Caroline Sosebee is a Senior Software Engineer at ThreeWill. She has 30+ years of software development experience and a broad scope of general IT knowledge. At ThreeWill she has a proven track record of quality consultative and software development skills, focusing on the design and implementation of SharePoint solutions, both on-premises and in the Microsoft 365 cloud.
Microsoft Power Platform … seems like you hear about it everywhere you look these days. But what do you really know about it? Do you know it is a powerful suite of tools that can easily help you streamline your day-to-day business processes? Yep, it sure can!
The Microsoft Power Platform toolset includes Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents, all of which are low-code tools that can help you reach your goal of creating efficient and flexible solutions for your business needs.
And the really cool thing is that any licensed user is capable of working with it. From the casual user to the seasoned developer, there is a path to reach those goals. We rely on it heavily here at ThreeWill and have helped many clients become more efficient in their jobs by using Power Platform as part of the solution. It’s a great set of tools!
But there are also many myths surrounding Microsoft Power Platform that I’d like to get cleared up for you. Read on to better understand some of the more common myths and misperceptions.
Power Platform is only for large enterprises
Some people think that Power Platform is designed for large enterprises and is not suitable for small or medium-sized businesses. This is definitely not true. It can be used by organizations of all sizes and provides a flexible and cost-effective solution for businesses looking to improve their processes, regardless of their size.
BONUS MYTH! It is also not just for Microsoft-centric environments. With its ability to connect to a wide range of data sources, services and applications it can be used by anyone with a Power Platform license.
Power Platform is only for developers
Some people believe that the Power Platform is exclusively for developers and that it requires extensive coding skills. This is decidedly NOT the case.
Developers certainly have an edge with Power Platform as they can leverage the skills they already have. On the flipside though, Power Platform is designed to be user-friendly and fully accessible to non-developers. You can create your own apps using Power Apps, automate manual workflows using Power Automate, and analyze data using Power BI all without having extensive coding knowledge.
Power Apps are only for simple applications
There’s a misconception that Power Apps are only suitable for building simple, basic applications. This is very far from the truth. Power Apps can be used to build a wide range of applications from simple to complex and can connect to any number of data sources, all without extensive coding. Here at ThreeWill we’ve run the gamut of complexity with apps from developing ones that just send an email blast to a group of users to a multi-tab custom form used to support a complex work process.
Power Automate is just for simple workflows
Along the same lines, some believe that Power Automate is limited to just basic workflow automation. But the reality is that Power Automate supports all sorts of complex automation scenarios, including integration with various services and applications. It allows users to create automated workflows that can span multiple applications and services. It handles multi-level approval flows as easily as it does a basic email notification flow.
Power BI is just a visualization tool
The reality is that Power BI is a robust business intelligence tool that not only creates visualizations but allows users to connect, transform, and model data. It also supports complex analytics, machine learning, and provides a comprehensive platform for data analysis. I know you’re also wondering if it will create pie charts. The answer is a resounding yes!
I hope this helps dispel some of the myths you may have heard that might be causing you to have reservations about using Microsoft Power Platform. It is an extremely powerful yet user-friendly tool that I hope you will take some time to explore.
And if you don’t have that time? We’re here to help! Contact ThreeWill to see how we can help you reach your goals.
CONTACT THREEWILL TO AUTOMATE YOUR PROCESSES AND HELP YOUR EMPLOYEES THRIVE!
