Business Process Automation (BPA)
Eliminate Repetitive Manual Tasks with Business Process Automation & Workflow Automation Development Services!
Design – Architecture – Delivery – Development – QA/Testing – Deployment
Custom Solutions – From Power Automate to Spring Batch – 99.70% Referral Rating
A Quick Overview of Business Process Automation & Intelligent Process Optimization – The Benefits and What Can Be Automated?
What Does Business Process Automation Do For You
Business Process Automation (BPA) (sometimes called Intelligent Business Automation, IT Process Automation or Process Optimization) implements technology to orchestrate business processes and minimize human intervention. Unlike salesforce or other off-the-shelf solutions, BPA customizes a solution to your workflows and helps to eliminate manual errors, verifies compliance with laws unique to your business that may be missed, generates efficiencies that deliver consistencies through standardization, and makes your employee’s life more satisfying and less stressful, improving retention.
The Immediate Benefits of Business Process Automation
The benefits are entirely different for each industry. Still, the results are astoundingly similar – removing human error from the system and eliminating manual entry after the customer or employee’s initial contact saves time and minimize mistakes. In addition, you generate proprietary real-time data that can be collected and modeled instantly. Imagine the power of forecasting predictive maintenance, identifying buying patterns that were not available earlier, and understanding your customer better.
We Bring Exceptional Value At A Fair Price for BPA
Almost any repetitive task can be automated. Think of any high-volume area within your business that must follow compliance laws, is time-sensitive, or generates recurring data. These are perfect candidates for BPA. Examples include.
Understand The ROI On Your Workflow Automation Investment!
Have you ever wondered how much your manual tasks cost and how long it will take to achieve a return on your investment in automation? Understanding the numbers will set the stage for a good strategy and validate that the journey is worth the investment. Walk through the calculator yourself or let one of our field specialists estimate your project so you know how long it will take to repay your investment and start saving money.
Why Is Intelligent Process Automation The Future?
- The most significant benefit of IPA & BPA is increased productivity and decreased costs associated with specific tasks. Software may have a lifecycle, but when it is up-to-date, it does not require time off, does not make mistakes, hits your deadlines, and impacts your bottom line with an ROI worth celebrating.
- Cost reduction is an essential benefit of Intelligent Process Automation. Time-related tasks are reduced in time and stress. Moreover, personnel expenses related to repetitive work are eliminated, allowing for more satisfying work and better retention of key employees.
- As business changes, the software adjusts. This elasticity does not fight change. Well-developed software provides output immediately and links your entire company together so the benefits discovered by one department can be realized by another.
- Proprietary data creation will add predictive modeling, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to your business process. Suppose your data is still on spreadsheets or collected without consideration for its potential as a proprietary edge over the competition. In that case, we can ensure your data is collected and configured to be used across the company as a valuable enterprise resource.
Where Should You Start?
- Determine Your Company’s Appetite For Automated Improvements.
Determine the mood of your organization toward automation. Buy-in from key stakeholders is required. Business Process Automation changes how work gets done and can generate fear that jobs will be eliminated rather than create a more efficient and enjoyable workplace. Calculate ROI over a realistic period, understanding that your business will need to rely on automation to stay competitive.
- Identify Processes That May Lend Themselves To Automation.
There are two items to consider. (1) The first is that processes take considerable time and are repetitive. The repetition can be spread over hours or days, but a job is typically based on repeat. (2) The second item to consider is what is being generated from the process. If data is the result, stakes are higher because all data generated and collected in the correct form allows your business leaders to predict upcoming events and forecast more accurately. - Identify Specific Steps Within Each Targeted Process For Automation.
After identifying potential processes for automation, outline the specific steps within each process. Once clearly outlined, consider areas within these steps for improvement or elimination. Once drafted, try and identify the time to enact, from beginning to end; this will allow you to calculate the time saved by automating the entire or portions of the process. Finally, evaluate each step to determine if it is worth the investment to automate. - Identify Quick Wins And Areas For Long-Term Expansion And Sustained Growth!
