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reviewer1464582 - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate at Cognizant Technology Solutions
Real User
Prompt technical support, good Excel support, and it provides a significant FTE savings
Pros and Cons
  • "The Object Cloning command is the most useful feature. Through the use of this command, between 30% and 40% of the process automation is complete."
  • "In the next release, once the bot is triggered, the system should always recognize the active state and not prompt the user to log in again before the bot finishes all of its tasks."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use Automation Anywhere to automate Windows applications and Web applications. Both of these are easily automatable with the advanced Automation Anywhere commands, which are user-friendly and easy to use in the Financial & Banking services industry.

It can be used to automate the PDF processes, Microsoft Word, as well as Excel. Without manual intervention, the bot can make its own decisions based on the business rules, and its timely actions make the bot to run smoothly. This saves the users' time and compared to manual processes, the bot reduces the effort and time, with it safely run from the control room.

How has it helped my organization?

Automation Anywhere has brought fantastic changes in the process workflows, by automating the maximum number of processes with end-to-end solutions, some of them with 80% of the complete process.

We're able to automate most of the tasks with ease and in less time. We can test seamlessly, before delivering the end product, and once the bots are live it is very easy to maintain.

AA commands are tremendous in obtaining the object properties dynamically once it is captured, and we can select the required properties from the automatically generated ones.

What is most valuable?

The Object Cloning command is the most useful feature. Through the use of this command, between 30% and 40% of the process automation is complete.

The Excel commands are useful for fetching the cell values and then running specific commands. With this feature, we can invoke the existing macros wherever it is required and once it generates the outputs, the results can also be used for further decision making. This helps the process to run uninterrupted and avoids manual intervention.

What needs improvement?

We have observed that AA gets locked sometimes. After being used for hours with the same bot, while still using the Run Window command and having it in an open state, the users received a prompt to log back into the control room. This is not correct, leading the bot to fail at certain times.

In the next release, once the bot is triggered, the system should always recognize the active state and not prompt the user to log in again before the bot finishes all of its tasks.

Buyer's Guide
Automation Anywhere
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Automation Anywhere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,636 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Automation Anywhere for more than three years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It has high scalability and can fit into any organizational environment.

How are customer service and support?

Always, we receive prompt and very good service from the AA Technical support team.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Prior to using AA, we used Macros to automate certain processes, but we were only able to automate 50% of the entire end to end solution. This is because of its lack of consistency to when interacting with the web-based and Windows applications.

Automation Anywhere has excellent features that resolve all of the above problems.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very user-friendly, making it easy to install and ready to use software.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented in-house by following business guidelines.

What was our ROI?

We've delivered approximately 150+ bots and saved about 200 FTEs worth of time per annum. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Regarding the price, licensing, and maintenance, Automation Anywhere provides its customers with its best and affordable value.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other RPA solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I would suggest that if you offer RPA services then you should advertise it well because it will take you further.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1458837 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Makes automating terminal screens easy, but the capability to copy code between bots would be helpful
Pros and Cons
  • "The robust and flexible nature of the product gives it the capability to automate almost all rule-based processes in each and every ERP application that is currently available in the market."
  • "As a business user, I would like to have a feature wherein the bot is run on demand, whenever an email with a specific keyword or whenever a specific pers sends an email to the bot's email address."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use is to provide a digital solution with a view to delivering robust, time-efficient, and error-free solutions to business customers. The requirements for every customer are quite different depending upon their return on investment measures, the need for automation in their organization, etc.

Other than that, I as an individual have found a fondness towards the product, which helps me automate all of my day-to-day activities. They are monotonous and the bot can jump in and make my work life such that I can breathe a little easier.

My environment varies from customer to customer.

How has it helped my organization?

Automation Anywhere has not only my organization but several customers as well. Particularly the organizations from the automobile industry have benefitted from AA in their vision to transform their business objective towards the path of digital transformation. 

In fact, there are more than 25 customers that we have or will have partnerships with. These groups are willing to invest more in automation so that their valuable resources are not wasting their time and energy with monotonous work. Instead, they are better utilized in improving their employee value and thus helping the organization grow.

What is most valuable?

It is very difficult to automate Telnet and Terminal screens using Java or Python. Automation Anywhere has made the automation of these processes pretty much hassle-free and easy to use.

