This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: New blog articles in Microsoft Community Hub.
Have you been hearing the words “Microsoft” and “Power” more lately?
If so, this article will take you through an introduction of Microsoft’s Power Platform, and the products that it entails.
Which business problems this best solves
Let’s start with what type of businesses will find the most value from these tools.
As more businesses seek to make data-driven business decisions, and as we gather more information from the communities we serve, having a way to harness those data points becomes critical. Not only can we gain more insights, but we an use our resources in a more targeted way.
If you find yourself swarmed with unorganized data, disconnected information systems, and/or a need to report/analyze better the Microsoft Power Platform is a place to start.
Products
Microsoft Power Platform is currently composed of 5 products. Those are Power BI, Power Automate, Power Virtual Agents, Power Apps, and newly added Power Pages.
Power BI
Power BI is a data analytics tool that allows for not only analyzing data but also creating visualizations of this data. This can be used for reporting or built as an ongoing dashboard to have a quick look of the state of a project. Beyond the bar graphs and charts, Power BI can create geographic maps to display regional information, Tree maps, and even a built in Q&A experience.
Power Automate
Power Automate becomes helpful once you have different applications and services and you want to connect the separate processes. It allows for automated workflows between those applications and bridges the gap, without having to do as much manual/repetitive tasks.
An example of this would be creating a business process flow for approving contracts. Once the steps are defined, the steps are a visual to tell individuals where they are in the process and what’s next. This could involve automatically drafting an email once at a certain step in the process.
Power Virtual Agents
Power Virtual Agents allow for the creation for powerful chatbots, without the need for data scientists. It allows for a custom build and empowers the subject expert to maintain the conversational input.
Power Apps
Power Apps provides the ability to create an app for any device without having to know how to code. It is based on drag and drop, which allows for the customization to the business and quicker changes when the business needs change.
Check out our article on PowerApps and Features of PowerApps.
Power Pages
Power Pages allows for the quick build of low-code websites, enabling you to get your information quicker to your audience. With low code, your team can accomplish website development without the high cost.
Enablers
In addition to the products mentioned, each of these have features that activate the power they are capable of bringing to your business. There is an AI builder that allows you to add intelligence to your Power Apps/Power Automate when creating workflows and predicting outcomes.
There is also the Microsoft Dataverse which is a data service that allows for secure storage and management of data across multiple sources. Housing and integrating in Microsoft Dataverse brings consistency and enables Microsoft Power Platform products to seamlessly work together.
Lastly, connectors bring in an extra layer to the process, connecting information and actions cohesively. From an Office 365 connector to LinkedIn, Adobe, Eventbrite; there are over 600 available connectors.
Think one or more of these products may be of help to you? Contact our Concierge Team for more details!