To show the benefit of automating your manual process, in the beginning, select small projects that contain strategies that take up considerable time but deliver significant returns. Success leads to more success and cross-organizational support. In addition, think ahead to where automation can impact growth. Finally, automation allows communication between departments and leaders, making important decisions. - Additional Expenses Relate To Your Tasks, But The Future Is Efficiency.
It is essential to understand that parts of a workflow will always include manual tasks, and your feasibility study will discover additional costs that offset some savings. However, no matter what you find in the end, business is changing, and the more automation you can include in your daily task load, the more efficient you will become, impacting the bottom line.
Business Process Automation (BPA) & Intelligent Process Optimization Technical Solutions
We Help You Make Sense Of These Business Process Automation Technologies
Whether trying to eliminate a few repetitive tasks or automate an entire workflow, we help you identify tasks and processes that can be automated and then work with your team to design, develop, implement, and manage automation solutions that will carry out those tasks. These automated processes can be simple or complex, depending on the organization’s needs and the level of automation required. Either way, consider our experienced team in your corner.
We provide an outside perspective and proven expertise in these technology areas!
BPA Solutions – .NET | .NET Core | Microsoft Technologies
Listed are several proven .NET technologies that are part of the Microsoft ecosystem and help us assist companies to automate their business processes and workflows.
Azure Logic Apps: Azure Logic Apps is a cloud-based service provided by Microsoft Azure that allows you to build automated workflows to integrate and connect various services, applications, and data sources. Logic Apps are designed for simple, declarative workflows and can be used to automate business processes spanning across cloud services and on-premises systems.
Power Automate (formerly known as Microsoft Flow): Power Automate is a low-code/no-code automation platform that allows users to create automated workflows between their favorite apps and services. It enables business users to automate repetitive tasks and processes without the need for extensive coding.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with .NET: RPA is a technology that allows companies to automate repetitive and rule-based tasks using software bots. Some .NET libraries and tools like UiPath and Automation Anywhere support integrating with .NET applications to automate various business processes.
ASP.NET Core: ASP.NET Core is a cross-platform, open-source framework for building modern web applications and APIs. It can be used to build web-based applications that automate business processes and provide a user-friendly interface for users to interact with the automated workflows.
Azure Functions: Azure Functions is a serverless compute service offered by Microsoft Azure. It enables you to run event-driven code without having to manage infrastructure. Companies can use Azure Functions to automate specific tasks and processes in response to events or triggers.
Microsoft Power Apps: Power Apps is a low-code application platform that allows businesses to build custom apps to automate processes, connect data, and create solutions without extensive development efforts.
Entity Framework: Entity Framework is an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) framework that simplifies data access in .NET applications. It helps in automating the data handling and interaction with databases, making it easier to manage data-driven business processes.
It is important to remember that the .NET | Microsoft technology landscapes are constantly evolving, and new tools and frameworks are introduced and tested constantly. Speak with our team to discover the latest information on .NET technologies, and how to use them for your business process automation.
BPA Solutions – Java | Java Frameworks
Java is such a versatile and widely-used programming language with a rich ecosystem of technologies that can help companies automate business processes. Below is a short list of proven ways to use Java to reach your automation goals.
Activiti: Activiti is an open-source Business Process Management (BPM) platform written in Java. It allows companies to model, automate, and optimize business processes and workflows. Activiti supports BPMN 2.0 standards and provides a powerful set of tools and APIs for building robust process automation solutions.
Camunda: Camunda is another open-source BPM platform based on Java. It enables companies to design, deploy, and manage business processes using BPMN 2.0. Camunda also provides additional functionalities like decision automation, case management, and process analytics.
jBPM: jBPM is a flexible and lightweight open-source BPM framework written in Java. It allows companies to create, deploy, and manage business processes using BPMN 2.0 and provides integration with other Java-based technologies.
Spring Workflow: Spring Workflow, part of the Spring framework, provides support for defining and managing workflows in Java applications. It enables companies to create complex workflows and integrate them seamlessly with other Spring components.
Quartz Scheduler: Quartz is a powerful and flexible job scheduling library for Java applications. It allows companies to automate the scheduling and execution of tasks, making it suitable for various business process automation scenarios.
Apache Camel: Apache Camel is an integration framework that simplifies the integration of various systems and applications using enterprise integration patterns. It helps automate the flow of data and messages between different components, facilitating business process automation.
