As a long-time Process Automation and Optimization evangelist, having witnessed over three decades of evolution — from Business Process Management (BPM) to Intelligent BPM (iBPM), Digital Process Automation (DPA), Cognitive Automation, and Intelligent Process Automation (Hyperautomation) — the recent introduction of BOAT (Business Orchestration and Automation Technology) by Gartner stands out as a natural and significant progression in the enterprise automation journey.
This new AI-First operating philosophy marks a pivotal shift in how organizations will design and orchestrate business processes in the years ahead. In this article, I aim to unpack this emerging paradigm and share how Digitide Limited is already enabling global enterprises to embark on their BOAT journey — effectively steering toward an AI-first, orchestrated enterprise.
Enterprises today are shifting from siloed automation to intelligent orchestration. In its recent research, Gartner introduced the concept of BOAT (Business Orchestration and Automation Technology) — the next evolution in enterprise automation that unifies disparate technologies such as RPA, LCAP, BPA, and iPaaS into a cohesive orchestration layer.This marks a pivotal moment in digital transformation. As organizations embrace an AI-first, digital-native model, BOAT becomes the foundational capability that ties AI, data, and human context into one adaptive digital fabric.
We at Digitide’s BOAT Center of Excellence (CoE) helps enterprises navigate this transformation — from fragmented automation to autonomous, AI-driven operations that continuously learn and evolve.
The Rise of BOAT: From Automation to Orchestration
Gartner observes that organizations are moving away from purchasing multiple automation tools and instead investing in “a BOAT” — an integrated technology stack that delivers end-to-end process automation and orchestration.
This reflects the growing need for Unified process visibility, Cross-functional orchestration, Embedded AI and analytics and Adaptive, autonomous operations
BOAT represents the foundation of the intelligent enterprise — where every process, decision, and workflow is connected, contextual, and AI-enhanced. Rather than a single product, BOAT should be seen as an operating philosophy that transforms automation from task execution into enterprise-wide intelligence orchestration.
Relevance of BOAT in an AI-First, Digital-Native World
The rise of digital-native, cloud-first, and AI-driven businesses has redefined agility and resilience. BOAT technologies are essential for translating intelligence into business outcomes, uniting automation, data, and orchestration into a single control plane that drives adaptive, data-driven, and self-optimizing operations.
- Unifying AI, Data, and Automation
In an AI-first enterprise, insights hold value only when they lead to real-time action. BOAT technologies connect AI models → data systems → workflows → human decisions, enabling seamless insight-to-execution loops. E.g.: An insurer uses AI to detect claim anomalies → BOAT triggers investigation workflows, assigns tasks, and updates dashboards — achieving intelligent, real-time responsiveness.
BOAT functions as the AI activation layer, turning insights into orchestrated outcomes and moving organizations from insight generation to insight execution.
- From Task Automation to Autonomous Operations
Traditional automation improved efficiency; BOAT enables autonomy. By combining orchestration, low-code development, AI, and analytics, enterprises can create processes that self-heal, self-optimize, and self-learn.
This marks the evolution from automated to autonomous enterprises, where operations adapt in real time to changing conditions and customer demands.
- Low-Code + AI = Hyper Agility
Low-code accelerates delivery while AI amplifies intelligence.Together, they enable cross-functional fusion teams of business and IT users to rapidly design and deploy intelligent workflows.
This combination democratizes innovation while ensuring alignment with governance and enterprise standards — creating a balance of speed, scalability, and control.
- Cloud-Native and API-Driven Architecture
Modern enterprises operate across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. BOAT acts as the control and orchestration plane, enabling integration, policy-based automation, and unified observability across all systems.
It effectively becomes the digital operating system for the enterprise — connecting cloud platforms, data services, and AI engines into one orchestrated framework that powers continuous business innovation.
Digitide’s BOAT Center of Excellence (CoE): Building the Orchestrated Enterprise
Digitide’s BOAT CoE is a specialized capability center that helps clients strategize, architect, implement, and manage enterprise-wide orchestration and automation programs — embedding AI at the core of every process.
1. Strategy & Advisory Services
- BOAT Maturity Assessment – Evaluate current automation footprints and identify modernization opportunities.
- AI-First Orchestration Roadmap – Define BOAT architecture aligned to business, data, and AI strategies.
- Platform Rationalization – Recommend the optimal orchestration platform (ServiceNow,Pega, Appian, Outsystems, Mendix, Joget, UiPath, Power Platform, etc.).
Digitide’s approach ensures that orchestration strategy aligns directly with business outcomes and measurable KPIs, not merely tool deployments.
2. Design & Build Services
- AI-Driven Process Discovery – Identify automation opportunities using process and task mining.
- End-to-End Orchestration Design – Integrate RPA, APIs, and AI workflows across departments.
- Low-Code App Factory – Build reusable orchestration components and digital applications.
- Agentic & Conversational Automation – Deploy GenAI-powered assistants and co-pilots within business workflows.
These solutions ensure that automation enhances decision-making and creates seamless collaboration between humans and AI.
3. Operate & Optimize Services
- BOAT Managed Services – 24×7 monitoring, governance, and optimization of orchestration assets.
- AI-Ops & Auto-Remediation – Predictive detection and intelligent self-healing across IT and business operations.
- Automation Analytics – Continuous measurement of process performance and ROI.
Digitide focuses on turning operations into intelligent, self-improving systems through feedback loops and AI-driven optimization.
4. Innovation & Accelerator Hub
- Industry BOAT Blueprints – Pre-built frameworks for BFSI, Fast Growth Tech and Healthcare.
- AI Connectors & Plug-ins – Ready integrations with OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, Azure AI, and Vertex AI.
- GenAI Co-Pilot Framework – Intelligent orchestration assistants for business users.
This accelerator ecosystem enables clients to reduce time-to-value and adopt AI-native orchestration with pre-configured assets and domain expertise.
Value Delivered by Digitide’s BOAT CoE
- Consolidation : Unified orchestration layer and reduced tool sprawl
- Agility : Faster delivery of AI-driven workflows
- Resilience : Self-healing, autonomous operations
- Governance :Centralized visibility, control, and compliance
- Innovation :Continuous evolution through AI + Low-Code convergence
The Future: Orchestrating Intelligence
The next generation of enterprises will not just automate — they will orchestrate intelligence. By connecting AI, data, and human context into one continuous operational loop, organizations will achieve systems that are self-learning, adaptive, and predictive.
Digitide envisions this as the true promise of BOAT — enabling enterprises to operate as intelligent, autonomous ecosystems where business outcomes are driven by real-time intelligence, not manual intervention.
“The future enterprise will not run on automation alone; it will run on orchestrated intelligence. BOAT is the foundation for this transformation — and Digitide is helping organizations build it today.”