Hyperautomation: what it is and how it expands automation
Hyperautomation is the coordinated combination of multiple automation technologies, such as RPA, artificial intelligence, process mining, and systems integration, to automate processes from an end-to-end perspective rather than automating isolated tasks one by one. The goal is not to have more robots, but to have automations that are connected enough to support a complete business process, including steps that require human participation.
Why it expands the results of isolated automation
A point solution can work well based on a schedule, event, or API call, solving a specific problem without requiring day-to-day human intervention. What is often missing when a company has several of these isolated automations is integration, coordination, and visibility across the entire process: without these elements, someone may need to connect the steps manually for the workflow to continue. We have already explored this limitation in depth in our article on why isolated automation is no longer enough. Hyperautomation helps address precisely this gap: instead of having several disconnected automations, the entire process is treated as a single unit, with each technology handling the part it is best suited to address. Existing automations can be incorporated into this approach rather than discarded.
Which technologies make up hyperautomation
There is no definitive list, but there is a set of capabilities that consistently appears in the way technology providers describe the concept. UiPath, a Smarthis technology partner, describes hyperautomation as a way to scale automation beyond isolated RPA by combining technologies with participation from business teams:
RPA. The technology that performs repetitive, rule-based tasks, particularly through interactions with system interfaces.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning. Capabilities that make it possible to interpret natural language, unstructured documents, and images, helping organizations handle variations that fixed rules cannot cover.
Process mining and analytics. Tools that help map how processes actually occur within the organization, showing where automation makes sense and enabling results to be monitored after implementation.
Business involvement. UiPath emphasizes that hyperautomation also depends on business users and subject matter experts, not only automation developers, to identify and prioritize what should be automated.
Microsoft illustrates this combination in an insurance company scenario: process mining helps identify bottlenecks, while AI, RPA, and API-based automation work together to automate settlement approvals and connect data to SAP.
Are hyperautomation and BOAT the same thing?
Not exactly, although the two concepts are closely related. Hyperautomation is a business approach: a way to identify, assess, and expand automation by combining multiple technologies in a coordinated manner. BOAT (Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies) is a category of platforms that consolidates orchestration, integration, automation, low-code development, and artificial intelligence capabilities within a single environment, connecting automations, AI agents, systems, and people in the same workflow.
In practice, a BOAT platform can support a hyperautomation strategy, but adopting the platform alone does not guarantee that a company has such a strategy in place. Hyperautomation describes the approach; BOAT describes the category of platforms that can enable it.
How Smarthis applies hyperautomation in practice
Smarthis has already implemented more than 4,000 automations, giving more than 2 million hours back to its clients' businesses. Projects combine automation, AI, and systems integration according to the needs of each operation, with an end-to-end view of the process. These technologies work in a coordinated manner, connecting automated and human steps, with governance and performance monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
Is hyperautomation just RPA at a larger scale?
No. RPA is one of the technologies that can be part of hyperautomation and is used to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks. Hyperautomation combines different technologies, such as RPA, AI, process mining, and systems integration, to expand process automation, including steps that require interpretation or decision-making, with human participation when necessary.
Does every company that uses RPA and AI already practice hyperautomation?
Not necessarily. Using both technologies separately, in automations that are not connected to one another, does not in itself constitute hyperautomation. Hyperautomation involves a coordinated strategy in which technologies work together according to the needs of the processes.
Where should a company start when implementing hyperautomation?
The starting point is usually to understand the business problem, map the process from end to end, assess the available data, and prioritize opportunities based on expected value. This assessment can be carried out through interviews, documentation, and analysis of performance indicators; when the company already has appropriate event logs, process mining can also help, but it is not a mandatory step.
Talk to a Smarthis specialist to identify how automation, AI, and systems integration can be combined within your process.
