Developer(s) | Microsoft | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Initial release | November 2016 (as Microsoft Flow) | ||||
Stable release(s) [±] | |||||
| |||||
Operating system | Windows, Android | ||||
Type | Task automation | ||||
License | Proprietary software | ||||
Website | www |
Microsoft Power Automate, previously known as Microsoft Flow until November 2019, [4] is a SaaS platform by Microsoft for optimizing and automating workflows and business processes. It is part of the Microsoft Power Platform line of products, which include Power Apps and Power BI.[ citation needed ]
On November 1, 2016, Microsoft Flow (now Microsoft Power Automate) became generally available. [5] Similar to services like IFTTT and Zapier, users could connect between cloud apps and services with automated workflows known as flows.
On November 4, 2019, Microsoft announced a rebranding of Microsoft Flow to Microsoft Power Automate and its inclusion in Microsoft Power Platform with a shift from solely workflows to also include business processes. At the same time, a number of new functions were announced, including robotic process automation (RPA) capabilities. [6]
In 2020, Microsoft acquired Softomotive, [7] the makers of ProcessRobot and WinAutomation, to further expand the capabilities in Power Automate.
In 2022, Microsoft acquired Minit [8] to further expand its process mining capabilities in Power Automate.
Tungsten Automation, formerly Kofax Inc., is an Irvine, California-based intelligent automation software provider. Founded in 1985, the company's software allows businesses to automate and improve business workflows by simplifying the handling of data and documents.
Pegasystems Inc. (Pega) is an American software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and founded in 1983. The company has been publicly traded since 1996 as PEGA (NASDAQ). Pega is a low-code platform for workflow automation and generative AI-powered decisioning that helps businesses move towards becoming autonomous enterprises.
KNIME, the Konstanz Information Miner, is a free and open-source data analytics, reporting and integration platform. KNIME integrates various components for machine learning and data mining through its modular data pipelining "Building Blocks of Analytics" concept. A graphical user interface and use of JDBC allows assembly of nodes blending different data sources, including preprocessing, for modeling, data analysis and visualization without, or with minimal, programming.
ServiceNow, Inc. is an American software company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops a cloud computing platform to help companies manage digital workflows for enterprise operations. Founded in 2003 by Fred Luddy, ServiceNow is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Russell 1000 Index and S&P 500 Index. In 2018, Forbes magazine named it number one on its list of the world's most innovative companies.
Actionstep is a cloud-based legal practice management software for law firms and compliance-focused businesses. Actionstep is built to be a comprehensive practice management software with features for workflow automation as well as automatic document generation
IFTTT is a private commercial company that runs services that allow a user to program a response to events in the world.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google that provides a series of modular cloud services including computing, data storage, data analytics, and machine learning, alongside a set of management tools. It runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products, such as Google Search, Gmail, and Google Docs, according to Verma et al. Registration requires a credit card or bank account details.
Dynatrace, Inc. is a global technology company that provides a software observability platform based on artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. Dynatrace technologies are used to monitor, analyze, and optimize application performance, software development and security practices, IT infrastructure, and user experience for businesses and government agencies throughout the world.
Robotic process automation (RPA) is a form of business process automation that is based on software robots (bots) or artificial intelligence (AI) agents. RPA should not be confused with artificial intelligence as it is based on automotive technology following a predefined workflow. It is sometimes referred to as software robotics.
Microsoft Power BI is an interactive data visualization software product developed by Microsoft with a primary focus on business intelligence. It is part of the Microsoft Power Platform. Power BI is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to turn various sources of data into static and interactive data visualizations. Data may be input by reading directly from a database, webpage, PDF, or structured files such as spreadsheets, CSV, XML, JSON, XLSX, and SharePoint.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is an integrated suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) applications offered by Microsoft. Combines various functions such as sales, customer service, field service, operations, finance, marketing, and project service automation into a single platform.
Zapier is a company that provides integrations for web applications for use in automated workflows.
Blue Prism is the trading name of the Blue Prism Group plc, a British multinational software corporation that pioneered and makes enterprise robotic process automation (RPA) software that provides a digital workforce designed to automate complex, end-to-end operational activities. In March 2022, Blue Prism was acquired by SS&C Technologies.
Appian Corporation is an American cloud computing and enterprise software company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, part of the Dulles Technology Corridor. The company sells a platform as a service (PaaS) for building enterprise software applications. It is focused on low-code development, process mining, business process management, and case management markets in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
UiPath Inc. is a global software company that makes robotic process automation (RPA) software. It was founded in Bucharest, Romania, by Daniel Dines and Marius Tîrcă. Its headquarters are in New York City. The company's software monitors user activity to automate repetitive front and back office tasks, including those performed using other business software such as customer relationship management or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
StackStorm is an open source event-driven platform for runbook automation. It supports the Infrastructure as Code (IaC) approach to DevOps automation and has been compared with SaltStack and Ansible, it primarily focuses on doing things or running workflows based on events. StackStorm is comparable to IFTTT or Zapier in providing a way to connect many different services together in coherent applets or workflows that begin based on defined events or triggers.
Azuqua is an American cloud-based integration and automation company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. As such, they integrate SaaS applications and create automations that are designed to eliminate manual work. Azuqua's platform has the ability to set up workflows between multiple applications so disparate teams can stay in the loop. Azuqua's customers include companies such as Charles Schwab, General Electric, General Motors, HubSpot, and Airbnb.
Microsoft Power Platform is a collection of low-code development tools that allows users to build custom business applications, automate workflows, and analyze data. It also offers integration with GitHub, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Teams, among other Microsoft and third-party applications.
Intelligent automation (IA), or alternately intelligent process automation, is a software term that refers to a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA). Companies use intelligent automation to cut costs and streamline tasks by using artificial-intelligence-powered robotic software to mitigate repetitive tasks. As it accumulates data, the system learns in an effort to improve its efficiency. Intelligent automation applications consist of but are not limited to, pattern analysis, data assembly, and classification. The term is similar to hyperautomation, a concept identified by research group Gartner as being one of the top technology trends of 2020.