Robotic process automation (RPA) has become a new transformational technology in smoothening business operations for effectiveness observed Bahaa Al Zubaidi. Yet, just like any other new technology, RPA also brings up some new issues of control and auditing that organizations need to tackle. Compliance is a particularly crucial consideration in regulated fields such as health care and finance.
Organizations should approach their RPA programs as a whole system, including compliance and controls from the start. Here are some best practices for navigating compliance with RPA:
Establish Robust Governance Structures
An RPA center of excellence (CoE) will oversee the governance of bots across the enterprise. The CoE will set up the policies, training, risk management, and compliance aspects. Key governance aspects are:
- Documenting processes automated with RPA and all changes
- Incorporate tracking bot deployment together with the inventory in the asset management procedures
- Access controls and admin rights which should drive both the operation and monitoring of bots
- Instill protocols for testing as a way of quality assurance and monitoring the performance of bots
Integrate Compliance Requirements into Bot Development
The compliance requirements will always be part of the bot development lifecycle. These comprise:
- Risk assessments to ascertain the impact and compliance needs
- Bot design compliant with regulations like HIPAA, GDPR
- Comprehensive bot tests to validate the compliant operation and output
- Version control, secure coding practices as part of DevOps
- Documentation and sign-offs for the new bots to ensure their validation towards being compliant.
Monitor and Audit Bot Activity
Monitoring, as well as auditing of RPA bots, not only helps effectiveness but also ensures compliance in the organization. Some of the crucial steps can be depicted as follows:
- Recording logging and audit trails at a higher granularity of bot activity levels
- Designing monitoring dashboards for continuously assessing the risks from the bots
- Establish protocols around exception handling based on rules of compliance
- Conduct periodic audits to ensure the operations of the bot stay compliant.
Ensure Security and Access Controls
Strict security practices for RPA are essential for compliance. Tactics involve:
- Vetting bots and infrastructure through security reviews before deployment
- Applying authentication, encryption, and network security controls
- Establishing user access controls and privileges aligned with job duties
- Developing protocols for secure bot credential storage and rotation
Manage Compliance Data and Recordkeeping
Proper management of compliance-related data generated by bots is also vital. This entails:
- Classifying regulated data processed by bots
- Applying appropriate retention rules to bot-generated reporting and logs
- Ensuring bots handle sensitive compliance data correctly
- Validating bot outputs comply with compliance reporting needs
By taking a proactive approach that embeds compliance into RPA initiatives from the start, organizations can realize the benefits of automation while still maintaining rigorous governance. The right frameworks enable scalable RPA deployments that meet business needs without introducing new risks. With an enterprise compliance strategy tailored to the unique considerations of RPA, organizations can strategically govern bots across functions and achieve the next level of digital transformation.
The blog has been written by Bahaa Al Zubaidi and has been published by the editorial board of Tech Domain News. For more information, please visit www.techdomainnews.com.
