BOAT: A New Category by Gartner and the Future of Enterprise Automation
Automation is evolving fast. Gartner’s BOAT consolidates RPA, AI, and low-code into a unified framework. Insights from the SS Rotterdam conference with Incentro.
This week, I attended a conference aboard the SS Rotterdam, hosted by Incentro, where we discussed a fascinating new concept introduced by Gartner: Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (BOAT).
Standing on the deck, looking over the skyline of Rotterdam, it became clear to me why this new category makes so much sense.
Why BOAT?
For years, enterprise automation has been fragmented. Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Business Process Automation (BPA), Low-Code Platforms, and iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) have been evolving in parallel. Yet, their overlap has grown significantly, and organizations increasingly need a unified framework to orchestrate these technologies efficiently.
Gartner's BOAT category consolidates these fragmented disciplines into a single, overarching approach, allowing businesses to streamline automation across departments and systems. The fundamental idea is to create an integrated automation fabric that can intelligently coordinate tasks, workflows, and decisions at scale.
Incentro’s Position in the BOAT Ecosystem
Incentro, a digital transformation specialist, is well-positioned in this emerging landscape. Their deep expertise in cloud-native development, automation solutions, and enterprise integration aligns naturally with the principles of BOAT.
This event reinforced their role as a key player in helping businesses adopt end-to-end process automation that goes beyond isolated tools and into fully orchestrated digital ecosystems.
Companies Shaping the BOAT Landscape
Alongside Incentro, several other companies are actively shaping the BOAT category, each contributing to different aspects of automation and orchestration:
- Camunda – Focuses on process orchestration, enabling businesses to design, automate, and optimize workflows efficiently.
- UIPath – A leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA), specializing in automating repetitive tasks with AI-powered bots.
- Mendix – A low-code development platform that accelerates application creation and integrates with automation workflows.
- Snowflake – A cloud-based data platform that enables data sharing, integration, and automation across enterprise systems.
- Workato – A no-code automation platform that connects apps, automates workflows, and drives business process integration.
- Glean – An AI-powered enterprise search tool that enhances knowledge management and improves workflow automation.
These companies highlight the diversity of technologies converging under the BOAT umbrella, from workflow automation to AI-driven search and decision-making.
Glean: The Intersection of AI, Search, and BOAT
Another topic that caught my attention at the event was Glean, an AI-powered enterprise search platform. Designed to seamlessly index company knowledge across multiple platforms, Glean enables employees to quickly find relevant information across internal systems, much like how Google searches the web.
At first, I wondered: How does Glean fit into BOAT?
The connection became clear when considering how knowledge accessibility fuels automation. A BOAT framework that integrates Glean can eliminate bottlenecks caused by information silos, making automation more effective. Imagine an AI-driven automation system that can instantly retrieve the right document, policy, or customer history—without human intervention—before executing a process. That’s where Glean and BOAT intersect.
The Broader Impact of AI and LLMs on Enterprise Automation
Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) are fundamentally reshaping how businesses think about automation. The ability of LLMs to understand context, interpret natural language, and generate insights in real-time is accelerating the adoption of AI-driven automation strategies.
When combined with BOAT, LLMs have the potential to take automation beyond simple workflows into true cognitive orchestration. This means:
- AI agents proactively assisting employees by retrieving relevant data before they ask.
- Automated decision-making based on contextual insights rather than predefined rules.
- Intelligent process automation that adapts dynamically to business needs.
Final Thoughts
The BOAT framework marks a shift towards fully orchestrated, intelligent automation. As AI, search, and process automation converge, the future of enterprise IT will be defined by how well companies integrate these technologies into their workflows.
The conference aboard the SS Rotterdam was a fitting setting to discuss this topic—a reminder that just like navigating a ship, business automation needs a clear strategy, coordination, and the right technology to stay on course.