The robust and flexible nature of the product gives it the capability to automate almost all rule-based processes in each and every ERP application that is currently available in the market.

Another added advantage of this product is its capability to automate web-based processes and its ability to automate all processes without compromising a single bit on security.

What needs improvement?

As a developer, I would like to have copy commands available from one bot to another. It is a tedious task to write the same snippet of code in different bots again and again, whereas I could simply copy and paste the patch of code, like in the older versions.

As a business user, I would like to have a feature wherein the bot is run on demand, whenever an email with a specific keyword or whenever a specific person sends an email to the bot's email address. Thereby, I need not worry about setting up a schedule in the WebCR.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Automation Anywhere Enterprise for two years, and the A2019 version for five months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The software can automate almost all web based or desktop based applications. Its wide range of commands makes it possible to automate almost any rule based process with ease. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is pretty good as it covers pretty much all of the applications and almost all processes can be automated.

How are customer service and technical support?

More often than not, I have a quick response from their support team. Hence, I would say I am pretty much happy with the way they are organized as a support team.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have always been a user of Automation Anywhere and did not work with another RPA product.

How was the initial setup?

The Express mode installation is pretty straight forward. However, the SSO (Single sign-on) enablement, which is a requirement for many customers, is a bit complicated because the certificate needs to be installed.

What about the implementation team?

For customers, we have the Automation Anywhere team to support us in case we need any assistance. Otherwise, we do the installation on our own.

As far as the expertise of the Automation Anywhere team, I must admit that they know their product and are very skilled at it.

What was our ROI?

I think the organization has been making some real profits with the help of this product, although I don't really have access to the numbers.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

My organization had a partnership with Automation Anywhere and hence did not have much of a choice.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Automation Anywhere
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Automation Anywhere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,636 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1455387 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Architect at MindTree
Real User
Impressive capabilities using Metabot and good support help us with goal of reducing FTEs
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool feature I found the most valuable is Metabot, as we can include the DLLs that are proprietary written code in .NET or other technologies."
  • "It would be great if they provide installation documents that are easier to understand, place more focus on capturing the fields, and most importantly, concentrate more on the OCR capability."

What is our primary use case?

My primary use case is to minimize the manual, repeated work done across the organizations and putting Bots in place for more accuracy, fastened process timings, and employee satisfaction.

Our major reason for implementing the solution is to reduce the FTE count and allow them to realize the benefits over a period of time. The primary use of this tool is automating areas like HR and admin.

It is easy to implement and most of the shared service areas are getting relieved by implementing Bots as part of the process.

How has it helped my organization?

From the organizational level, Automation Anywhere helped us in getting more business. Each client comes with their own standards, wherein it helps us in understanding their business altogether.

We can provide them the solutions in various ways, helping them with implementing the Bots, which requires us to enter into their core businesses and provide solutions to different areas.

What is most valuable?

The tool feature I found the most valuable is Metabot, as we can include the DLLs that are proprietary written code in .NET or other technologies.

Apart from the functionality, their working model and support are good.

Most of the tool's capabilities and features are very good in terms of architecture. It is easily understandable and very well structured. It is the most promising tool in the market, so it is helpful in attracting customers by demoing the already implemented Bots.

What needs improvement?

It would be great if they provide installation documents that are easier to understand, place more focus on capturing the fields, and most importantly, concentrate more on the OCR capability. Lots of customers come with scanned PDFs, wherein we find that area is more challenging. If a constant solution can be provided to read the non-editable documents, then that would be the highest milestone of the Automation Anywhere.

Lots of companies do not follow the LEAN method, so most of the processes are still with the old models. AA can focus on those areas and introduce some techniques to address those issues within the processes.

They can conduct more regular sessions with partners about their ability and new developments, which will help us in bringing new businesses.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Automation Anywhere for six years.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their support in case of any tickets raised is more helpful for us in resolving the issues at the earliest.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1446603 - PeerSpot reviewer
Bot Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Scalable with a good dashboard and very good technical support.
Pros and Cons
  • "The insights provided by the dashboard are excellent."
  • "If I build a bot today and don't use it, however, in several months, someone tries to use it, there's a 30-40% change the bot will fail in one or two areas."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for universal scanning. As an example, the solution can take various service provider bills and will allow us to view all of them in Excel format. That's a very basic use case.

