As Microsoft further integrates WinAutomation in the Power Automation stack it is moving the focus for development in SharePoint as well. Away from SharePoint Designer (which hasn’t had a refresh in over 7 years). The dropping of SPD 2010 workflows on November 1,2020 is the next step in that evolution. After spending most of my career on the bleeding edge of this type of tech I am certainly not against evolution. I simply question whether the Power Platform is fully ready to deliver as a replacement. I guess we’ll see.

By Frederic Lardinois – Earlier this year, Microsoft  acquired Softomotive, a player in the low-code robotic process automation space with a focus on Windows. Today, at its Ignite conference, the company is launching Power Automate Desktop, a new application based on Softomotive’s  technology that lets anyone automate desktop workflows without needing to program.

“The big idea of Power Platform is that we want to go make it so development is accessible to everybody,” Charles Lamanna, Microsoft’s corporate VP for its low-code platform, told me. “And development includes understanding and reporting on your data with Power BI, building web and mobile applications with Power Apps, automating your tasks — whether it’s through robotic process automation or workflow automation — with Power Automate, or building chatbots and chat-based experiences with Power Virtual Agent.”

Power Automate already allowed users to connect web-based applications, similar to Zapier  and IFTTT, but the company also launched a browser extension late last year to help users connect native system components to Power Automate. Now, with the integration of the Softomotive technology and the launch of this new low-code Windows application, it’s taking this integration into the native Windows user interface one step further. Read On: