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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.
Power Automate provides a versatile platform for automating processes, catering to both personal and core business needs.
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.
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.
Cloud Flows can be triggered either automatically, instantly, or via a schedule.
Further information on Flow Types
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.
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.
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
Third-party connectors
For further information, please see List of supported connectors.
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.
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.
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:
Our Power Platform policy can be found on the IT Policies page.
Please visit our IT Service Training Portal for Power Automate training resources.