1. Overlap with existing technologies:
Some might suggest that BOAT is an interesting repackaging of existing technologies. BPM systems have evolved to include features such as RPA and AI, while iPaaS solutions already offer seamless integration capabilities. Therefore, the novelty of BOAT could be seen as a marketing ploy rather than a true technological innovation.
2. Orchestration is not new:
The concept of business process orchestration is not unique to BOAT. BPM and other enterprise solutions have focused on end-to-end process orchestration for years. The unified orchestration that BOAT promotes may sound familiar to those already implementing advanced BPM and automation strategies.
3. Existing platforms already meet BOAT’s objectives:
Many existing business process automation platforms already offer the capabilities that BOAT aims to provide. Companies can argue that they are on the path that BOAT is setting, using integrated BPM, RPA, AI and low-code solutions that they have already deployed, even if they are not as integrated and cohesive as what BOAT offers...
4. The debate on composability:
Gartner’s position on technology platforms has evolved. Several years ago, Gartner shifted its focus away from monolithic platforms and toward composable, API-first architectures that offer greater flexibility. This shift was in response to the demand for modular, lightweight solutions rather than heavyweight, global platforms. As market and customer needs have evolved over time, BOAT could be seen as another evolution toward platform-centric thinking.
5. The AI factor:
AI is undeniably transforming industries, much like the oman telephone number search initial internet boom of the late 90s and the Web 2.0 movement of the 2010s. In process orchestration, AI has made it easier to create processes, allowing users to describe or draw a process, which AI can then model and implement. While BOAT emphasizes the role of AI, this trend is central and not unique to BOAT, as it is a much broader industry evolution.
A useful market strategy catalyzed by Gartner
Here's a thought: What if Gartner's introduction of BOAT was as much about identifying a new technological breakthrough as it was about challenging and reshaping the market landscape?
As technology evolves, the lines between BPM, RPA, iPaaS, and other automation tools are blurring. RPA vendors are expanding into API connectivity, iPaaS platforms are integrating human workflow management, and generative AI is taking over tasks traditionally associated with RPA, such as document extraction. The lines are eroding, making it difficult to categorize these capabilities under a single label without favoring a specific technology.
By unveiling BOAT, Gartner is helping to create a new category that allows all of these technologies to reposition themselves. It’s a smart move that encourages vendors to innovate and compete in a newly defined space, rather than being pigeonholed as part of a “dying” category. For example, RPA, once considered a cutting-edge technology, is now seen by some as a stopgap solution. BOAT provides a new framework that allows these technologies to present themselves as part of a forward-looking narrative.
