Desktop

Robotic desktop automation (RDA) and robotic process automation (RPA) are both powerful, easy-to-use technologies that use automation software to streamline business processes. While similar, RDA specifically focuses on automating data-sensitive repetitive tasks where an employee must be at the desktop and use their credentials in real-time to trigger actions. It’s a great option as it increases work efficiency without sacrificing governance or compromising security.

In contrast, RPA handles the end-to-end automation of complex processes across multiple systems and applications. It uses software robots that mimic actions and perform tasks through step-by-step instructions. Where RDA must have a desktop-based employee, RPA can be done attended, unattended or in a hybrid capacity. Choosing between these automation tools depends on your automation goals and requirements.

Businesses that need a way to automate repetitive, data-sensitive tasks that must run on employee desktops and with constant human interaction will use robotic desktop automation. This is ideally suited to industries like healthcare, banking, customer support, defense and government, requiring users to complete activities using their login credentials to maintain a complete audit trail.

For example, desktop automation helps front-line customer support agents deliver faster responses by automatically checking information on systems during a call. In healthcare, this can be used in updating health records.

Desktop automation often involves the automation of other applications based in your computer system. It allows users to run centrally developed, validated and audited processes through UI automation, or ‘User Interface’ automation. By automating UI interactions, testers can simulate user actions to detect bugs, ensure software stability and improve the overall quality of the application. UI automation makes it easier for employees to run and understand their automations without needing to know complex code. For example, you can build your desktop automation to access, interact and complete a task with applications such as Microsoft Excel and Outlook.

To simplify this, you can choose from a list of processes that have been made available to you in Desktop with us. If a desktop application connection is unavailable, you can import or create a connection.