Microsoft announced the acquisition of Softomotive at its annual Build conference. The supplier of robotic process automation (RPA) software will strengthen Microsoft’s automation platform Power Automate.
With WinAutomation, Softomotive possesses a platform that focuses on Windows environments. With this platform, employees can hand over repetitive tasks to a robot. In order to do so, workflow needs to be set up that can ultimately run without human intervention. To create such a workflow, the platform observes the user’s computer screen: and registers which actions the user takes in a business application. Every mouse click and each keystroke is recorded in order to discover the pattern.
This functionality will be integrated into Microsoft’s RPA platform Power Automate. “Users can now perform multiple workflows and automations simultaneously on the same device, reducing latency and increasing bots’ efficiency. This brings the same scale from existing Power Automate API-automation to User Interface-automation,” said Microsoft.
Also read: Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is booming, what can you do with it?
Microsoft will also use Softomotive’s built connectors to make Power Automate more compatible with applications from other IT suppliers. Think of SAP-software and virtual desktops running on the Citrix platform.
The WinAutomation platform will be free of charge to Microsoft customers with a Power Automate RPA license.
Acquisitions
It has not been disclosed how much Microsoft will be paying for Softomotive, but it is clear that Softomotive is a significant player in the IT market. The largest players in the RPA market are UiPath, Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism, followed by Softomotive. The company has more than 9.000 customers worldwide.
Microsoft added several companies to their portfolio in recent times. The end of March saw the acquisition of Affirmed Networks followed by the acquisition of Metaswitch Networks this month, with both companies intended to support Microsoft’s 5G strategy.
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