If you’ve ever used the personal automation suite IFTTT (If This Then That), then you have a head start on understanding Tibco Software Inc.’s new take on personal automation.

The middleware giant today is introducing what it calls a personal automation software-as-a-service tool called Tibco Simplr that can be used to automate repetitive tasks, build forms and collect, manage and move data among cloud applications. “It’s like IFTTT for work,” said Katherine Hatch, senior manager of product marketing.

Like IFTTT, Tibco Simplr enables users to set up workflows in which events ranging from calendar entries to spreadsheet updates kick off other actions, such as sending an email or filling out a form. The focus is on what Tibco calls “citizen integrators,” or non-technical business users who are looking to automate frequent tasks.

For example, a salesperson can prepare for a road trip by setting up an input form for customers to fill out, then kicking off an email from names stored in a Google spreadsheet that directs customers to the form. Answers collected in the form can then flow back into a spreadsheet.

Tibco Simplr works only with cloud applications, including Evernote, Gmail, Google Sheets, Salesforce.com Inc.’s CRM, Marketo Inc.’s marketing automation suite, Twitter, Atlassian Corp. PLC’s JIRA, Slack, Dropbox, SurveyMonkey and TIBCO’s Spotfire data visualization and analytics software. A complete list is here. More applications are expected to be added, with a focus on those used within enterprises.

Focus on forms

A major feature of the product is its integration with Tibco’s Formvine, an application that can be used to design complex forms that exchange information with other cloud applications, Hatch said. The product will also support Google Forms and Infinity Box Inc.’s Wufoo.

“It’s super-simple. You provide the context for whatever flow you want, then use a drag-and-drop interface to set up the types of triggers you want, create any filters you need and then save and run,” Hatch said.

Tibco is initially targeting small and midsize businesses, but “in the second half of 2017 we want to be enterprise-ready,” said Leon Stigter, senior product manager for integration. “Updates over the next few months will enable those use cases.” The company is tapping into published application program interfaces for publicly available services, but will also enable developers to create their own APIs for legacy or proprietary applications used inside the enterprise, he said.

“It’s really about core-to-the-business integration all the way out to the edge,” said Brad Topliff, director of innovation. “This product goes to the edge of the organization.”

Tibco is making a free version available that works on demand. For $5 a month, users can schedule tasks and workflows on a timer. A $25-per-month pro tier adds incremental scheduling and event-triggered flows.

Image courtesy of Tibco