Microsoft Power Automate: Reshaping Business Automation - Tech Falcon

How Microsoft Power Automate is Reshaping Business Process Automation?

Tech Falcon
Published on May 11, 2022

What is Microsoft Power Automate?

Microsoft Power Automate is a cloud-based business solution formerly known as "Flow". It is a low-code automation tool under the Microsoft Power Platform which includes Robotic Process Automation (RPA) which allows you to automate time-consuming manual tasks. It comes with pre-built connectors to set up automated and efficient workflows. It helps businesses to automate their workflow and streamline their operations by syncing every step and sharing files with instant notification to concerned contact points. Power automation also gives SharePoint users the power to automate processes. Power Automate is a universal automation toolkit that synchronizes corporate applications based on business requirements with custom/standard protocols. It is included in the Microsoft 365 package. Cloud-based connections such as data loss prevention, identity, and access control services are also included in these secure workflows. There's more time to focus on strategic, high-value possibilities in the organization with the capacity to automate time-consuming manual operations with built-in AI capabilities.

Microsoft Power Automate was designed with non-technical business users in mind as well as citizen integrators and IT personnel. Every employee will have access to automation tools, allowing them to design their solutions on a simple platform.

How does Microsoft Power Automate work?

Microsoft Power Automate offers Flows, a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) component in the platform to create automation triggers. The Microsoft Power Automate platform, both on-premise and in the cloud, connects API and user-interface-based automation capabilities through Flows. Mouse clicks, data entry, and keyboard use can all be captured and processed into intelligent, safe workflows using user-interface Flows.

There are various types of automation flows like:

    • Scheduled flows: The scheduled process is initiated when a specified period has passed or has gone, and it continues to accomplish the tasks according to the schedule you provide to it.
    • Instant Flows: With the click of a button, you can start an automated workflow in an instant, it works on every repetitive task. It needs the approval of cloud-based apps like SharePoint or Microsoft 365.
    • Automated Flows: It allows you to create a workflow from scratch and can complete several tasks automatically within a specific time. It uses API connectors to track and process the flow trigger.
    • Desktop Flows: Users can use this flow to automate their desktop user interface by recording their screen and having visual flow designers automate mouse and keyboard clicks. Desktop flows can be used to extract text from PDFs, retrieve files from folders, and gather data from Excel, among other things.
    • Business Process Flows: Essentially, it serves as a roadmap for end-users to do tasks more efficiently by guiding them through company-defined processes. This automation can be customized to provide workers in various security tasks with an experience that is specific to their work.

Microsoft Power Automate Capabilities

  • Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation(RPA) is a type of enterprise process automation that helps in automating manual tasks using record-and-playback ability based on human-like interactions. It performs repetitive operations between enterprise and productivity applications by integrating APIs and user interface (UI) interactions. When your organization is clogged with old apps, whether they're on-premises, in the cloud, or both, and there's no way to communicate between them, RPA can help (UI Flows).  Your organization can scale between historical apps and modern services with UI Flows. Companies can use this Power Automate functionality to automate both current API-based applications and legacy API-based applications, as well as mix legacy apps, modern apps, and manual processes in single automation.

  • Power Virtual Agents

Power Virtual Agent is a low code platform for building intelligent chatbots. You can design chatbots using the no-code graphical interface without the requirement for developers or data scientists. It also eliminates the gap between when a user reports an issue and when the bot is updated to reflect it. Power Virtual Agents may be integrated into the products and services you use every day. Hundreds of pre-made connectors are available. With Power Automate or the Microsoft Bot Framework, you can also combine Power Virtual Agents with other applications to create bespoke processes or complex scenarios.

  • AI builder

AI builder allows you to create intelligent automated processes. AI builder offers various pre-built models which can be easily used to create intelligent workflow making your business processes far easier.  With AI models you can predict customer answers, create custom forms, detect language on any website and so much more.

Benefits of using Power Automate

    • Automate Manual Tasks: Business processes often get clogged with a series of manual tasks, which takes up time and delays operations. With Microsoft Power Automate, you can automate and simplify your business operations. Along with automating repetitive tasks, Power Automate also allows you to assign priority to functions, and get timely notified on their progress.
    • Boost Productivity: By cutting out time-consuming repetitive tasks you can significantly improve your overall productivity. You can use this business process automation solution to optimize workflows and attain a more efficient method of working. Create automated workflows that perform a series of operations depending on triggers when a specific event occurs. With 'Logic Apps,' you may automate not only individual operations but also large-scale systems and complicated workflows.
    • Easily connect and share business data: Power Automate can perform in more than one application. It enables you to create automated processes across your important business applications and systems for things like data gathering, file synchronization, notifications and alerts, and more. You may use 100+ data source connectors to connect to all of your software systems and apps from any location for data gathering, analysis, and report generation.
    • Seamlessly integrate with various applications: If your company already uses Microsoft products like OneDrive, Dynamics 365, Office 365, SharePoint, and others, Power Automate is a must to set up. Power Automate can integrate with over 250 applications both inside and outside the Microsoft ecosystem. One advantage is the simplicity with which data may be transferred to and from your applications. You may quickly automate tasks by creating automated workflows between many applications.

Conclusion

Microsoft Power Automate is a user-friendly business automation tool that helps you in simplifying and automating your everyday repetitive and complex business processes. In this changing market, automation is one of the most important functions needed in every business irrespective of which industry it is based on. It helps you to succeed at your goals faster with intelligent technology. Our staff is well trained in finding what suits you best as a strategic partner for delivering Microsoft Power Platform solutions for businesses. Please contact us if you have any business process automation needs.