Element Blue and HostBridge Technology release Guide to UiPath Mainframe Integration
Press Release
Companies partner to launch joint practice around optimization of mainframe RPA automations
Houston, Texas, June 2, 2020 – Element Blue, a twenty-year technology consultancy in the healthcare sector and expert in robotic process automation (RPA), and HostBridge Technology, a twenty-year provider of IBM mainframe application integration software, today announce the publication of the Guide to UiPath Mainframe Integration. The guide was developed for UiPath users who use or plan to use RPA within an IBM Z System environment. RPA programmers, enterprise IT architects, and system administrators can learn how to achieve significant performance improvements by using RESTful HTTP services rather than default terminal sessions to facilitate RPA bot interaction with mainframe CICS-based applications.
The need for the guide came from an analysis that HostBridge performed for a customer. The study showed that RPA bots used terminal emulation and screen scraping to interact with mainframe CICS applications. Further testing revealed that implementing HostBridge JavaScript Engine (HB.js) RESTful service in place of terminal sessions improved the completion of the transaction sequence from 58 seconds to one second.
“In our experience, enterprises that implement RPA often deploy automations that interact with mainframe applications,” said Steven Gerhardt, CEO and managing partner of Element Blue. “As RPA activity to the mainframe scales, the cost and inefficiencies of screen scraping can increase exponentially. This guide will help any UiPath customer whose automation projects need to interface with mainframe applications. HostBridge is the ideal partner for our joint mainframe RPA optimization practice; they pioneered the use of JavaScript on the mainframe to create APIs for legacy integration. The CICS integration expertise they bring to this partnership is invaluable.”
Mainframe integration analysis and optimization services begin with an assessment to determine the extent and impact of mainframe RPA interaction. Assessment findings allow enterprises to prioritize optimization and remediation efforts. Using the HostBridge JavaScript Engine to create RESTful services, UiPath automations can invoke mainframe applications via a simple HTTP request. Element Blue can provide complete services for implementing new UiPath automations, or optimizing existing ones. To learn more, visit the HostBridge or Element Blue website.
“Forming this joint practice with Element Blue brings all the services, technology, and expertise together to allow UiPath customers to quickly optimize their mainframe automations,” said Russ Teubner, CEO and co-founder of HostBridge Technology. “As one of the first five Certified UiPath Services Network partners in North America, Element Blue is uniquely equipped to help enterprises implement mainframe RPA in a performant and resilient manner. Together, we can ensure that UiPath customers receive all the benefits of RPA without imposing the screen-scraping tax on their mainframe resources.”
Using RESTful services over terminal sessions creates value for all stakeholders in the RPA ecosystem as automations perform better, are less prone to failure due to upstream applications changes, and IT groups experience less impact on the mainframe from RPA activity.
The Guide to UiPath Mainframe Integration is currently available as a free, downloadable eBook from HostBridge or ElementBlue:
About Element Blue
Element Blue enables healthcare systems to transform the patient experience and reduce costs through increased personalization and robotic process automation (RPA). The practice’s Blueprint Services FrameworkTM impacts patient access, referrals, digital marketing and the revenue cycle at the most critical stages of the customer journey, resulting in a seamless encounter across the system.
By empowering patients and employees to actively manage their unique healthcare experiences, Element Blue increases the satisfaction of every health system consumer: customers, patients and members.
Houston-based, Element Blue has offices in Dubai, Hyderabad, Nairobi, Lima, and San Jose. For more information, please go to ElementBlue.com.
About HostBridge Technology
Founded in 2000, HostBridge is a privately-held enterprise software company that provides CICS integration, orchestration, modernization, and analytic software and services.
For enterprises that use RPA with applications running on IBM z System mainframes, the HostBridge JavaScript Engine (HB.js) is a lightweight, federated RPA solution that runs on the mainframe and exploits System Z architecture. HB.js enables RPA scripts to interact with the mainframe in the most efficient way possible, avoiding inefficient, brittle screen-scraping methods to obtain legacy application data. Instead, RPA bots invoke mainframe applications via a simple HTTP request, accessing their logic through RESTful services. This approach increases performance while lowering the overhead of RPA-initiated mainframe activity.