From RPA to agentic workflows: How iPaaS delivers secure, ROI-driven automation in 90 days

Agentic workflows are crossing the chasm from experimentation to enterprise reality. What’s changing isn’t just the technology, but the operating model.  

Enterprises are under pressure to deliver automation that can adapt to context, follow goals, and operate securely within guardrails. The fastest, lowest-risk path to achieving this is to build on what already works: orchestrating RPA, APIs and AI agents inside an iPaaS like Frends, which provides strong governance, resilience, and observability. 

This article outlines a pragmatic playbook for delivering ROI-driven agentic automation in just 90 days.  

It starts with targeting high-friction, high-value workflows and building human-in-the-loop control structures. It then layers in trusted knowledge retrieval, measurable KPIs, and secure design patterns.  

Most importantly, it encourages thin-slice delivery, starting small and iterating rapidly toward impact. 

Whether you're a CIO struggling with integration backlogs, a CFO questioning AI spend or a CMO drowning in data silos, this approach offers a way forward.  

The evolution of automation: From RPA to Agentic AI 

Enterprise automation has travelled a long path, from macros and scripts to full-fledged Robotic Process Automation (RPA).  

While RPA unlocked productivity for rule-based, high-volume tasks, it lacks flexibility. A UI tweak can derail a bot; unstructured data introduces ambiguity. More recent advances brought AI into the mix, enabling pattern recognition and predictions, but often in siloed tools or dashboards that couldn’t execute actions. 

Now, a new class of automation is emerging: agentic workflows.  

These are built on Large Language Models (LLMs) that can reason, plan, and act, not just respond. But more than raw intelligence, enterprises need control and context.  

A successful agentic AI system must: 

• Observe changes and trigger workflows
• Reason through complex scenarios
• Act by invoking tools (APIs, RPA bots, scripts)
• Adapt by learning from feedback and failures  

Frends brings this to life by combining process modelling (via BPMN 2.0), secure execution, and hybrid integrations across legacy and modern systems. 

Why iPaaS is the control plane for agentic workflows 

Enterprise leaders are facing automation fatigue. CIOs are under pressure to modernize without risking compliance. 

CFOs are sceptical of “AI innovation” that doesn’t tie to cost savings or faster time-to-cash. CMOs struggle with fragmented data across MarTech stacks. And CHROs are navigating a workforce split between people and machines, with no visibility into either. 

The root cause?  

1. Disconnected automation.  

2. Bots running in isolation.  

3. AI models making decisions with no oversight.  

4. Processes fragmented across platforms.

This is where an Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) like Frends becomes essential. It solves for the “last mile” of automation: governance, orchestration and observability. 

With an iPaaS, CIOs and IT teams solve a wide range of challenges, such as: 

• Shadow integrations: iPaaS like Frends enable IT teams to enforce policy-based governance while giving teams flexibility through reusable assets and low-code tooling.
• Spaghetti architecture: Consolidate API calls, RPA triggers and human approvals into BPMN 2.0 visual flows, easily understood and maintained.
• Scaling AI securely: Define an AI “toolbox” of approved actions; every call is logged, every credential vaulted, every action traceable. 

This is why iPaaS is the connective tissue between smart automation and smart governance, a foundation that both IT and business leaders can trust. 

A 90-day playbook for agentic workflow success 

1. Target a high-friction workflow with authoritative data

Start where it hurts. Choose a process that is manual, repetitive and data-rich. Good candidates:

• Order-to-cash exceptions
• Insurance claims triage
• IT support ticket resolution

Begin with deep mapping: understand systems, users, data flows and failure modes.

2. Build in human-in-the-loop (HITL) controls

Autonomy doesn’t mean exclusion. Use Frends to embed human approvals, confidence thresholds and escalations. This ensures trust and risk mitigation in sensitive steps.

3. Make workflows knowledge-aware

Don’t let agents hallucinate. Use retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) patterns to ground AI in trusted documents, policies and knowledge bases. Frends connects easily to enterprise search tools and vetted vector stores.

4. Instrument ROI from day one

Frends supports full observability of process metrics:

• Cycle times
• Rework rates
• Volumes and error rates
• SLA adherence

Tie improvements to cost centers and business KPIs, not just model accuracy.

5. Build secure-by-design

Security isn’t a bolt-on. Frends includes:

• Data minimization
• Role-based access
• Credential vaulting
• Full audit logs

It supports standards like OpenID and integrates with corporate SSO for secure deployments.

6. Deliver in thin slices and iterate

Start small. Add AI to an existing approval process, then expand to full orchestration. Use Frends to track improvements, adjust thresholds, and gather user feedback. 

Case study: Haypp Group’s global expansion with Frends 

The Haypp Group, a leader in smoke-free alternatives and nicotine pouch, faced integration challenges during international expansion. Frends helped them build a unified, resilient automation layer that spans inventory, ERP and e-commerce platforms. 

“Frends acts as our switchboard and central hub for everything related to sales and inventory.” 

– Janne Kalian, COO at Haypp Group 

In a typical week, they process: 

• 1.3M incoming messages
• 2.3M outgoing messages
• 1.3M completed executions 

This real-time orchestration is exactly what agentic AI needs to thrive. 

Scaling securely: From ICC to C4E

Traditionally, integration was controlled by a centralized Integration Competency Center (ICC). This worked when integrations were rare and slow.  

But in today’s landscape of SaaS sprawl, real-time data and AI-triggered automation, the ICC model creates bottlenecks.

The shift is towards a Center for Enablement (C4E) framework: a modern, federated model where integration becomes a shared responsibility, governed by standards but executed at scale by empowered teams. 

What changes in the C4E model? 

From control to enablement: The C4E doesn’t do all the integration work, it enables teams across departments to do it right, fast, and safely.

• Reusable integration assets: The C4E curates templates, security policies and training so others don’t reinvent the wheel.
• Decentralized execution, centralized governance: Teams build integrations using approved tools (like Frends) while the C4E monitors compliance, KPIs and performance.
• Outcome-based metrics: Success isn’t how many integrations IT delivers, it’s how many are reused, how much faster projects go live, and how many business units participate. 

The future is agentic and governed by iPaaS 

Agentic AI promises to automate not just tasks, but goals. But without proper governance, security and orchestration, the risks outweigh the rewards. 

Frends iPaaS provides the control plane enterprises need to make agentic automation safe, measurable and scalable. With visual modelling, hybrid integrations, low-code capabilities and robust security, it enables teams to deliver real impact in as little as 90 days. 

IT leaders and business owners don’t need moonshots. They need thin slices of transformation, securely deployed, tightly monitored and visibly valuable.