Information security is the foundation of business. RPA bots should operate in an isolated software environment to eliminate the possibility of exposure to malware. For example, an intruder can change the code so that it starts transferring money to other accounts. Or make the bot deliberately make mistakes when processing loan applications. This will lead to a drop in sales and negatively affect the company's reputation. Trust robotization only to proven specialists and firms that guarantee the security of business processes after its implementation.
When technology replaces humans, it often causes resistance in society. You need to be prepared for the fact that employees will not accept automation and will try to prevent it. On the one hand, robotization can provide workers with new opportunities for career growth. Under the pressure of progress, some specialties are disappearing. There is a high probability that over time, the need for database operators, financial operators and controllers, visitor registrars, first-line technical support specialists, etc. will disappear.
It should also be noted that when lawyer database starting to robotize business processes in your enterprise, you should form a RPA competency department.
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Examples of RPA implementation
Let's look at several cases of Russian enterprises that implemented RPA technologies during the quarantine period.
Automation of monitoring of scrap metal purchases at the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works with the implementation of RPA bots
Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) is one of the largest steel producers in the world. Even earlier, this company robotized some types of operations, including accounting, procurement, logistics and personnel management. A recent achievement was the implementation of RPA technologies in processes related to payment for the purchase of raw materials.
Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works
Project goal: To robotize monitoring of all stages of scrap metal acquisition.
Final task: Increase the number of suppliers, volumes of purchased raw materials and reduce risks associated with unscrupulous sellers. To solve this, it is necessary to ensure strict control at all stages of the process.
Monitoring scrap metal purchases manually requires many employees. Robotization allowed us to maintain and reduce current business processes and did not require large investments in updating the IT infrastructure.
The project took approximately 6 months to complete.
When implementing robotics at MMK, some obstacles related to information security arose. For example, it was discovered that only users registered in the HR system could log into the enterprise's ERP, which created difficulties when trying to add a robot in the format of a technological record. A solution to this problem was found by linking each RPA bot to a specific employee. At the same time, employees retained full responsibility for critical operations.
Thanks to robotization, it was possible to automate and accelerate the processing of 32 thousand operations and 20 thousand documents within the framework of supply control. The number of employees engaged in the purchase of scrap metal, thanks to the implementation of RPA, was reduced several times. This task is now handled by 4 people.
It was decided to scale the RPA bot to suppliers from the Russian Federation. Despite some differences in the processes, the created platform allowed to quickly solve such a problem with minimal costs. And this is despite the fact that the volume of document flow increased significantly, and the load on the robot increased 5 times.