Power Automate vs Traditional Workflow Automation: Why Australian Businesses Are Switching to Microsoft’s Low-Code Platform ?
The digital transformation process is gaining speed throughout Australia. Organizations operating in multiple industries must find ways to decrease their operational expenses while they need to boost their operational productivity and achieve rapid business growth. The primary factor driving this transformation process is the implementation of automated workflows.
Australian businesses have shifted away from traditional enterprise IT systems which used to control all business operations. Many organizations now use Microsoft Power Automate which serves as a low-code automation solution within the Microsoft Power Platform. The company uses its cloud-based system together with its simple interface and seamless connectivity to change how businesses automate their operational tasks.
The article will provide a Power Automate and traditional workflow automation comparison which shows why Australian organizations have adopted Microsoft modern low-code platform.
Understanding Workflow Automation
Workflow automation uses software to perform tasks and approvals and data transfers through predefined rules which automate execution. Businesses use automation tools to handle their regular work because they want to reduce the need for employees to perform repetitive tasks through manual work.
Automation helps organizations:
Accelerate decision-making
Modern workflow automation tools enable employees without technical expertise to design automation processes, which allows all departments to develop innovative solutions.
What Is Microsoft Power Automate?
Microsoft Power Automate serves as an online automation tool which allows organizations to create automated workflows that connect their different software applications and online services. The platform employs a low-code development approach which enables users to design workflows through its drag-and-drop interface instead of requiring them to write code.
With Power Automate, organizations can:
The system enables organizations to automate their approval processes which includes sending notification alerts.
The system allows users to share information between different software applications.
Organizations can create their own robotic process automation (RPA) bots through the RPA development tool.
The system enables users to initiate workflows by using emails and forms and database updates.
The system supports integration with more than 200 business software applications.
The platform provides prebuilt connectors and automation templates together with AI functionality which enables organizations to implement workflows throughout their various departments.
What Is Traditional Workflow Automation?
Traditional workflow automation systems require either custom software development or existing enterprise software which organizations use on their local servers.
These systems often involve:
On-premise infrastructure
Complex configuration and coding
Extended time to complete system deployment
IT teams must support system operations
The traditional automation platforms enable organizations to manage their extensive enterprise workflows Yet these platforms need substantial resources together with extended time and specific technical knowledge for their operation.
Challenges of Traditional Automation
Traditional automation systems encounter multiple restrictions which arise from their existing technological capabilities.
The system requires substantial financial resources to establish while its development process extends over multiple years.
The system provides restricted options for connecting with other systems.
The system requires extensive support from IT personnel to operate.
The system has operational difficulties which make its implementation process complicated.
The obstacles which organizations encounter during their digital transformation process create delays in their transformation programs.
Power Automate vs Traditional Workflow Automation
The two automation methods need to be compared because businesses now choose low-code automation solutions.
The traditional workflow automation system needs professional developers to write complex code.
The Power Automate system enables both developers and business users to create workflows through its visual toolset which uses a low-code development approach.
Low-code platforms enable organizations to create applications more quickly by using their control over development costs through template-based development and drag-and-drop interface systems.
The company achieves process automation through methods that require minimal IT support.
The process of deploying traditional automation solutions takes multiple months because it requires
Traditional automation systems take several months to implement because they need both infrastructure installation and software product installation and system integration work.
Power Automate dramatically reduces this time because:
The system operates from a cloud-based environment.
The system provides users with pre-built automation workflow templates.
The system establishes connections to multiple services at once.
This means workflows which took weeks to complete now require only days for deployment.
Integration with Business Applications
The main issue that legacy automation systems face is their difficulty establishing integrations with other systems.
The traditional systems need custom connectors or API development to connect with CRM and HR and accounting systems.
Power Automate enables users to connect Microsoft applications and third-party applications through its pre-built connectors which include:
This enables businesses to establish cross-organization workflows which operate smoothly throughout their technological framework.
Scalability and Cloud Infrastructure
Organizations must obtain extra hardware resources to expand traditional automation tools which run from their on-premise servers
Power Automate allows organizations to grow their automation capabilities through its cloud-based system.
Businesses can carry out workflow automation for thousands of processes without needing to oversee any operational systems.
Accessibility for Non-Technical Users
The traditional automation system requires IT staff to create and change workflows, which limits its use to those specific professionals.
The system enables all users to establish their own workflows through the process.
The visual interface empowers HR and finance and marketing and operations staff members to develop their own workflows without needing advanced technical expertise.
Low-code automation platforms enable users who lack technical skills to construct their own workflows. This capability accelerates development work across multiple teams.
Why Australian Businesses Are Switching to Power Automate?
The shift to Power Automate by Australian businesses results from multiple advantages which low-code automation provides to organizations throughout Australia.
Faster Digital Transformation
Improvement in Collaboration
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Support
Forrester TEI Study Findings: Business Impact of Microsoft Power Automate
The Forrester Consulting study from July 2024 investigated six companies to create a model of a composite organization which had 30,000 employees and $10B revenue to test Microsoft Power Automate. The study discovered a 248% return on investment which resulted in a net present value of $39.85 million and the company would recover its costs within six months over a three-year period. Organizations achieved advantages through their employees saving time and developing workflows more quickly and they achieved lower costs for legacy automation and their productivity increased through using low-code automation and Microsoft Power Apps integration.
How Power Automate Works with Dynamics 365?
The complete integration capability of Microsoft Dynamics 365 with Power Automate enables organizations to automate business processes which they need to support their CRM and ERP systems. The system enables automated notifications to the sales team, task assignments, record updates, and follow-up email dispatch when a new lead is created in Dynamics 365.
This integration helps businesses:
Automate customer engagement workflows and lead management processes
Simplify financial operations and invoice approval processes
Shorten the time needed for customer support teams to respond
Automate the processes of order processing and inventory management
Decrease the amount of manual data input needed between different business software applications
Through the connection of Dynamics 365 with Power Automate organizations can establish automated business workflows that span multiple departments while keeping real-time access to their data.
Copilot in Power Automate
Power Automate Copilot helps organizations implement automation technology to improve their operational workflows. The system uses your natural language instructions to Copilot because you gave Copilot written instructions to show you all potential pathways which could lead to your desired outcomes. The entire development process receives ongoing support from Copilot, which provides complete guidance throughout your entire development process. The entire development process receives ongoing support from Copilot, which provides complete guidance throughout your entire development process.
Businesses experience operational changes because they switch from traditional workflow automation systems to low-code platforms.
Microsoft Power Automate enables organizations to deploy their systems faster while reducing operational costs and providing better integration and accessibility for users who lack technical expertise compared to traditional automation systems.
Power Automate enables Australian businesses to enhance their operational efficiency while achieving their digital transformation goals through its adaptable and expandable capabilities for contemporary workflow automation.
Organizations that implement low-code platforms today will gain a competitive advantage in the digital economy because their organizations will possess better innovation and scaling capabilities through automation technology advancements.
Does your business need process automation solutions?
At Dynamics Square, we assist organizations in achieving their complete potential with Microsoft Power Automate and Microsoft Dynamics 365 through the development of efficient and scalable intelligent workflows.
Our Microsoft experts will assist you throughout the process of automating your repetitive tasks and connecting your business systems and improving your CRM and ERP operations.
