RPA & Low-Code: Benefits, Use Cases & More
What can RPA and low-code process automation do for your business? Learn the capabilities, use cases, and long-term value of each technology.
End-to-end business orchestration and automation
Mendix connects disparate tools for seamless enterprise-wide
business orchestration and the next evolution of automation (BOAT)
An RPA tool to filter resumes; a BPM tool to automate payment processing; a low-code platform to build workflows. The average large business uses 367 different software applications and systems, many of which are overlapping automation tools that function in silos.
The problem with disparate systems
If your goal is end-to-end business orchestration and automation, an untenable number of tools makes integrating data, workflows, and processes impossible. Research shows that 73% of automation projects don’t achieve the intended ROI. Here’s why.
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High costs
Licensing fees, vendor contracts, hidden costs, and maintenance quickly inflate IT budgets.
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Overlapping capabilities
Too many separate tools lead to integration, implementation, and automation issues.
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Time intensity
Managing and maintaining unrelated systems take time away from IT’s strategic priorities.
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Rigid legacy systems
Traditional BPM tools are monolithic, slow to adapt, and costly in may scenarios.
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Automation fatigue
The market is vast, with overlapping capabilities from countless vendors. Which do you choose?
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Disjointed architecture
Enterprises struggle to implement automation because of the lack of a unified architecture.
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AI unreadiness
GenAI and AI agents only work in narrow boundaries due to a lack of unified data and processes.
BOAT connects the dots for enterprise-wide automation
With so many tools and so few resources, enterprises should focus on uniting core technology and systems to keep operations running smoothly and efficiently.
That’s why Gartner® introduced a strategy that aligns with their vision of autonomous automation driven by genAI and agent orchestration: BOAT (business orchestration and automation technologies).
A BOAT strategy utilizes a single development platform to keep business tools in sync. With the most advanced capabilities, BOAT embeds machine learning, genAI, and intelligent agents to autonomously design, execute, and optimize processes.
To achieve faster, smarter, and more adaptive operations, the right BOAT platform should make it easy to:
- Connect mission-critical tools and sytems
- Orchestrate people and AI agents
- Streamline productivity
- Eliminate the barriers in business-IT collaboration
What are the capabilities of a BOAT platform?
A BOAT platform removes barriers by connecting systems, people, and AI agents in one orchestration layer, enabling truly autonomous and adaptive operations.
- Agentic AI and genAI
- Business process automation (BPA)
- Intelligent document processing
- Workflow automation
- Discovery and design
- Task management
- UX/UI creation
- Integrations and connectivity
- Low-code application development
- Cloud
- High availability
- Security
- Governance
- Support for static & dynamic processes
- Compliance
Smooth sailing with BOAT
Embracing a BOAT mindset relieves the stress of managing and maintaining a dizzying number of business tools.
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Work smarter, not harder
- Ensure that every system and team operates in sync.
- Automate manual, tedious tasks so employees can make quicker decisions and focus on more critical projects.
- Manage workflows from start to finish across all systems, teams, and technologies.
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Cut costs and save resources
- Maximize operational efficiency with all essential business tools in one platform.
- Eliminate costs related to technical debt, waste, and complex integrations.
- Save time and resources by automating repetitive tasks.
- Ease the burden on IT by reducing the number of systems they need to maintain.
- Avoid governance challenges and security risks with one unified platform.
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Prepare for an AI-driven future
- Embed AI capabilities to optimize and automate workflows.
- Use advanced AI capabilities like agentic AI and real-time decision-making.
- Increase business agility to adapt quickly to changing demands and operational challenges.
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90% of workers say automation increases their productivity.
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Investing in automation reduces operating costs by an average of 22%.
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33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI by 2028.
Anchor your BOAT Strategy with Mendix
Mendix embodies the BOAT mindset, with a single IDE for end-to-end automation.
We integrate process orchestration with full-stack low-code development to support
the entire software development lifecycle. In a single platform, you can consolidate
core business tools while optimizing processes with advanced AI capabilities.
Mendix’s BOAT-ready platform capabilities
Compared to traditional business process management, Mendix has the capabilities to make projects easier to start and more cost-efficient to maintain.