Java Message Service (JMS): JMS is an API that enables Java applications to send, receive, and process messages asynchronously. Companies can use JMS to implement messaging-based communication between different components and automate message-driven workflows.
Spring Batch: Spring Batch is a framework designed for batch processing in Java applications. It allows companies to automate repetitive tasks, such as data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL), to support business process automation.
Apache Kafka: Apache Kafka is a distributed streaming platform that allows companies to build real-time data pipelines and event-driven applications. It can be used to automate business processes that require real-time data processing and event-driven actions.
Java Persistence API (JPA): JPA is a Java EE standard that simplifies database access and manipulation. Companies can use JPA to automate data handling and management in business processes that involve persistent storage.
These Java technologies provide a solid foundation for companies to design, implement, and manage complex business process automation solutions. Let us help you choose the most suitable technologies based on your specific requirements and the nature of your business processes.
BPA Solutions – Front End (Client-Side)
Front-end technologies play a crucial role in automating business processes by providing user interfaces and interactions that enable users to interact with the underlying automated workflows. Here are some front-end technologies commonly used to automate business processes.
JavaScript Frameworks: Modern JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js are widely used to build dynamic and responsive user interfaces. These frameworks help in creating interactive and user-friendly front ends for business process automation applications.
HTML5: HTML5 is the latest version of the Hypertext Markup Language and provides enhanced capabilities for structuring and presenting content on the web. It enables the development of rich and interactive user interfaces that are essential for business process automation applications.
CSS3: CSS3 (Cascading Style Sheets) is used to control the presentation and layout of web pages. It allows front-end developers to design visually appealing interfaces for business process automation systems.
Bootstrap: Bootstrap is a popular front-end framework that provides a set of pre-built CSS and JavaScript components for creating responsive and mobile-friendly user interfaces. It helps companies save time and effort in designing consistent UIs.
Material Design: Material Design is a design language developed by Google that focuses on providing a consistent and intuitive user experience across different platforms and devices. Implementing Material Design principles can enhance the usability of business process automation applications.
Web Components: Web Components are a set of web platform APIs that enable the creation of reusable UI components. They allow companies to build modular and maintainable front ends for automating various business processes.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): PWAs are web applications that use modern web technologies to deliver an app-like experience to users. PWAs can work offline and have features like push notifications, making them ideal for automating business processes on various devices.
Single Page Applications (SPAs): SPAs are web applications that load a single HTML page and dynamically update the content as users interact with the application. SPAs provide a smooth user experience and are often used for building business process automation interfaces.
jQuery: jQuery is a fast and lightweight JavaScript library that simplifies DOM manipulation and event handling. While newer frameworks have gained popularity, jQuery is still widely used in legacy applications and for adding interactivity to web pages.
Data Visualization Libraries: Data visualization libraries like D3.js and Chart.js enable companies to create visually appealing charts, graphs, and dashboards, which are essential for presenting data and analytics related to business process automation.
By leveraging these front-end technologies, together, we can develop efficient and user-friendly interfaces for your business process automation solutions, enabling users to interact seamlessly with automated workflows and streamlined operations.
BPA Solutions – Back End (Server-Side)
Back-end technologies are the backbone of business process automation, handling the logic, data processing, and integration with various systems. Listed below are some key back-end technologies commonly used to automate business processes:
Server-side programming languages: Back-end technologies often rely on server-side programming languages to handle business logic and data processing. Popular server-side languages include:
Java: Java is a versatile and widely-used language with strong support for enterprise-level applications. It’s known for its scalability and robustness, making it suitable for complex business process automation solutions.
- C#: C# is a language commonly used with the .NET framework, making it a strong choice for companies already invested in Microsoft technologies. C# offers features like LINQ and asynchronous programming, which are valuable for automation tasks.
- Python: Python’s simplicity and readability make it a popular choice for back-end development. It offers a broad range of libraries and frameworks that aid in automation tasks and integration with various systems.
- Node.js: Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. It allows developers to use JavaScript for server-side development, enabling full-stack JavaScript development and facilitating rapid development and integration.
