Power Automate has dominated Microsoft 365 automation for years—but everything just changed. In this episode, we break down the disruptive rise of Workflows Agent, the AI-driven automation engine inside Microsoft 365 Copilot that can replace entire categories of traditional cloud flows. While Power Automate remains the enterprise-grade backbone for long-running, multi-branch, highly governed workflows, Workflows Agent delivers something radically different: conversational, intent-driven automation that builds and runs tasks in seconds. You’ll learn why “drag-and-drop flows” are becoming legacy for everyday work, how AI automations reduce build time, and when to choose Agent vs Power Automate. Plus, we cover governance, DLP, licensing, and the realities of Frontier features—because none of this matters if you can’t ship automation safely. What Workflows Agent Actually Is (and Isn’t) Workflows Agent isn’t a redesigned Power Automate canvas—it’s a new class of automation entirely. You describe what you want done in natural language, and the Agent composes the steps across Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Planner, and Microsoft Graph. Think intent → automation, not connector dragging. In this episode, we break down:how Workflows Agent interprets tasks using Microsoft Graph contextthe difference between workflow-based AI and agentic AIwhat the Agent can already automate (emails, Teams posts, SharePoint items, Planner tasks)limits of early-stage Frontier featureswhen the 100-second external call window matterswhere Power Automate still dominates (branching, SLAs, long-running flows, multi-system data orchestration)You’ll walk away understanding the real architecture—not the marketing version. The Real Comparison: Power Automate vs Workflows Agent Power Automate strengthsdeterministic workflows with explicit logicrich connectors across hundreds of systemslong-running approvals with SLAsdurable retries, exception branches, idempotencydetailed run histories and visual debuggingstrict governance for regulated processesWorkflows Agent strengthsbuilds workflows using natural languagedramatically faster for simple automationsno schema mapping, no GUID hunting, no nested panescontext-aware through Graphperfect for chat-based or email-based user scenariosworks natively inside Microsoft 365 CopilotThis episode explains the real physics: Power Automate wins precision and durability; Workflows Agent wins speed and accessibility. Use Cases: What Happens When AI Takes Over Your Workflow We dive into five real-world comparisons: 1. Approvals Power Automate handles escalations, branching, SLAs, and audit logs.Workflows Agent handles single-approver, everyday approvals in seconds.The speed difference is shocking—and measurable. 2. Data Sync Power Automate is explicit and precise.Workflows Agent is fast for notifications, task creation, and Teams updates.Specify destinations clearly and you avoid misrouting. 3. Incident Triage Agent-driven classification beats handcrafted keyword matrices.Power Automate still wins postmortems, retries, escalations, and strict routing. 4. CRM Updates Agent handles summary + context capture directly from Outlook.Power Automate ensures schema-locked writes, deduping, and compliance. 5. IT Onboarding Agent handles intake and kickoff conversations.Power Automate handles the marathon: licensing, provisioning, long-running approvals. These examples show exactly where each platform wins—and where they fail. Governance & Security: The Part IT Actually Cares About We break down how to govern the Agent so it doesn’t become shadow IT:align Copilot & Power Platform DLP policiesenforce RBAC for who can publish Agent workflowsuse separate dev/test/prod environmentstrack automations in Microsoft 365 admin analyticsdefine retention for conversations and workflow historiestreat prompt text as versioned configuration (because it IS configuration)enforce hybrid patterns for regulated processes (Agent → Power Automate)AI does not excuse you from governance—if anything, it demands stronger guardrails. Licensing: Costs Without the Glitter You’ll learn the honest math:Power Automate: per-user or per-flowWorkflows Agent: message-based, tied to Microsoft 365 CopilotWhen enterprise-scale headless flows are cheaper in Power AutomateWhen chat-based automation makes Workflows Agent practically freeHow hybrid patterns lower total cost of ownershipThis is the licensing explanation that keeps CFOs and IT leaders from arguing in circles. Refactor Plan: What to Keep, Move, or Retire We provide a step-by-step modernization strategy: Keep in Power Automate:long-running, multi-branch logicescalated approvalsintegration spanning multiple systemsregulated workflows with audit requirementstasks requiring retries or rollbackMove to Workflows Agent:simple approvalsquick tasksnotificationsTeams updatesCRM note capturesOutlook → SharePoint → Planner handoffsanything explainable in a single sentenceHybrid Pattern: Agent handles intake, summarization, confirmation →Power Automate performs the durable, auditable, multi-system actions. This is the pattern you’ll use for the next decade. Key Takeaway Power Automate isn’t dead…Your excuses for slow, overly complex workflows are. Workflows Agent covers the everyday work at lightning speed.Power Automate remains the enterprise spine.Together, they form the future of Microsoft 365 automation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/m365-show-podcast--6704921/support.Follow us on:LInkedInSubstack

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