What is our primary use case?
My main use cases for UiPath Platform are traditional RPA and Document Understanding, primarily focused on invoice processing and similar tasks. We've delved into GenAI since last year. I am from the Automation COE team at OMERS, and we are not restricted to just UiPath Platform; we engage in various automation initiatives. Currently, we work with PowerApps, Power Platform, UiPath Platform, and Alteryx, but we appreciate the ecosystem that UiPath Platform has provided us. The capabilities offered by UiPath Platform feel a one-stop shop for automation solutions, especially after migrating from on-prem to cloud, which grants us access to all the latest offerings.
What is most valuable?
One of the features I appreciate most about UiPath Platform is the Orchestrator. We switched from on-prem to cloud a couple of years back, and since then, we've been using the Orchestrator.
I also appreciate UiPath Apps; while more can be done with UiPath Apps, we've been leveraging that and the Document Understanding part of things too.
The features of UiPath Platform, such as traditional RPA, benefit our organization straightforwardly since we have certain processes that are manual in nature and very descriptive or deterministic. We go about building traditional RPAs for these processes.
Additionally, we leverage UiPath Apps to give users the ability to have an interface to trigger their processes, transitioning from the initial queue-based or time-based triggers to more ad hoc options where users can decide when they want to run their automations.
What needs improvement?
UiPath Platform can be improved, and there's a lot to package there.
They need to enhance their CI/CD capabilities; while they have an Automation Ops offering, it's still not up to the mark. Integrations with GitHub are available; however, there's still much more that can be done, and documentation is always an area that can be improved.
What works with UiPath Platform is the ecosystem; it's a one-stop solution for most of our needs. However, the documentation can be improved.
Sometimes, I notice that UiPath Platform pushes out a product before it's fully ready for mass consumption, one example being the initial launch of UiPath Apps, which had limited capabilities.
Early adopters can occasionally face challenges due to such early releases.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would assess the stability and reliability of UiPath Platform as very stable. We receive notifications if something is down, and the turnaround time is usually quick, so it is pretty reliable.
I have experienced some downtime, crashes, or performance issues, yet nothing that has impacted us for days. When something is down, UiPath Platform is very prompt in resolving the issue, and I've witnessed downtimes of only a couple of hours in the past, with nothing major beyond that.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
UiPath Platform scales very to the growing needs of my organization, and it is very flexible.
We considered scalability during our decision-making process with UiPath Platform, and I'm satisfied that it is easy to scale according to our needs. We have expanded our usage of UiPath Platform, and the process was quite smooth.
We run our automations on dedicated Azure VMs, and when we needed to increase the number of unattended licenses, it was just a matter of acquiring those licenses and spinning up new VMs for the additional automations.
How are customer service and support?
I would evaluate customer service and technical support from UiPath Platform as good, though there is room for improvement.
The customer service and technical support have been great, however, a proper support model is needed. We are on the bronze package, and at times we encounter situations that fall beyond our scope, especially when issues are related to integrations with other third-party tools, such as BeyondTrust as our credential manager.
In such cases, both UiPath Platform and BeyondTrust should collaborate effectively, as issues may arise from their interaction rather than being solely a customer problem.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before adopting UiPath Platform, I wasn't using another solution to address similar needs. Since we established the Automation COE within my organization, we debated whether to go the Blue Prism route or UiPath Platform route, ultimately finding that UiPath Platform was a better fit.
How was the initial setup?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for UiPath Platform is pretty seamless. They've revised the pricing model this year, and we are about to renew our contracts this November. Initially, there were many unknowns, however, now everything is in sync and clearer, though I feel the pricing could be better.
What about the implementation team?
We have expanded our usage of UiPath Platform, and the process was quite smooth. We run our automations on dedicated Azure VMs, and when we needed to increase the number of unattended licenses, it was just a matter of acquiring those licenses and spinning up new VMs for the additional automations.
What was our ROI?
I have absolutely seen a return on investment with UiPath Platform.
When we talk about ROIs with UiPath Platform, we see that it doesn't necessarily have to be full-time employee savings. Sometimes, it's simply a cost we've saved on paper, but there are also instances where it's very tangible and measurable. We've used UiPath Platform not just for streamlining processes or automating manual tasks, however, we've even built some products—such as silo applications—just to navigate licensing costs for the original application.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for UiPath Platform is pretty seamless.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The factors that led me to consider UiPath Platform revolve primarily around RPA capabilities. UiPath Platform offers the flexibility to have both attended and unattended automations, unlike many competitors at that time.
The ability to write custom code and DLLs without being restricted to a specific programming language gave us much more flexibility, influencing our decision towards UiPath Platform.
What other advice do I have?
I do not use GenAI yet.
My advice to other organizations considering UiPath Platform is that it offers many new features, and I believe cloud is the way to go. If anyone is considering an on-prem solution, it restricts the offerings you can access. Therefore, transitioning to UiPath Platform should prioritize cloud, as it provides access to all the latest and greatest features available for consumption.
I would rate UiPath Platform an eight out of ten overall.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.