Web Frameworks: Back-end web frameworks provide the structure and tools to build server-side applications efficiently. Some popular web frameworks include.
- Spring Framework (Java): Spring is a comprehensive framework that offers support for building enterprise-grade applications, including business process automation systems.
- ASP.NET (C#): ASP.NET is a mature web framework that integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft technologies. It is well-suited for building scalable and secure back-end applications.
- Django (Python): Django is a high-level Python web framework that comes with an admin interface, ORM, and other tools to simplify and accelerate development.
- Express.js (Node.js): Express.js is a lightweight and flexible web framework for Node.js, making it a popular choice for building APIs and server-side applications.
Business Process Management (BPM) Tools: BPM tools provide a dedicated platform for modeling, executing, and optimizing business processes. Some BPM tools offer built-in workflow engines, task management, and reporting capabilities.
- Activiti: As mentioned earlier, Activiti is an open-source BPM platform that can be used to automate business processes effectively.
- Camunda: Camunda is another popular open-source BPM platform known for its ease of use and extensive features for automating business workflows.
Database Management Systems: Back-end technologies rely on databases for storing and retrieving data related to business processes. Common database management systems include:
- SQL databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server): These are relational databases that offer strong data consistency and ACID transactions, making them suitable for handling critical business data.
- NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra): NoSQL databases are often chosen for their flexibility and ability to handle large volumes of unstructured or semi-structured data.
Message Brokers: Message brokers facilitate communication between different components and systems involved in business process automation. They ensure reliable message delivery and enable event-driven architectures.
- Apache Kafka: Kafka is a distributed streaming platform that can handle high-throughput, real-time data streams, making it suitable for event-driven automation scenarios.
- RabbitMQ: RabbitMQ is an open-source message broker that supports multiple messaging protocols, making it a popular choice for decoupling components in an automation system.
Web Services and APIs: Back-end technologies commonly involve creating and consuming web services and APIs to integrate with external systems and services.
- RESTful APIs: Representational State Transfer (REST) is a popular architectural style for creating web APIs that allow interaction with various systems over HTTP.
- SOAP: Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is an XML-based messaging protocol used for creating web services that allow for more structured communication between systems.
These back-end technologies, when combined effectively, enable us, in concert with your talent, to build robust and efficient business process automation solutions that integrate with existing systems, automate tasks, and optimize business workflows.
Software Services
We Help You Improve Your Business Processes
Every company can use an experienced perspective and a helping hand from time to time. Blackslate Software senior custom software development team has it extended for the times when you need help pivoting to new technology, strengthening your team, and ensuring your goals are met on time and on budget. When over 60% of projects fail, getting it right the first time is always cheaper and can build a reputation faster than almost anything.
Get it right the first time in these critical business areas!
Custom Software Development
Design – Architecture – Delivery & Development – QA Testing – Deployment
CI/CD – Agile – DevOps – Rapid Application Development
Modernization & New
At our core, Blackslate Software Custom Agile-based software development consulting services combine everything you need from complete senior-led teams & co-development expertise that strengthens your internal team from the beginning to deployment.
The Primary Technology Areas We Deliver To Our Customers
Cloud – Azure & AWS – SQL Server – SQL Server, SSAS, SSIS & SSRS – .NET – .NET Framework, .NET Core, Entity Framework, .NET 5, 6, 7+, ASP.NET & Web Forms, BizTalk, C#, MVC, SharePoint Framework, LINQ, VB.NET, Visual Studio, VB.NET, Web API Framework, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Xamarin, & More – Java – Spring, Struts, Hibernate, Grails, GWT, Blade & other Lightweight Frameworks – Java Power Tools – Unit, NetBeans, Maven, Jenkins, Spring Boot & Security, Spark and many of the 100+ others as needed – Front End (Client-Side) – HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, React.js, React Native, Angular, AngularJS, Vue/VueJS, Next.js, Flutter, Ionic, and others – Back End (Server-Side) – Java, JavaScript, Node.js, Go, Ruby, C#, C++, Kotlin, Rust, Scala, SQL, Spring Boot, ASP.NET, Jango, Python, ASP.NET Core, Express.js, Spring Boot, Django, Ruby on Rails (RoR), and NestJS.
