There are various techniques available for automation and programmers have been using them for years to increase efficiency in enterprises:

• Custom software: Developing new software to perform repetitive tasks.
• Runbook: Runbooks are typically used for IT-based operations. They are a compilation of a set of commands or tasks that are performed for maintenance and other types of activities. Runbooks can be offline as well, often referred to as run commands for performing sets of tasks. 
• Batch: Batch files used to very popular. They used to compile a sequence of commands that could be run by a single click or command. They can also be scheduled to be run at a specific time using the scheduler.
• Wrapper: Wraps around existing software or hosts client applications. The wrapper monitors activities in a client app and performs actions based on rules.

For example:

• • Putting validation on top of a mainframe application using hummingbird
  • Hosting a website inside a shell, navigation, and actions
• Browser automation: Greasemonkey and many other web macro software helped in browser-based automation. It can be used to read from a website and save to a database. It can also write to fields based on rules. Using this technique, a whole website can be changed, and components can be added or removed from the website. Sometimes, it is also referred to as web scripting or web injections.
• Desktop automation: Traditionally, desktop automation used to mean that multiple screens on a desktop were woven together to present a single screen, and if there was some data transfer from one screen to another, it could be done automatically. Recently, assisted Robotics process automation has also been considered for desktop automation by some companies. 
• Database/web service integration: In database integration, we read/write to a client database directly. In web service integration, we communicate with the client system using a web service: