Microsoft Corp. today said that it’s acquiring Softomotive Ltd., a veteran maker of robotic process automation software with more than 9,000 customers worldwide.

Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition is at least the third for Microsoft since March, coming on the heels of its purchase of telecommunications software makers Affirmed Networks Inc. and Metaswitch Networks Ltd.

London-based Softomotive’s flagship WinAutomation product allows companies to automate repetitive activities that workers perform on their Windows machines. The software works by recording a user’s screen as they perform a task inside a business application, capturing every click and keyboard action in the order they’re made. WinAutomation turns these actions into a reusable workflow that can be executed without any manual input.

Microsoft plans to integrate Softomotive’s software with its existing RPA platform, Power Automate. One of the main benefits it’s promising to enterprise customers is the ability to parallelize automation workflows.

“Customers can now execute multiple workflows and automations in parallel and on the same machine to reduce latency and improve the efficiency of their bots,” Charles Lamanna, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of citizen application platform, wrote in a blog post. “This brings the same incredible scale from existing Power Automate API automation to UI automation.” 

Additionally, Microsoft will use WinAutomation’s connectors to extend Power Automate to more environments, including SAP SE applications, virtual desktops running on Citrix Systems Inc.’s virtualization platform and terminal programs. WinAutomation’s desktop-based workflow creator is being carried over as well to complement Power Automate’s existing browser interface.

The deal strengthens Microsoft’s position in the red-hot RPA market, which has been experiencing rapid revenue growth according to data from Wikibon, SiliconANGLE Media’s sister market research firm. UIPath Inc. and Automation Anywhere Inc. are the leading players in the segment. The companies not only command the largest share of the market, Wikibon’s data shows, but have also started putting some distance between themselves and the competition. 

“RPA is showing some of the strongest segments in IT, along with AI and cloud,” said Dave Vellante, chief analyst at Wikibon. “Microsoft’s acquisition of Softomotive is an attempt to get a piece of the pie by trying to up its product game.”

But Vellante noted that in his view, Microsoft is far behind the leaders and it will take years for them to get to parity with the likes of UiPath and Automation Anywhere. “But it’s Microsoft so we know not to ignore them,” he said. “I would recommend that the leaders of those two companies step up their engineering hires to stay ahead.”

Photo: Microsoft