How has it helped my organization?

In SAP, there are many similar regular tasks that are done regularly. In human resources, we created several core SAP systems so that the basic users, in human resources can reduce redundancies by 10 times with very little cost. We actually didn't expect that outcome. It was a nice surprise.

What is most valuable?

It depends on the use case, however, I'd say the most valuable aspect of the solution is the IQ Bot. 

Normally, you just scan the invoice. However, what makes Automation Anywhere different from other services is machine learning, which includes AI. It's easier and more convenient. 

We can include Python programming language too for getting better results.

The solution provides a Community Edition to all the users. It's a great jumping-off point to learn about automation. There are some features that are reduced, however, it's still quite good.

The insights provided by the dashboard are excellent.

What needs improvement?

If I build a bot today and don't use it, however, in several months, someone tries to use it, there's a 30-40% change the bot will fail in one or two areas. I'm still trying to figure out why. It's on a ticket right now. It may be due to updates or changes to the environment. I'm not sure.

The solution lacks in the approval process area. They need to provide more solutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for about two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is pretty good. The only place it lags is if a bot is made and then not used for many months. Then there can be errors. Other than that, it's got excellent stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is quite scalable, however, it all depends, from customer to customer and what their actual requirements are.

We have about ten to 15 people who use the solution regularly. We also have an administrator who oversees everything.

We plan to expand across both the enterprise and A2019 versions. Currently, we're just exploring its capabilities more and more.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is excellent. I'd rate it ten out of ten. At first, we did run into a lot of issues, and the support team was very kind. They were also very helpful and responsive. We're quite satisfied with their level of service.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I work with RPA technology and have knowledge of multiple companies including Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, Webpack, and multiple other vendors. However, in this company, we've only ever used Automation Anywhere.

I've worked with the free version of Blue Prism for tasks like sending email. It was fine and worked without issue.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex. It's also not straightforward.

If someone is an automation novice, for him to set everything up, he must be very clear and aware of the ports. It's advisable to meet the system requirements. If the system requirements fail, there may be challenges on the system and some features may not work or could potentially work if some adjustments also get made. There needs to be a mastery of the technical network like ports and servers.

If I implement it now, if I just install the automation in my server, then it's a one one-time installation

The deployment time isn't too long. It may just take two or three hours if someone is completely aware of what we are doing.

In order to deploy the solution, one person is enough. You don't need a whole big team.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't have any information about the pricing or licensing on offer. It's my understanding that there's different pricing, depending on how many licenses a client needs. It's very flexible. If a client just needs a certain aspect, they can just get a license for that.

What other advice do I have?

Automation Anywhere has two different versions, or, rather, two different products. One is the Automation Anywhere Enterprise Edition which is only on-premise. Automation Anywhere also has another service that is called A2019, which can be deployed on-premise. 

One of the main differences between the Enterprise Edition of Automation Anywhere is the dollar policy shop. In there, they can't create or customize our own comment. With A2019, you have an option to create our own comments. A2019 is more flexible. I'd advise new users to go for that version, as opposed to the enterprise version.

Overall, I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
reviewer1030035 - PeerSpot reviewer
RPA Architect at a consultancy with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Good performance speeds and strengthens processes, but it needs to be more intuitive
Pros and Cons
  • "I consider the verification station very useful because it allows you to quickly check if the data extracted are correct or if you need to change the process."
  • "You could improve the tools for reading CSV/Excel, also providing wizards or detailed guides, otherwise, it is quite complex to use them, especially at the beginning."

What is our primary use case?

I mainly used AA to extract data from invoices from PDF files with multiple formats and to upload this data to a Data Lake, on a Windows machine.

Other projects involved extracting data from Excel and CSV files and then inserting them into custom applications, databases, and mainframes and finally sending recap emails to the user.

The Bots developed, according to the end user's needs and the type of process, were both attended and unattended. In both cases, the end-users were always satisfied with the functioning and performances of the Bots.

How has it helped my organization?

By automating the process with AA and using the verification station, it was possible to speed up the process and strengthen it, involving the process owner in the verification of the correctness of the data extracted.

