Power Automate is part of the Microsoft Power Platform, which also includes Power BI (for business analytics) and Power Apps (for app development). It is designed to empower users across different roles, including business users, analysts, and developers, to create efficient and automated workflows that improve productivity and reduce manual tasks.
Power Automate, formerly known as Microsoft Flow, is a cloud-based service provided by Microsoft that allows users to automate workflows and tasks across various applications and services. The goal of Power Automate is to streamline and simplify business processes by automating repetitive tasks, integrating different applications, and enabling efficient data workflows.
How to get access to Power Automate?
If you already have a Microsoft 365 account, the process of installing Power Automate is very simple.
- On your windows device search for Microsoft Store:
- Navigate to the search bar and search for Power Automate:
- Click on install, and it will get installed on your device instantly:
Since Power Platforms along with Microsoft are advocates of virtualization. Users are not expected to have Power Automate downloaded on their personal devices and they can avail the services by their online platform: Microsoft Power Automate | Home.
Users can simply go here and login to their accounts and use Power Automate according to their requirements. The online version primarily has two advantages:
- Since it is a cloud-based service, the online version acts as the main version of Power Automate.
- Moreover, it has additional features to the one in the installed desktop version.
However, it must be noted that the desktop version has a few features that help designing personalized flows. It has Desktop flows (UI flows) that can automate desktop tasks.
But the online version is still preferred. It facilitates designing desktop specific flows, in a different manner but is still supported, moreover it has several connectors and integrators that assist in the scalability of your flows.
But if you do not have a Microsoft 365 account, there can be a few ways you can get access to this low code platform:
- Sign Up free: When you open Power Automate (Microsoft Power Automate | Home) and you do not have a 365 account, there will be “Try Free” option. Click on that option and you can avail yourself of a set of limited options.
- If users have a work or school account that has a Microsoft 365 account associated with it but does not have Power Automate as part of their package, they can avail by logging in from this work or school account here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate
- Guest Access: If you’re collaborating with an organization that uses Power Automate and they grant you guest access to their environment, you may be able to participate in specific workflows or processes without having a Microsoft account. This involves being invited as a guest to a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 environment.
- Public Flows: Some flows created in Power Automate can be shared publicly, allowing users to access and use them without requiring a Microsoft account. However, this would depend on the specific sharing settings configured by the flow creator.
It is advisable to get an account to effectively use Power Automate, due to the various options available that if used effectively can bring a lot of benefits to organizations or users.
Once installed there are numerous services available for users to achieve optimization. We will be covering that in our next article.
