What is our primary use case?
As integrators, we specialize in developing solutions on various platforms, with a focus on WorkFusion, UIPath, Blue Prism, and Automation Anywhere. Additionally, we have developed our own RPA solution.
To clarify, we don't handle the deployment process. Typically, the environment is already set up by the time we arrive. Our role is to automate the business processes.
I believe the situation with our client is quite complicated. They were attempting to upgrade from version 6.7 to 6.10 but encountered various challenges during testing.
Although we made migration efforts, other teams faced issues, and the upgrade had to be postponed.
Currently, the production version remains at 6.7 or 6.6, while the development version is at 6.7.
Blue Prism is primarily used for invoice and document processing.
We use a basic capture function within the platform to extract information from various types of documents, including PDFs.
If the documents are consistent, we can work with them efficiently.
What is most valuable?
It's hard to make a definitive statement as we work with the tools available to us. While I haven't had much exposure to the latest version of WorkFusion, I've heard good things about it.
I switched from another RPA platform to Blue Prism, and I personally appreciate the way they handle queues and their overall approach.
Blue Prism is a typical RPA platform that uses a low-code approach with its own strengths and weaknesses. I don't have any specific details to share about Blue Prism at the moment.
I find Blue Prism's debugging functionality to be quite useful.
What needs improvement?
The tasks we use it for performed well, although there may be some minor issues with the 6.10 version. However, like every software, it is possible for it to have its own shortcomings that will eventually be addressed.
In our business processes, we encountered an issue with a selector that stopped working, but we were able to create a workaround for it since it was only affecting one selector in one area. I don't think it's fair to place all the blame on Blue Prism because the application we were automating was heavily reliant on JavaScript, which caused difficulties in building the user interface.
In my opinion, every platform would have faced similar challenges when automating such an application. However, we were able to resolve the issue and move forward with upgrading the system.
I am not aware of any problems that other teams may have encountered, so I can't say for sure. I can't immediately think of any specific features either. I would need to take some time to consider it and discuss it with our team before making any definitive statements.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have experience working with Blue Prism as a developer and have obtained certification as a developer. As such, I am quite familiar with the platform.
I have been working with Blue Prism for two and a half years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Occasionally, there may be stability issues where certain nodes begin to behave erratically and produce errors.
However, this is typically resolved by restarting the nodes. While I am not personally involved in monitoring and addressing such issues, we have had this problem before and have even developed monitoring tools to detect these issues early and automatically restart nodes when necessary.
I would not say that this issue happens very often, I would rate the stability a seven or eight out of ten.
If the servers are stable then it's an issue with the nodes, which has a workaround.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, I think that Blue Prism has the capability to work with a sufficient number of robots, which should be adequate for most enterprises. I haven't encountered any issues with scalability, although we have worked with organizations that have a varying number of robots, ranging from seven to twenty-one. While twenty-one might be considered a medium to large-sized organization, I don't believe that it's necessarily a small number in this context.
Scalability is good, I would rate the scalability of Blue Prism a nine out of ten.
In our organization, we don't use Blue Prism for automation. Instead, we assist other organizations with their automation needs.
We have a team of about ten developers, which includes DevOps and other personnel who work on automation projects.
Our clients typically range from medium-sized to enterprise-level businesses. It's rare for us to work with small clients as it can be challenging to find tasks that are financially feasible to automate due to the initial investment required for setting up the robots. However, I cannot say that small clients wouldn't need RPA.
How are customer service and support?
We have never needed assistance from technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we worked with WorkFusion.
If we compare Blue Prism and WorkFusion, Blue Prism is typically considered a low-code platform, while WorkFusion is a coding platform. However, it's worth noting that both platforms offer varying degrees of low-code and coding capabilities, and the exact level of coding required will depend on the specific use case and implementation.
Although you can program in Java or a specific XML-like language, it still involves writing code. I wouldn't say that this is a bad thing.
As a developer myself, I actually prefer writing code. When using Blue Prism, I often find myself having to rearrange blocks in order to create more space for additional blocks I need to add. However, if you're writing code, you don't have to worry about that issue.
Perhaps for an average business user, Blue Prism would be easier to learn. However, Blue Prism requires more planning and preparation compared to Automation Anywhere before starting to code. It's more similar to regular development rather than ad-hoc development.
To give an example, in Automation Anywhere, you could start developing a robot without any prior planning in the tool. You could simply throw in 10 or 12 blocks, and that would do the job. It would be a simple robot. However, with Blue Prism, you need to do some planning and preparation before you start coding.
It's more like regular development, unlike Automation Anywhere which is more like at-home development. Blue Prism may be easier for business users to work with as it has a more visual system, whereas WorkFusion is more code-based and deployable.
I stopped working with WorkFusion about three years ago, so my information may be obsolete.
How was the initial setup?
I was not involved in the initial setup process. It was actually done by our dev ops team for one of our clients, and from what I know, there were no issues. They were able to successfully set up the environment and get it running without any problems.
I would rate the initial setup a six out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
I was not involved in the deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am unable to compare pricing because I usually do not have access to the information.
In some cases, the client already has licenses and we assist them in installing the environment, while in other cases, they already have both the licenses and the environment set up.
What other advice do I have?
Blue Prism provides a comprehensive set of resources, including a university with numerous courses, to help users develop their skills.
The courses are very clear and provide step-by-step instructions on how to use the platform.
With these resources, one can learn Blue Prism on their own without any external assistance.
I would rate Blue Prism a nine out of ten.
Blue Prism is a great enterprise platform. Although it started with version six which had many user interaction tools, I recently read about new features that allow for interaction between robots and users to complete tasks. Overall, I think Blue Prism is a reliable platform for enterprises.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Is US$ 1,100 per year the licensing cost?