Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate, previously known as Microsoft Flow until November 2019, 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.

History
On November 1, 2016, Microsoft Flow (now Microsoft Power Automate) became generally available. 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.

In 2020, Microsoft acquired Softomotive, the makers of ProcessRobot and WinAutomation, to further expand the capabilities in Power Automate.

In 2022, Microsoft acquired Minit to further expand its process mining capabilities in Power Automate.