Legacy System Assessments & Modernization
Design – Architecture – Delivery & Development – QA Testing – Deployment
Architecture Assessments
Monolithic System Alternatives
Eliminate Hidden Costs and Manual Error
You know when it’s time to upgrade, but with the speed of technology change, you may need an experienced outside perspective, assessment, or a hand in development if those decisions have already been made. No matter what the case, Blackslate Software can help you modernize your applications and architecture, ensuring that you consider all automation and data collection options that are becoming the standard.
Business Process Optimization & Automation (BPA)
Design – Architecture – Delivery & Development – QA Testing – Deployment
Available During The Modernization & New Creation Process
Eliminate Manual Processes & Errors
Eliminate Employee Stress and Improve Retention
Repetitive manual errors should be a thing of the past. If it is time to implement intelligent technology-enabled automation that streamlines and automates complex workflows, consider bringing on one or more of our senior consultants to assist. You will realize efficiencies that save you resources, retain your talent by lowering stress, and put the onus on us to ask the hard questions that need to be asked. In addition, this is the time to eliminate spreadsheets, so your data is instantly available for generating reports, forecasts, and predictions.
Architecture – Monolith to Modularization
Design – Architecture – Delivery & Development – QA Testing – Deployment
Multiple Technologies – Based On Your System & Preference
Frameworks – APIs – Microservices
There are many levels of modularity, but in the end, the deconstruction of your monolithic system structures your applications as a collection of loosely coupled services that link together and allow independent updating, scalability, and advancements, along with the ability to select alternative codes and languages that suit the purpose rather than the framework. Just imagine all the doors opening with a new, more flexible model.
Web Frameworks – 2-Tier or 3-Tier Architecture
Design – Architecture – Delivery & Development – QA Testing – Deployment
Full-Stack | Multiple Tier Development
Modular | API-Driven Development | Microservices
The fastest way to build an application is by using a web framework that is proven and supported. Whether you have already selected your technologies or would like an outside opinion that can evaluate your needs and offer suggestions, our experts can help. Field-tested and proven at heading off challenges that may add costs and delay your launch, Blackslate Software full-time staff are here to assist.
Cloud Migration & Integration
Better For Remote Work – Access Files & Applications From Anywhere
Easier to Scale With Business Growth
Part Of A Proven System That Is Maintained & Updated For You
It is essential to understand the differences between the wide range of choices you have and the leaders of the pack; Azure, AWS, and GCP. For example, one of the key differences between Azure and AWS is how they deal with temporary storage. Azure is based on page and block storage “Blobs” for virtual memory and object storage. At the same time, AWS assigns temporary storage during the instance and then deletes the data when the instance is terminated. So much to consider. Let Blackslate Software experts help you evaluate which is best for your long-term needs or help you integrate into the one already selected.
Our Proven Development Process
Cloud Migration & Integration
We Help You Integrate Onto The Cloud
Eliminating infrastructure and outsourcing your service and support has become the way forward for many companies. Allowing Blackslate Software toassist with the tools and technologies that work best with this process is the next step in getting it right. Whether you are considering going all in or using a hybrid model, ensuring your data and applications function as one is the difference between operational efficiency and wondering what went wrong.
We are Microsoft and AWS partners and can help you integrate your system correctly.
Azure & AWS
Better For Remote Work – Access Files & Applications From Anywhere
Easier to Scale With Business Growth
Part Of A Proven System That Is Maintained & Updated For You
It is essential to understand the differences between the wide range of choices you have and the leaders of the pack; Azure, AWS, and GCP. For example, one of the key differences between Azure and AWS is how they deal with temporary storage. Azure is based on page and block storage “Blobs” for virtual memory and object storage. At the same time, AWS assigns temporary storage during the instance and then deletes the data when the instance is terminated. So much to consider. Let Blackslate Software experts help you evaluate which is best for your long-term needs or help you integrate into the one already selected.
On your next project, consider injecting proven full-time expertise backed by a network of colleagues with senior skills and an extensive knowledge base instead of a VMS-selected heads-down contractor that fits their price structure rather than what defines your reputation. Blackslate Software focuses on its people and the value they bring to all our clients so you get it right the first time.