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Built-in AI and genAI
Develop smarter with genAI, AI agent orchestration, and workflow optimization built into the Studio Pro IDE and Developer Portal.
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Seamless orchestration
Orchestrate processes across systems, people, and channels using workflows for structure, microflows for logic, and eventing for dynamic triggers.
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End-to-end automation
Bring automation intelligence into workflows with our advanced AI capabilities and integrations with AWS Bedrock and RapidMiner services.
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Streamlined integrations
Easily integrate Mendix applications with SAP, AWS, and other systems using built-in connectors and adapters. No custom code necessary.
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Trusted governance
With enterprise-grade governance, Mendix offers CI/CD pipelines, fine-grained permissions, and secure deployment to any cloud.
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Dynamic case management
Support for dynamic, unstructured processes allows users to handle exceptions, ad hoc tasks, and case-based flows flexibly across teams and applications.
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Powerful collaboration
Use visual development tools, custom UX/UI, and role-based access to support business and IT collaboration in a single environment.
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Flexible & reusable components
Our composable architecture includes modular, reusable components that can be isolated or combined for the most flexible development experience.
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Complete cloud freedom
Minimize risk and maximize uptime with our resilient, secure, and flexible cloud deployment options.
How industries are thriving with Mendix’s BOAT platform
Schwarz Group’s grocery chains transform complex retail processes
Schwarz Group is the parent company of two popular European grocery chains: Lidl and Kaufland.
End-to-end business orchestration was challenging with their extensive network of employees, customers, and suppliers. The global IT team lived in a backlog of digital demands due to a lack of developer resources and the inflexibility of traditional development platforms.
With Mendix, Schwarz Group embraced a central development hub where regional teams can build, deliver, and manage over 120 Mendix applications for processes like:
- Withdrawals and product recalls
- Supplier communications
- Order and inventory control
- Routine store cleanings
Automation and process orchestration with Mendix has helped Schwarz Group improve communication, transparency, and accuracy across Europe.
Read the Schwarz Group story
Rabobank streamlines core banking processes
Serving more than 9 million customers, Rabobank is one of the Netherlands’ largest banks. Their credit risk assessment is a core process that determines whether they can do business with a client.
Rabobank relied on many different systems, including a legacy system nearing end-of-life, with little to no integration capabilities to run credit risk assessments. Employees had to copy, paste, and rekey data, then manually process it, making the task time-consuming and prone to error.
Working with Mendix, Rabobank set out to build a new application that could:
- Improve throughput time for process handling
- Digitalize the credit risk process
- Automatically capture data to eliminate manual data entry
- Improve user experience by providing a standard and seamless workflow
The credit risk assessment application was so successful that Rabobank has used Mendix to build 40+ other business applications.
Read the Rabobank story
The CIO’s Guide to Process Automation
RPA? BPM? Download this guide to find the best
solution for successfully automating business processes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What is BOAT vs traditional automation?
Business orchestration and automation (BOAT) unites disconnected automation tools in a single platform for end-to-end process orchestration.
Traditional automation tools, like RPA, BPM, or iPaaS, focus on individual, isolated tasks or domains. This often leads to fragmented, unadaptable solutions.
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Do I need to replace tools to get started with BOAT?
Not necessarily. The most important thing is connecting and coordination your existing tools. A BOAT platform can help consolidate or integrate your automation tools. Over time, you can start to phase out redundancies.
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How do I get started with BOAT at scale?
The first step is understanding your level of automation maturity. What is currently automated? What isn’t currently automated but should be? You can start by automating simple tasks and gradually increase complexity.
From there, identify your ideal use cases and align with your enterprise architecture goals. You will need to incorporate robust governance and security and establish a center of excellence to manage and measure success.
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Where does AI fit into BOAT?
AI, genAI, and agentic AI are embedded in BOAT platforms. AI enhances business orchestration with smarter decision-making, process optimization, automation discovery, and dynamic workflow adjustments.
With AI, systems can plan, execute, and optimize complex workflows while learning from experiences to improve further tasks—all without human oversight.