The Companies That Shaped the Business Automation Revolution

ANALYSIS, April 24, 2025 — Business automation didn’t arrive with a single invention or company. It emerged over decades, shaped by advances in technology, shifts in business needs, and the drive to work smarter, not harder. Today, automation is seen as essential to running a modern business. But understanding how we got here means looking back at the companies that introduced — and promoted — automation at different stages.

From the mainframe era to AI-driven workflows, several players have led the way. Each one solved problems of its time, helping automation grow from a back-office tool into a core business strategy.

IBM: Planting the Seeds in the Mainframe Era

The concept of automating business tasks dates back to the mid-20th century. One of the earliest and most influential players was IBM. Long before the internet or cloud computing, IBM was helping large businesses automate data handling and reporting using massive mainframe computers.

In the 1950s and ’60s, IBM developed punch card machines, data processors, and later the System/360 — a mainframe system that could handle multiple types of business operations on a single platform. These machines were used to automate payroll, accounting, and inventory tracking. For the first time, businesses could shift time-consuming manual tasks to machines that performed them faster and more accurately.

IBM didn’t just sell hardware. It marketed the idea of “data processing” as a key part of running a professional operation. This helped lay the groundwork for what we now think of as business automation — using technology to streamline operations, reduce human error, and improve consistency.

SAP: Scaling Automation with Enterprise Software

In 1972, five former IBM engineers in Germany founded SAP, a company that would change how businesses run their internal operations. SAP’s innovation was to combine multiple business functions — finance, supply chain, human resources — into a single integrated system called ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning).

Before SAP, companies often used separate tools for different departments, leading to duplication, miscommunication, and delays. SAP’s software allowed businesses to automate workflows across departments, so that data entered in one area (like sales) would automatically update related areas (like inventory and billing).

This shift was more than technical. It introduced a standardized, automated approach to running a business — and made it scalable. Large companies could now operate with more speed, precision, and control, even across multiple countries and product lines.

SAP didn’t just promote software. It promoted process automation as a strategy for operational excellence, and its approach became the model for enterprise systems worldwide.

Microsoft and Salesforce: Bringing Automation to the Mainstream

While IBM and SAP focused on large enterprises, Microsoft and Salesforce helped bring automation to the mainstream — especially for smaller businesses and individual departments like sales, marketing, and admin.

Microsoft made automation accessible through everyday tools like Excel macros, Access databases, and later, Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow). These tools allowed non-programmers to automate repetitive tasks, such as generating reports, moving files, or sending reminders — all without writing code.

Meanwhile, Salesforce, launched in 1999, changed how businesses handled customer relationships. The comapny's cloud-based CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform included built-in tools to automate tasks like, 1) sending emails after a new lead is added, 2) notifying sales reps when deals move stages, and 3) generating dashboards from live data.

Salesforce’s automation features helped small teams operate with the speed and discipline of much larger ones. And it made “automated workflows” a normal part of daily work — not just an IT project.

Together, Microsoft and Salesforce helped shift the perception of automation from something technical and expensive to something every employee could use.

UiPath and Blue Prism: The Rise of Robotic Process Automation

By the 2010s, many businesses still relied on old systems that couldn’t easily integrate with modern tools. That’s when Robotic Process Automation (RPA) emerged — a new way to automate tasks by using software “robots” to mimic human actions on computers.

Companies like UiPath and Blue Prism led this movement. They developed tools that could, 1) log into websites, 2) copy and paste data across applications, 3) process forms and invoices, and 4) generate reports and send emails.

All without changing the underlying systems.

RPA didn’t require companies to rebuild their tech stacks. It simply layered automation on top of what already existed. This made it ideal for organizations with legacy systems — like banks, insurance firms, and government agencies.

UiPath, in particular, gained attention by promoting “automation for everyone,” offering low-code platforms that even business users could control. RPA helped businesses eliminate repetitive work, cut costs, and free up employees for more strategic roles.

More recently, these RPA platforms have added AI capabilities, making automation even more powerful. Now, machines don’t just follow rules — they can read documents, extract insights, and make decisions.

Automation Was Built in Layers — And It’s Still Evolving

Business automation isn’t the result of a single invention or company. It was built over decades, layer by layer. IBM started the journey by automating data handling. SAP turned automation into a strategic backbone for large enterprises. Microsoft and Salesforce brought it into daily use across industries. And UiPath and Blue Prism made it adaptable for the modern, complex business environment.

Each of these companies promoted the idea of automation not just through tools, but through messaging that work could — and should — be done better with technology. They helped shift automation from being a back-office function to a front-line priority.

Today, business automation is no longer a question of if, but how far a company is willing to go. And as AI, machine learning, and no-code platforms continue to evolve, the next generation of automation is already underway — built on the foundations these companies laid.

Business automation isn’t the result of a single invention or company. It was built over decades, layer by layer. IBM started the journey by automating data handling. SAP turned automation into a strategic backbone for large enterprises. Microsoft and Salesforce brought it into daily use across industries. And UiPath and Blue Prism made it adaptable for the modern, complex business environment.