's a sensitive environment.
From my end, UiPath does require some maintenance. A dedicated team oversees all the existing processes that are running live. In some cases, there will be some maintenance required.
For example, if the bot's accuracy level has reduced because of some internal applications being updated or changed, the bot has to be recalibrated to adapt to the new environment. In some cases, the bot will stop, and it has to be monitored and fixed. A dedicated team is monitoring and maintaining the bots as of now.
I advise users to consider the environment where the solution will be used, the features of UiPath, and the challenges. They should consider how much UiPath would benefit that environment and how much benefit the end user will receive by implementing UiPath. UiPath has its own challenges and benefits. Do the proper research, and if you believe UiPath will be a good solution, go for it by all means.
I will say it's fairly easy to do the automation. It's fairly straightforward and easy to use. Everything is simplified to the basic ground level. Everything is in the UI elements, and using those automation tools in UiPath is quite simple.
I believe UiPath can do some automation for a good cause. Since most transactions running today are digitized, UiPath can automate all those transactions and activities, usually in an efficient environment and workflow. That would, in turn, have a huge impact on everything around it, like the environment or supporting NGOs and other organizations. UiPath can be used in such situations and will be very productive.
Since we are a UiPath vendor, we have been doing all those end-to-end automation for our clients. We have been implementing end-to-end automation for a long time now. For each case, we are supporting businesses to move from a manual workforce to a digital workforce. I can share a few live scenarios where we implement the automation for the client.
Currently, there are some cases where the customer has to replenish an ATM for a banking corporation. We are automating it end-to-end, starting from the request to replenish the ATM until the replenishment has been done. Then, the data has to be reflected in the internal application related to the bank.
We start with taking the request, passing it to a third-party vendor who will do the replenishment, and we'll take the reports from them. Then, we'll do the data entry in the internal application, which will, in turn, be stored in the organization's back end. It's a huge database where all the data is monitored closely. So, we have implemented this solution of automating their ATM replenishment.
Another use case is fraud calls, which some clients receive from outsiders. We are helping the bank mitigate all the risks and reduce the damages caused by those fraudsters by automating all their required actions, as proposed by the bank's policy, in dealing with all these fraudsters. I cannot disclose more since there is an NDA between me and my clients.
The UiPath's user community is very helpful. There is the forum, and there is the UiPath support. Most of the time, we reach out to the UiPath support for any concern we have related to the UiPath's functionality. The forums are also a great help. They have many topics, and a lot of knowledge can be gained from those forums, with everyone sharing their knowledge.
So, both have different uses and different scenarios to reach them. One is the support, and one is the forum, but both are very helpful in everything they provide.
As a vendor, we are supposed to develop and maintain the solutions we provide, including UiPath. The on-prem footprint is increasing as we implement more automation. However, the on-prem footprint has been reduced from a manual workforce because everything is automated and fully digitalized. So, there are two different angles to this. The on-prem footprint is increasing from the vendor side and reducing from the manual workforce side.
We have been using UiPath Academy courses for different roles. As a vendor, we are required to take these courses as and when they are available or updated. So, my team members and I take those courses on a frequent basis, at least once a year.
UiPath's AI functionality is something we are exploring now as a vendor. We have not implemented it in any client-side projects, but we are exploring that angle to see the possibilities of combining UiPath and AI. We plan to use AI along with UiPath in the foreseeable future.
UiPath does increase the speed of digital transformation because we are digitalizing the workforce and all the transactions carried out internally in the bank. It incurs a cost, but I wouldn't be able to answer whether it has increased or reduced the cost of digitalization. A mid-level to senior-level management employee will be able to answer it. As of now, I'm a consultant, but we are not aware of such commercialization details.
UiPath has greatly helped reduce human error by a huge margin, up to 80% to 100%.
One of the huge advantages of UiPath is that it frees up a lot of employee time by taking a huge workload from the employee and passing it to the bot. The main aim of implementing UiPath automation on any project is to reduce the workload on human users.
Overall, I rate UiPath a nine out of ten.