Enterprise processing needs have skyrocketed due to the increase in data surging from cloud and “internet of things” devices, and manual operations are no longer enough to fulfill the needs of such rapidly evolving compute networks. To help reduce friction and enable continued innovation, enterprises are looking to the power of automation and artificial intelligence to bolster existing manpower.

“Automation Anywhere started about 14 years ago. The goal was to bring the power of automation to every business and every desktop,” said Mihir Shukla (pictured), co-founder and chief executive officer of robotic process automation software company Automation Anywhere Inc. “Now, it is virtually adopted by every business across every industry.”

Shukla spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Imagine 2018 event in New York City. They discussed the capabilities of robotic process automation, or RPA, and how Automation Anywhere is helping businesses stay competitive. (* Disclosure below.)

The next productivity driver

RPA was designed to decrease error rates and operating costs by supplementing human labor with a “digital workforce” that can perform tasks ranging from the menial to the complex. “It simulates human behavior on a computer … and can make basic cognitive decisions if it is a sophisticated RPA as ours is. It can … run things on a computer in an autonomous way,” Shukla said.

Automation Anywhere’s solution is highly intuitive, facilitating ease of use at every level of technological ability. “We had lots of people come together and compete to create the smartest, best-performing bot, and people from all over the … world came. … The person who won was a business user. That kind of attested to how easy it is to be used by everybody,” Shukla said.

With the consumerization of information technology over the last decade, the instant gratification and simplicity that RPA provides is necessary for satisfying customers and maintaining the market’s current economic growth pace. “Digital native companies … [have] created this standard … and with more and more Millennials and Generation Z coming in … it is a must-have if you want return of customers,” Shukla said.

While automation may be a sought after solution for staying competitive at the enterprise level, Shukla believes it also provides an opportunity for greater innovation. “I think in many ways, this will help us improve the standard of living and take us to a higher level. … The world has realized that this is the next large productivity driver,” he concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Imagine 2018. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Imagine 2018. Neither Automation Anywhere Inc., the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE