PowerShell for automation is a popular option to manage a range of systems and services, but it’s not the only option for the busy administrator.
Process automation is a key skill for admins. There are many tools available to make those projects easier than learning a programming language. Azure Logic Apps is a low-code business process automation tool from Microsoft that can be useful for IT work. If you can read a flow chart, you will have an easy time understanding the flow of a Logic App.
Microsoft defines Azure Logic Apps as an integration platform as a service (iPaaS). Administrators can use Logic Apps Designer to build workflows that trigger based on specific events or run automatically on a schedule by using connectors to access on-premises and cloud environments. For example, you can use Azure Logic Apps to send email notifications when a specific event occurs in Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), such as when a group member is added or removed. A more advanced example of Azure Logic Apps is a startup chatbot in Microsoft Teams.
Azure Logic Apps vs PowerShell or Power Automate
When comparing Azure Logic Apps to other automation platforms, especially those you may already be familiar with, it’s important to understand the unique features of Azure Logic Apps, which are cloud-hosted, serverless and low-code.
Compared to PowerShell, Azure Logic Apps are easier to use but less flexible. In PowerShell, you write code to automate your processes, whereas in Azure Logic Apps, you guide data in a workflow by selecting actions and filling in parameters with predefined actions. PowerShell offers a wider range of customization, but the admin’s level of expertise can be a limiting factor.
If you like the hosting aspect of Azure but don’t like the Azure Logic Apps framework, you may prefer to use Azure Functions to write PowerShell scripts that are hosted in the Microsoft cloud and are charged to a consumption or standard basis. In any PowerShell code project, you will need to write the script or find a module adapted for the task. The advantage is more control, but this option does not have a predefined library of connectors.
Another tool with similar functionality to Azure Logic Apps is Power Automate. They are essentially the same base product but presented in different ways. Power Automate is licensed per user, while Azure Logic Apps are consumption -based. Power Automate also targets end users and does not have access to enterprise features, such as Power Automate’s sharing of flow management between users. For a personal workflow, use Power Automate. When automating a business process, use Azure Logic Apps.
Understand Microsoft Azure Logic Apps pricing
To determine the costs for an Azure Logic App, you need to estimate how heavy your usage is and whether single tenancy is important to you. With the standard plan, you pay for a tenant environment at an hourly rate per vCPU and memory. The consumption plan for a multi-tenant environment charges for each action or connector execution in a shared environment with separate processes.
For new users of Azure Logic Apps who do not require a separate environment, the consumption plan is likely to suit your needs. You can build workflows and stress-test processes without spending too much money. You may find it unnecessary to upgrade to a standard plan if your workflows aren’t running as often. However, if you have workflows that run frequently or if you see performance issues in the multi-tenant consumption plan environment, it’s worth considering switching to a standard plan and reserving resources to keep running workflows at maximum performance.
To evaluate your Azure Logic Apps costs, navigate to Cost Management> Cost Analysis and select the range that includes your Logic Apps, such as their resource group. Charges will vary based on criteria such as region and currency. The screen capture shows that the total cost was less than $ 0.01 for approximately 20 runs of an Azure Logic App with my tenant.
Why admins want to use Azure Logic Apps
Azure Logic Apps occupies a sweet spot in Microsoft’s automation offerings by offering two key benefits for busy administrators: easy setup and many out-of-the-box connectors.
You build an Azure Logic App with a workflow method and add parameters for each step.
In this case, the Logic App checks the new cards on a Trello board and when it detects it, it sends a message to Slack. Microsoft designed Azure Logic Apps so that the output from the actions goes to a variable for use in the workflow; the variable is used to write a message in the Post Message action. The advantage of Azure Logic Apps is its simplicity; in practice, it is relatively easy to write a workflow in a short time.
Another advantage behind Azure Logic Apps for your integration projects is the sheer number of connectors available. At the time of publication, there were nearly 700 connectors for enterprise products, such as ITGlue, ServiceNow and Webex. With the growing library of these connectors, you don’t have to learn to use a new API or write any code. The Azure Logic Apps engine takes care of the data format and tells you what to expect. The only real task involves setting up the authentication wizard and adding those actions to your workflow.
Azure Logic Apps are a great option to build process automation. They are easy to set up and are billed on a reasonable consumption basis. For a large organization, the minimal cost and its low-code/no-code approach to implementing these automated workflows makes it worth looking at Azure Logic Apps.