It is becoming more and more normal for companies that a process is carried out partly or totally by a Bot, thus allowing humans to dedicate themselves to high value-added activities.

The speed-up and greater control over the quality of the processes have also led to savings in money and are increasing the happiness of the company's customers.

What is most valuable?

I consider the verification station very useful because it allows you to quickly check if the data extracted are correct or if you need to change the process. The process owner is also much happier because he is more involved in the implementation of the Bot and thus it is easier to develop the requirements.

During the test phases and during the review, it is possible to engage the process owner who almost enjoys verifying the correct functioning of the Bot, thanks also to the simple and attractive interface of the verification station.

What needs improvement?

You could improve the tools for reading CSV/Excel, also providing wizards or detailed guides, otherwise, it is quite complex to use them, especially at the beginning.

It would be useful to have an online wiki on each tool that can be used on AA with practical examples of use, with images and videos.

It would also be useful to increase the community and make public in a forum the problems solved by other developers through the support, so that we can use past experience to solve development problems without having to send emails to AA about a problem that may have already been solved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I use Automation Anywhere for five months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I think the final product is quite stable. All the functionalities included in AA are extensively tested and thus do not present strange errors after the Bot has been released into production. AA also handles the release of new versions of the IDE very well, guaranteeing the portability of the code with simple procedures.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a very scalable product, also thanks to some features included in the IDE.

How are customer service and technical support?

So far, I have not used customer service very much.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I currently use both Automation Anywhere and UiPath. Depending on what you need to automate, one may perform better than the other.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite long and full of different phases. It would take only one official AA installation guide with the most detailed step-by-step description and one image per step, without the need to consult more than one guide.

What about the implementation team?

I implemented through a vendor team and their level of expertise is medium-high.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also evaluated UiPath.

What other advice do I have?

It is a tool that allows you to have excellent performance but some features are not intuitive to use.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
CEO at Nine A Business Connect
Real User
Very easily integrates with an environment of an organization
Pros and Cons
  • "So far, we have seen that a valuable feature of Automation Anywhere is the ease of integrating it with multiple systems. It can very easily integrate with an environment of an organization. It helps in a quick go to access and implementation. You don't have to spend days implementing Automation Anywhere software. You can quickly go drag and drop and do an ease of configuration. You can actually get your bot up and running very fast, which is one important advantage."
  • "They should do more on the cognitive side. If they can keep adding more features, that would be their greatest advantage."

What is our primary use case?

I will be talking about some of the leading products from Automation Anywhere, which is their RPA Taskbot and IQ bot. Being a consultant and partner, we have implemented successfully some solutions for Automation Anywhere using IQ bot and Taskbot.

How has it helped my organization?

We have found that finance as a function has always been a very strong use case when it comes to a product like Automation Anywhere. The reason is very strong compliance, quality, error controls, and the speed and efficiency with which Automation Anywhere can deliver projects. Because of this, finance as a function has always been a great user for this type of solution. However, we have also tried implementing Automation Anywhere around some very different use cases in HR.

We have implemented Automation Anywhere solutions for HR recruitment and onboarding, which has helped save a lot of time to go through some of the very detailed resumes with multiple pages of a candidates' profiles, their skill sets, their academics, and their years of experience. When there are hundreds and thousands of such resumes which are applied online through multiple channels, like LinkedIn, Monster, email, or any campaigns, it really becomes very painful for HR organizations to go and scan so many CVs and process, then mine, the best candidates for a particular job request.

So, we use successfully Automation Anywhere product to automate the complete recruitment process, along with our onboarding process as well. It has really worked wonders for the organization and departments.

Finance as a function is driven by cost and the money involved in it. So, if I'm processing an invoice, doing procurement, or expense processing, there is money involved. From a compliance perspective, the value of the bot should be accurate to the second or third decimal. The accuracy of the job being done has a very high sensitivity in finance compared to other functions because there is money involved on the receivable side or payable side. So, either I am to collect money from my customers or I am to pay money to my suppliers or vendors. Everywhere, there is money involved, and you can't execute an incorrect job. You can't execute a wrong document and end up paying less or end up paying more to your suppliers or customers. When it comes to financials, Automation Anywhere has done amazing work in ensuring not only the speed and accuracy of the bot, but also the compliance and error controls through which the bot executes the job at very high satisfaction and tolerance levels. So, I have seen various use cases and success stories where Automation Anywhere is used in finance.

