Agentic Process Automation (APA) Platform

I have been working with Automation Anywhere for one year. During this time, I worked with one of the clients who was using Automation Anywhere, and I worked with them for nearly one year.

Automation Anywhere has a lot of readymade activities, and they have introduced the queue concept, similar to UiPath, making their workflow much easier now. They have added a few new features that support image-based automation. For database-related activities, they have a queue. They have a lot of new activities, such as a multi-bot architecture that can be created by using queue, which will help resolve business cases. Automation Anywhere is a good tool compared to UiPath, and we can use both as per the requirement.

Regarding the learning curve for Automation Anywhere, I believe they have made it easy for freshers to learn. Initially, when I started in the 2017-18 period, they had not introduced the trial version. Automation Anywhere now has a trial version, making it easy for freshers to learn because most of the activities are drag and drop, and only a small code is needed, allowing a non-technical person to learn and implement the code easily.

Feature-wise, the document understanding and document extraction part in Automation Anywhere is a very good feature, as most of the clients require invoice extraction, PDF extraction, and email extraction. This feature is very good, with high-quality extraction, accuracy, and confidence level.

Automation Anywhere's Co-pilot is good, and I have started learning it. It helps to give accurate results.

Automation Anywhere's ability to integrate with the organization's day-to-day applications depends on the requirement. OpenAI and other integrations are also in the picture. We are using GPT-6 now, so Co-pilot and GPT have mostly similar features that will help to make decisions at runtime.

I believe there is an extra licensing cost in the queue for Automation Anywhere. I have asked many candidates in interviews about the queue side, and they don't have much experience with the multi-bot architecture features. Automation Anywhere should introduce some trials for the queue-based concept because it's an extra cost.

If they offer practical implementation approaches free or a trial version, then people can learn better. UiPath has made everything almost free for learning now, which allows companies to directly tie up and get initial learning trial versions. If Automation Anywhere also provides new AI features as a free trial, they can evaluate and propose good solutions to clients.

Regarding maintenance, I don't think Automation Anywhere requires much. However, I have one suggestion: UiPath has REFramework and other frameworks. If Automation Anywhere can introduce some framework for direct use, that would be beneficial, as everything could potentially be in the framework itself. If we have a multi-bot architecture, the Dispatcher-Performer model manages everything. In Automation Anywhere, we need to develop a different framework for each client, which is an area for improvement.

Looking forward, I expect the next release of Automation Anywhere to include a trial version and a framework tailored to client needs. If they can introduce a queue-based trial version for demo purposes, that would be advantageous. The reduction in cost is a positive aspect, and while support is good, introducing a few of the latest features as a trial version would make it easier for both freshers and seniors. Implementing these suggestions could help Automation Anywhere grow even better.

In terms of scalability, I believe there is no limitation currently. If we want to scale up, there could be an introduction of a package that includes all components as a complete solution. I think this might be sufficient, especially considering the multi-bot architecture, as everything would then be integrated efficiently.

I would rate the technical support by Automation Anywhere as an 8 out of 10.

I have heard from one of the clients that Automation Anywhere's support is very good now, but this was not always the case. If we raise any ticket, the resolution time has been reduced compared to before. I would rate the customer service experience positively, and according to my knowledge, the costing has also reduced. These improvements definitely give an upper hand to Automation Anywhere, especially with their support compared to UiPath.

The initial setup of Automation Anywhere is straightforward. The installation is very easy. Automation Anywhere has introduced a cloud version now, and initially, it was not a cloud version. We can now install the cloud version and utilize web-based automation. We can easily drag and drop to develop applications within an hour, even big applications.

Both tools are very familiar to me, and I think both are good. However, UiPath has an upper hand as they are evolving with the market and offering many free features for training. This is a lack in Automation Anywhere that can be improved.

We have a partner to purchase Automation Anywhere. I have worked with one or two clients where we are the channel partner, suggesting which license is suitable for customers.

Feature-wise, I have not used Automation Anywhere extensively. I have used it for one year as an architect, and while it has easy usability and many new features compared to UiPath, some features are not available in the trial version now. If they can make a few new features available as a trial version for practice, it will benefit trainers and freshers to learn and make suggestions.

UiPath has introduced free features for learning purposes, helping clients easily access POCs and research. It's difficult to find free trial licenses, and having only a few clients for Automation Anywhere is a significant differentiator from UiPath.

I think Automation Anywhere deserves an 8 out of 10.

Upgrading Automation Anywhere is straightforward. An installable is available, and to upgrade to another version, I only have to download the .exe file, click it, and it will upgrade seamlessly. It is easy and not a difficult task.