Microsoft has a new PAAS service for developing cloud based workflow applications called Azure Logic Apps. The service is currently in preview but you can start trying it out within the Azure portal.

Like any business process workflow solution, Logic Apps is based on a designer that can connect different events and actions together into a business process. In this case, Logic Apps is focused on creating connections between cloud services either hosted in Azure or elsewhere. Logic Apps are triggered based on events such as the arrival of an email or a new file arriving in your Azure storage.

Microsoft has just released a refreshed Azure Logic Apps that has some new features.

Improved Designer Experience

The workflow authoring tool has been improved to make it easy to automate business process workflows.

Managed API Connections

Microsoft has made it easier to setup connections to cloud services such as Office 365 or Azure.

Native Webhook Support

Logic Apps now supports webhook which allows for many different external notifications triggering a workflow. For example, this could be an order being placed on your e-commerce web site, an email being received or a CRM record being created. Any external web app that supports Webhook as a protocol can be integrated into the workflow.