What is most valuable?

So far, we have seen that a valuable feature of Automation Anywhere is the ease of integrating it with multiple systems. It can very easily integrate with an environment of an organization. It helps in a quick go to access and implementation. You don't have to spend days implementing Automation Anywhere software. You can quickly go drag and drop and do an ease of configuration. You can actually get your bot up and running very fast, which is one important advantage.

For a business user, it is not very technical or complex software. Before this, they need to have a lot of training. So, that is the ease and simplicity with which Automation Anywhere can be deployed, not only by a technical team, but also by the business owners. I found this to be a very unique, competitive advantage.

What needs improvement?

The industry is moving towards strong AI and ML-based algorithms. They have already started their journey. Earlier, Automation Anywhere added Taskbot, then they added IQ Bot. I would say bring the AI component into the Automation Anywhere product line, then a user will be able to make a lot of decision-making processes digitally instead of with human intervention. The more that they bring and make their cognitive engine stronger, along with the Taskbot or digital worker, that's where I feel they will have a wonderful contribution to an organization who is looking at a truly digital workforce environment.

They should do more on the cognitive side. If they can keep adding more features, that would be their greatest advantage.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

A good thing about Automation Anywhere are three important things: scalability, durability, and the entire stability of the environment. So, I can start the journey with one, two, five, or 10 bots, then just look at the very comparable enterprise organization where I could apply hundreds of the bots.

Now, in any other situation, when I deploy the bot from our development to UAT to a production environment, and bots are running in a production environment, what I should not be worried about is: Are those bots running? Are the tasks getting completed on time? All that stuff. 

Stability of Automation Anywhere bots is very high. So, a one side deploys these bots successfully. I don't have to worry much whether the bot is stable. Is the bot performing? Even after deploying the bot, do I have to go back and check ii the bot is having some problems? Or, are there some errors being induced?

In the Control Room, I am able to see the complete dashboard of all the bots: 

  • Which bots I have deployed (hundreds of them)?
  • How many bots are in progress? 
  • How many bots are running? 
  • How many bots have thrown some error because of incorrect jobs or processes?

That gives me very quick access to the entire deployment of my bots. I can access that dashboard, even from my mobile. Even if I'm not in office and I'm head of the enterprise or a COE architecture, I can just log into my mobile and see how many bots are performing well, how many bots have done the job in time, etc.

The stability of the whole architecture is the essence of Automation Anywhere, if you ask me.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is huge. I have seen organizations who don't want to invest big during the initial phase, even if they have a big appetite to deploy hundreds of bots. They normally start with five or 10 bots. The best part about Automation Anywhere is you can start with five, 10, 50, 100, 200, or 300 bots. Today, the Control Room can manage 300 to 400 Bot Runners in a single architecture.

So, organizations don't have to worry that after a 100 bots they won't have to do another architecture change or shift the entire environment here or there. They can keep on adding bots and keep scaling their organization to hundreds of bots.

You can configure bots to do multiple tasks in a series or in batch mode, depending upon the type of task. Ideally, when you assign a job to the bot, it will try to finish it. But, if there is some parallel processing required for some business requirement, I can make a few bots do the job parallel, then I can take over from where the other guys left off. That is another ease of Automation Anywhere. Bots can be configured the way you want to perform your operations.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have worked with their technical support. I would rate them quite well. It is improving day by day. From the initial days, when we used to approach the technical support, we definitely used to get a lot of technical insight from them related to Automation Anywhere. Today, when we talked to them for environments outside Automation Anywhere which are a customer environment, they are able to assist us. They are able to guide us on something, even as a part of the enterprise architecture. 

The best part I have seen is the technical capabilities and support metrics to help the customers and partners (like us) are improving day by day. That is the biggest advantage of why they are able to reach this scale of enterprise penetration today.

How was the initial setup?

