Skip to main content

IT Service

What is Power Automate?

Power Automate is a powerful cloud-based service provided by Microsoft that enables you to automate and streamline processes across various applications and services. With Power Automate, you can create workflows to automate repetitive tasks, saving time and increasing productivity.

Whether it’s automating data collection, sending notifications, or integrating different systems, Power Automate offers an intuitive and visual interface to design and manage workflows. By connecting to a wide range of applications, including Microsoft 365 and other tools used at the University, Power Automate empowers you to automate processes and enhance efficiency.

Discover the capabilities and possibilities of Power Automate to simplify tasks, improve collaboration, and make your everyday work easier.


Automating processes

Power Automate provides a versatile platform for automating processes, catering to both personal and core business needs.

Personal processes

Power Automate allows you to create flows to automate your own individual tasks and enhance personal productivity. These flows can help to streamline your workflows, eliminate repetitive manual steps, and save valuable time.

Whether it’s automatically organising your emails, creating personalised notifications, or managing tasks, Power Automate empowers you to customise and automate personal processes to suit your specific needs.

Business processes

In addition to personal processes, Power Automate offers the capability to build robust workflows to support core business operations.

These workflows are typically designed to automate tasks and facilitate collaboration across teams and departments. They can involve data integration, approval workflows, cross-application communication, and more. As these workflows impact multiple users and may require integration with various systems, it’s essential to involve IT Service for approval, guidance, and support.


Flow types

Cloud Flows can be triggered either automatically, instantly, or via a schedule.

Flow typeUse caseAutomation target
Automated flowsCreate an automation that is triggered by an event such as arrival of an email from a specific person, or a mention of your company in social media.Connectors for cloud or on-premises services connect your accounts and enable them to talk to each other.
Instant flowsStart an automation with a click of a button. You can automate for repetitive tasks from your Desktop or Mobile devices. For example, instantly send a reminder to the team with a push of a button from your mobile device.Wide range of tasks such as requesting an approval, an action in Teams or SharePoint.
Scheduled flowsSchedule an automation such as daily data upload to SharePoint or a database.Tasks that need to be automated on a schedule.

Further information on Flow Types

Templated Flows

Microsoft offers a wide range of pre-built flows, called templates, that can be used to automate common business tasks. These templates include those for automating email notifications, document approvals, and data collection.

These templates are available on the Power Automate website. These templates can then be customised to fit the specific requirements.

Custom Flow builds

Power Automate can be used to build custom Flows that automate a variety of business processes.

Any use of custom Flows should be discussed with the university’s IT Service in the first instance.

The IT department will provide guidance and support in determining if Power Automate is the appropriate solution for the intended purpose. This will ensure that the university’s infrastructure, licensing, and security requirements are considered and that any potential risks are identified and addressed.


Power Automate connectors

Connectors are essential for integrating Power Automate with various applications and services, enabling seamless data exchange and task automation. Power Automate offers a wide range of connectors, including popular Microsoft 365 applications like Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams, as well as connectors for external platforms and services.

With connectors, you can easily connect your workflows to different systems, leveraging their functionalities to automate tasks and create end-to-end workflows. Choose from a diverse collection of connectors covering communication, productivity, collaboration, data sources, social media, and more.

Power Automate provides a user-friendly interface to explore and select connectors. Each connector comes with predefined actions and triggers specific to the application or service, allowing direct interaction within your workflows. Discover the extensive library of connectors available in Power Automate to connect, automate, and enhance your tasks and processes.

Please note: Some Power Automate connectors require additional premium licencing.

Microsoft connectors

  • Microsoft Bookings
  • Office 365 Outlook
  • SharePoint
  • OneDrive
  • Forms
  • Teams
  • Shifts for Teams
  • OneNote
  • Notifications
  • Excel

Third-party connectors

  • Gmail
  • Google Drive
  • YouTube
  • Slack
  • LinkedIn
  • WordPress
  • Vimeo
  • Twitter
  • Blogger

For further information, please see List of supported connectors.


Licencing

Power Automate offers a range of features and capabilities, some of which are included in our standard academic licensing model, while others require additional premium licensing.

Working together with IT Service will not only ensure compliance with licensing terms but also provide valuable insights on optimising your automation efforts, enhancing security measures, and maximising the benefits of premium features, if required.


Compliance

Any intended use of custom Flows should be discussed with the university’s IT Service in the first instance. The IT department will provide guidance and support in determining if Power Automate is the appropriate solution for the intended purpose. This will ensure that the university’s infrastructure, licensing, and security requirements are considered and that any potential risks are identified and addressed. The IT department will also provide advice on the development and implementation of the Flow solution and ensure that it complies with the university’s policies and standards. In some cases, alternative solutions may be recommended or the assistance of external vendors to develop the solution may be advised.

The IT Service will regularly review all custom Power Automate Flow development within our Microsoft tenancy. This includes identifying any unauthorised Power Automate developments that have not been through the approval process outlined by the Power Platform policy.

By conducting regular reviews, the IT Service can ensure that all Power Automate Flows in use are approved, secure, and aligned with the university’s policies and standards. If any unauthorised developments are identified, the IT Service will take appropriate action to remediate any further unauthorised use.


Use cases

IT Service inductions

We’ve modernised the record keeping, notifications and the feedback process for IT Service inductions using the Power Automate platform.

New starters sign the induction register by completing a Microsoft Form which triggers series of actions to ensure their attendance has been logged, follow-up information has been sent and that an opportunity to submit feedback has been provided. In addition, Power Automate is used to sanitise the induction records by identifying inactive accounts in our tenancy then removing them from the SharePoint list.

This has been achieved with the combination of the following Flows:

Flow typePurposeTriggerResult
Automated1. Track IT Service induction attendance

2. Send follow-up emails
Microsoft Form is completed by new starter1. Add new starter to SharePoint list (IT Service induction register) – mark as ‘attended’.

2. Send a follow-up email containing PowerPoint slides, useful links and a feedback survey
AutomatedTrack IT Service induction feedbackMicrosoft Form is completed by new staff starterUpdates IT Service induction register when feedback has been received

Notifies relevant staff members that feedback has been received
ScheduledFeedback reminder (7 days)Triggers weekdays at 9amSends a 7 day reminder to induction attendees that have not yet submitted feedback
ScheduledData sanitiserTriggers weekdays at 9amChecks register for inactive accounts to identify staff leavers

Delete records where the account is both inactive and no longer found

Power Platform policy

Our Power Platform policy can be found on the IT Policies page.

Training

Please visit our IT Service Training Portal for Power Automate training resources.

Back to top