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What is a Digital Worker?

A Digital Worker is a digital employee for whom a clear job description is defined as part of the organization’s existing work process. It can independently handle the work steps defined for it, but operates in accordance with goals, responsibilities, and limits defined by humans.

A Digital Worker has its own identity and only the access rights necessary to perform its work. It can use the same systems and user interfaces as a human and utilize APIs when they are available. The work it performs can be tracked and audited.

The purpose of Digital Worker is not to remove humans from the process. It handles the work steps assigned to it, while humans remain the decision-makers and participate in the process at those points where approval, judgment, or other human decisions are required.

Digital Worker also leverages existing systems

Automating every work process doesn’t have to start with an integration or system overhaul. In addition to APIs, the Digital Worker can also use system user interfaces to retrieve the information it needs from legacy systems, for example. This allows new automation to be built without first requiring expensive separate data lakes, new integrations, or fully customized agent solutions. This speeds up implementation and reduces the necessary investments.

How does Digital Worker work?

Digital Worker operates as part of an organization’s work process in the same way as an employee, for whom tasks, tools, access rights, and responsibilities are defined. Before implementation, the workflow and the steps to be performed by the Digital Worker are mapped out: what needs to be done, in what order, which systems and data are used, and at which points a human decision is required.

1. Work environment

Digital Worker operates in a Windows work environment created specifically for the task, within the organization’s own Microsoft environment. Tasks are not performed on the process owner’s or any other employee’s computer; rather, the Digital Worker’s work environment is separate and managed by the organization.

Digital Worker utilizes the Cloud PC pool of the Windows 365 for Agents service, from which it claims a Windows Cloud PC work environment for the duration of a task and releases it once the task is complete.

In the work environment, the Digital Worker can use Windows applications, a web browser, online services, and system user interfaces as required by the task. It can also utilize APIs when they are available. This allows the Digital Worker to work even in systems that lack an interface suitable for performing the task.

For more information about agent-managed Cloud PC work environments, see Microsoft’s Windows 365 for Agents documentation.

2. Identity and access rights

A Digital Worker has its own digital identity and only the access rights necessary to perform its tasks. It does not use the personal user credentials of the process owner or any other employee.

A Digital Worker’s access to systems, applications, and data is determined by its job description. Access rights are limited to the resources necessary for the task within the organization’s own Microsoft environment. In this way, the Digital Worker operates as a managed digital agent within the organization’s existing identity and access management framework.

Thanks to its own identity, the actions taken by the Digital Worker can be distinguished from those taken by humans. Its activities can be monitored and audited, allowing the organization to determine what the Digital Worker has done, in which system, and as part of which task.

3. Job description

A clear job description is created for the Digital Worker based on the actual work process. The model identifies the practical progression of the work, the systems and data sources used, the checks performed, decision points, and situations requiring human involvement.

The job description is not based solely on a general description or a single instruction. During the pilot, the work process is identified at the practical level and modeled as a controlled procedure for the Digital Worker. In this way, the Digital Worker performs the work steps defined for it in accordance with the modeled job description, in the correct order, and within the agreed-upon limits.

The modeled job description is documented and can be refined as the needs of processes, systems, and the organization change. The individual sets the goals and boundaries and remains the decision-maker in situations requiring approval or discretion.

4. Human guidance and decisions

A human defines the Digital Worker’s tasks, authority, and the situations in which the work requires approval or a decision. The Digital Worker performs the work steps outlined in the modeled job description but does not independently make decisions that have been defined as the responsibility of a human.

Clear decision points and operational boundaries are built into the work process. When the Digital Worker encounters a situation requiring approval, consideration, or the handling of an exception, the task is transferred to a designated person for resolution. After a human makes a decision, the Digital Worker can proceed to the next steps in the process.

In this way, the Digital Worker supports human work and reduces manual work steps without transferring decision-making responsibility to the machine. The organization retains control over what the Digital Worker is allowed to do independently and when human involvement is required.

5. Work history and supervision

The tasks performed by the Digital Worker form a work history that can be tracked. The organization can review which work steps the Digital Worker has completed, which systems it has used, and how the work process has progressed.

Digital Worker’s own identity distinguishes the actions it takes from those taken by humans. The traceability and auditability of operations support work monitoring, the investigation of anomalies, and the organization’s information security and compliance practices.

As part of the managed Digital Worker service, operations are monitored, and the job description can be refined based on these observations. This ensures that, after implementation, Digital Worker does not remain a standalone automation tool; rather, its operations, work environment, and tasks can be managed and developed as the organization’s needs change.

What can Digital Worker be used for?

Digital Worker is suitable for work processes that involve handling data, using multiple systems, and performing repetitive tasks according to defined rules. Digital Worker can handle the work steps modeled for the process and refer situations requiring approval, judgment, or a decision to a human.

• retrieving and compiling data from various systems
• verifying and comparing data
• data entry and transfer between systems
• Receiving, processing, and classifying documents
• preparing reports and summaries
• Monitoring the progress of the process and responding to deadlines
• Identifying anomalies and forwarding them to a human for review

Digital Worker is not limited to a single industry or type of organization. It can be utilized, for example, in the work stages of financial management, human resources, sales, customer service, procurement, reporting, and other administrative or operational processes.

What does the Digital Worker service include?

Cloud PCS implements the digital employee as a managed service, from identifying work processes to continuous monitoring and development. The service is built within the organization’s own Microsoft environment, and implementation progresses from a limited pilot to managed production use.

• Identifying the Work Process: Select a work process and identify the work steps suitable for the Digital Worker.
• Piloting and Work Modeling: The actual work process is identified at the practical level and modeled into a controlled job description for a digital employee.
• Service Implementation: A dedicated work environment, identity, necessary access rights, and a workflow model for task execution are set up for the digital employee.
• Implementation: The digital employee is introduced in a controlled manner as part of the organization’s process, and decision points that remain the responsibility of humans are ensured.
• Management and Continuous Improvement: The service’s operations are monitored, work tasks are refined, and changes are implemented in accordance with the organization’s needs.

Could Digital Worker be a good fit for your work processes?

The first step in the service is to identify a work process in which a significant amount of time is spent retrieving, processing, verifying, or transferring data. Together, we’ll assess which work steps are suitable for a Digital Worker and where human decision-making is required.

See the Digital Worker FAQ page for answers to questions regarding the service’s functionality, security, access rights, monitoring, and implementation.