In this forum, we have come to know that they're also coming out with a browser version. Today, we have to install the software on a PC, desktop, or server. What they are coming out with now is like a browser version, which quickly can be applied instead of an installation. That is amazing. That will be disruptive. You can now deploy hundreds of bots at a very fast pace, and that's an amazing thing to look forward to.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have seen environments where customers do have multiple product lines for doing different functionalities or process automations. While comparing various competitors, we have found that if a customer is at the SMB or medium scale of deployment, say two, five, or 10 bots, there are competitive products available . But, any organization who has gone enterprise scale of hundreds of bot has chosen Automation Anywhere because the way they have created their entire governments and architecture. Customers are more comfortable with Automation Anywhere when it comes to scalability.

Two or three bots, we have seen competitors here and there. But, the moment you move into large scale bot deployments, we have seen comfort more with Automation Anywhere compared to other competitors.

What other advice do I have?

Last year, I would have rate them an eight (out of 10). This year, I would rate them a nine (out of 10) because I'm seeing a lot of improvements coming. As an observer in the industry, a consultant, and a partner, this is what look upon to any giant like Automation Anywhere to bring a lot of exciting new features every year. This is required by everybody in the organization and globally. That's why I would say nine out of 10. I would have said 10 out of 10, but I want them to bring more such features, and maybe next year I'll be saying 10 out of 10.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
Associate Dean Placements at KL university
Real User
A user can easily adopt this technology and utilize it
Pros and Cons
  • "A user can easily adopt this technology and utilize it, when compared to the other available resources in the market."
  • "For future prospects, this tool should 80 percent deal with neural networks, deep learning, and artificial intelligence and that has to be integrated a lot. As these are future skills, these integrations will help us take the tool to take to the next level."

What is our primary use case?

I work for KL University as an associate professor. I take care of internships, placements, and industry connect. I'm the associate dean of internships, placements, and industry connect at KL University.

In our university, we have started a center of excellence in association with Automation Anywhere. This robotic process automation tool is very important in terms of distal transformations. 

The majority of students are doing a lot of robotic projects with the help of the bot that we have established in our university.

Another way that this tool helps is professors are doing a lot of researching initiators in terms of automation, wherever there is automation, there is the possible usage of RPA.

How has it helped my organization?

The majority of students are showing a lot of interest in this tool as it deals with process automation. Once students are done with the certification and training, the majority of recruiters are showing interest because RPA is doing an excellent job in the market. The majority of Indian companies are showing a lot of interest in recruiting students who are trained in this Automation Anywhere RPA tool. When compared to current skills in the market, Automation Anywhere is a hard skill, where in universities in an Indian-based culture, this place a wider role.

What is most valuable?

A user can easily adopt this technology and utilize it, when compared to the other available resources in the market.

What needs improvement?

A majority of this tool works on automation. For future prospects, this tool should 80 percent deal with neural networks, deep learning, and artificial intelligence and that has to be integrated a lot. As these are future skills, these integrations will help us take the tool to take to the next level.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This product is very stable in the market because the adoption of this product is very clear. There is no complexity. Plus, anyone can learn this tool. In India, if a tool comes along, people think that it is relevant to technical guys. However, if someone goes through RPA, a non-IT guy or IT guy (anyone) can adopt this technology, as it is easy to adapt. The unique selling proposition of this product is adaptability is good. So, this product will be the stable in the market.

How are customer service and technical support?

The majority of the technical support that we get will be through digitization. If someone wants to go through a digital process automation, this is one of the best tool to adapt it. When compared to other products on the market, the adaptability and usage are very easy. Moreover, getting the resources who are trained in Automation Anywhere, we can get that very easily. As Automation Anywhere is giving this technology for free, as there are no commercials involved, the majority of the skilled workforce are showing a lot of interest. That will be the future of this product.

How was the initial setup?

There are quick user manuals clearly available. We can easily install the product and start working immediately. There are very big eLearning resource contents available. With the help of Automation Anywhere team in India, they are providing a lot, just to support student and faculties in universities. There is a quick learning process with the help of eLearning resources.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

This is a one of the best automation tools where we can have quick transformations when compared to other tools available in the market.

The most interesting about this product when compared to the other products on the market: 

  1. The resources available.
  2. eLearning access is available.
  3. The certifications are free of cost.
  4. Adaptability is easy.
  5. The implementation part is easy.

What other advice do I have?

