• Scaling AI requires more than just a successful pilot.
• Fragmented systems and legacy systems limit the value of AI.
• BOAT helps centralize the management of processes, automation, and AI.
• Without governance and process orchestration, you lose control over autonomous AI.
• A strong digital foundation makes AI both scalable and manageable.

Virtually every organization is currently exploring how AI can help make processes smarter. The first pilot projects are underway, employees are experimenting with AI agents, and expectations are high.

Yet many organizations run into the same problem. Not because the AI doesn’t work, but because the underlying processes aren’t set up for it.

AI agents are increasingly taking independent action. But who oversees the process when multiple systems, departments, and exceptions come into play?

In this blog, you’ll learn why more and more organizations are turning to process orchestration, what Business Orchestration and Automation Technology (BOAT) exactly means, and why it’s an important prerequisite for implementing AI safely and at scale.

Why AI alone doesn’t solve the problem

In recent years, many organizations have invested in digitization.

A robot automates administrative tasks.
A workflow tool supports approval processes.
An integration platform connects systems.
An AI agent processes documents or answers questions.

On their own, these solutions provide value. But over time, a new problem arises.

Every solution has its own logic, monitoring, and management. Processes span multiple systems, departments, and suppliers, yet no one has a complete overview of the entire chain.

This only becomes truly apparent when organizations want to deploy AI agents for more complex business processes.

Why process orchestration is becoming increasingly important

An AI agent can certainly perform a task. But business processes almost never consist of just one task.

Consider:

• a quote that requires multiple approvals;
• an order that involves multiple ERP systems;
• An insurance claim in which documents, people, and AI work together.

This is where the need for process orchestration arises.

Process orchestration ensures that all steps within a business process (regardless of which system or employee is involved) are centrally controlled and monitored.

AI thus becomes part of the process, rather than a standalone solution.

What is Business Orchestration and Automation Technology (BOAT)?

Gartner refers to this development—AI becoming an integral part of the process, rather than a standalone solution—as Business Orchestration and Automation Technology (BOAT).

BOAT brings together process orchestration, automation, integrations, and AI under a single strategy. The goal is not to build more automations, but to make business processes as a whole manageable.

According to Gartner, by 2030, approximately 70% of large organizations will use a single consolidated platform for this purpose. This underscores how important process orchestration will become in the coming years. (Source: Gartner Predicts 2025.)

Three challenges that many organizations underestimate

1. Processes don’t stop at a single system

An order, request, or customer inquiry often passes through multiple applications, departments, and employees. Without centralized coordination, fragmentation occurs.

2. AI needs clear guidelines

When AI makes decisions on its own, it must be clear that:

• when AI is allowed to act independently;
• when an employee needs to intervene;
• who remains responsible.

That calls for governance.

3. You want to be able to explain what AI has done

More and more organizations are having to deal with laws and regulations related to AI.

That is why every decision must be verifiable.

Who performed which action?
Why did that happen?
What data was used?

Without those insights, AI is difficult to scale.

 

Why many AI pilots never move beyond the pilot phase

The pilot is working. But then it turns out:

• Processes vary by department;
• systems contain anomalies;
• Exceptions are never included;
• No one knows who owns it.

As a result, AI remains limited to isolated experiments.

Not because the technology is lacking, but because the organization lacks a foundation on which AI can operate.

How Ciphix prepares organizations for scalable AI

At Ciphix, we don’t start with technology. We start by understanding the process.

During Sprint 0, we work with the organization to identify:

• which processes have the greatest impact;
• where legacy systems hinder innovation;
• which systems are involved;
• where AI actually adds value;
• how governance and ownership are structured.

Only then do we determine which technology is best suited for the task.

Process orchestration is not an end in itself, but rather a way to implement AI in a manageable, secure, and future-proof manner.

Conclusion

In the coming years, more and more organizations will be incorporating AI into their core processes. As a result, the challenge is shifting from “How do we build an AI agent?” to “How do we ensure that all our processes, systems, and AI solutions work together?” Business Orchestration and Automation Technology is not just the latest trend, but a way to maintain control over increasingly complex digital processes.

Organizations that invest in a solid foundation now will be able to scale up AI in a controlled manner in the coming years. Organizations that continue to rely on piecemeal solutions, on the other hand, run the risk of their IT landscape becoming fragmented once again.

Jeroen Blok is a UiPath specialist at Ciphix. If you’re interested or have any questions, feel free to contact us at ciphix.io/contact