I can give it an eight out of 10. We need it to add something. It is a little too early, and they are working on that. If they can add more on these things, this will be one of the future leader of the market. While it is already a future leader, it will goes into the next level of the market.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
RpaLead259a - PeerSpot reviewer
RPA Lead at Juniper Networks
Real User
Doesn't require coding knowledge. Screen resolution changes when unattended bots are run in the background.
Pros and Cons
  • "It doesn't require any coding knowledge. Any business person can automate this process."
  • "Sometimes, the ESX services will stop. We are working with IT to resolve this, as it's not our fault. Automation Anywhere is stopping the service, and during that time, the bot will be stopped. Right now, we are logging into the client machine and restarting/rebooting them, then restarting the services. As some of our processes run at night, we won't know that the service is down since our processes run 24/7. This issue is then escalated to the manager. This is the current challenge that we are facing, and we would like them to improve this."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for finance and logistics-related tasks in departments that we are automating. E.g., for finance, we are using it for cash and bank reconciliation. For logistics, we automated eBay billing for the government portal before any goods can come out of the airport or get inside the airport for any package. We are using Automation Anywhere to create the transits IDs for this.

The product is deployed via internal cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

For the cash and bank reconciliation, we brought down amount of days it takes to do the reconciling and announcing the results. Previously, it took 10 to 15 days. Now, it takes two days.

What is most valuable?

It runs in the background.

It doesn't require any coding knowledge. Any business person can automate this process.

What needs improvement?

We started with attended bots and are in the process of migrating to unattended bots. We are facing a lot of issues with unattended bots as Automation Anywhere is not supporting this. When we run unattended bots in the background, the screen resolution changes. That needs to be improved because it might cause our IR operations or objects to fail.

Attended automation is fine but it is not the favorable because we are looking for an unattended bots. If we want to trigger bots manually, then we need a resource for that. Therefore, there is no point in hiring a resource only to run the bot. They need to improve the scheduler.

There are a couple of issues which needs to be rectified. Otherwise, Automation Anywhere is like using the Windows Scheduler. Aside from the Control Room, it's normal automation, and you can use other tools for that.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using it for almost two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sometimes, the ESX services will stop. We are working with IT to resolve this, as it's not our fault. Automation Anywhere is stopping the service, and during that time, the bot will be stopped. Right now, we are logging into the client machine and restarting/rebooting them, then restarting the services. As some of our processes run at night, we won't know that the service is down since our processes run 24/7. This issue is then escalated to the manager. This is the current challenge that we are facing, and we would like them to improve this.

Automation with bots runs fine only if it is an attended bot. With unattended bots, the bots run only 25 to 30 percent of the time.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are not using it to its full scale. We have deployed only nine bots in production and two in development. We are only using three or four bots completely. Rest are going unused, so we are not looking to scale out anytime soon.

How are customer service and technical support?

We hardly get a solution out of the technical support. I would rate them as a five out of 10. There is a lack of ownership.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

In Juniper, we had automation for different tools, like dashboards and visualizations. We used Tableau. Therefore, we upgraded some of the manual gap, then we began to explore other tools at that time. That is how we came to know about Automation Anywhere.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

Approvals are taking us more time than development. For the bigger products, it takes four to six months to scale. If it is a smaller product, then it can take 45 days.

What about the implementation team?

We are using consultants who are developing our bots for us.

We receive help from customer support.

What was our ROI?

We have not seen ROI in the last year. We should see ROI on the platform in two or three years.

If we use attended bots, there is no ROI in the product.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Our annual licensing costs for the entire company are $100,000.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did a PoC with UiPath as well. We felt Automation Anywhere was better than UiPath because of its features, like its Control Room.

UiPath is better for development because its workflow feature.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate the solution as a six out of 10 due to the resolution issue. It is a major issue that we are facing with the tool.

Get the approvals done before investing. We wasted the license for six months. The licenses were unused because we didn't have the approvals for the application. We procured it and kept it for six months. Therefore, before investing, get the approvals internally, then go for it.

We have integrated Automation Anywhere with SAP (ERP system) and BlackLine (reconciliation tool). For integrating, we are using web scaping tools and object cloning.

I am certified Automation Anywhere RPA professional with Automation Anywhere University. I am looking for courses on solution architecture and would like to have something for this in the University.

We don't use Citrix automation.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: November 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Automation Anywhere Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.