Article August 21, 2024

by Jimmy Zinizopoulos Passeti

Power Platform Managed Environments: A path to better governance

Service

Microsoft

Industry

Low-code platforms have transformed the way businesses handle application development, providing considerable advantages by allowing regular users to design applications and streamline their daily processes. This democratization of technology has permitted individuals without conventional coding expertise to play a role in driving innovation and improving efficiency within their organizations. Nevertheless, this shift has also brought about challenges for large corporations, which now struggle to manage the increasing volume of applications and automations produced by non-technical developers.

To address this issue, Managed Environments were specifically developed.

Here are some intriguing figures:

It's projected that by 2025, 70% of new enterprise applications will be developed using low-code platforms.
More than 500,000 organizations, including almost all of the Fortune 500, utilize Dynamics 365 and Power Platform each month.
More than 7.4 million developers per month use Power Platform.

This rapid expansion brings significant issues related to security, oversight, and governance. Managed Environment can address these challenges.

What is Managed Environments?

It is a suite of premium capabilities that allows admins to manage Power Platform at scale with more control, less effort, and more insights.

Three key aspects of Managed Environments

Enhanced visibility: Administrators can track activities through weekly reports that outline who is developing which solutions and using which connectors.
Increased control: Improved governance over application sharing ensures compliance with security protocols. Administrators can also create a personalized onboarding process for developers beginning their projects.
Reduced effort: Setting up a managed environment and leveraging its advantages is straightforward.

Managed vs Unmanaged Environments in Power Platform

Aspect	Managed Environment	Unmanaged Environment
Definition	Managed environments are governed and restricted by admin policies and settings.	Unmanaged environments are more flexible, with fewer restrictions.
Purpose	Primarily used for production environments to ensure compliance and control.	Often used for development or testing purposes.
Customization Control	Customizations are locked down; changes must follow governance protocols.	Customizations are open; developers have full control over changes.
Governance & Security	Strong governance with controlled access and compliance checks.	Minimal governance, allowing for rapid prototyping and innovation.
Deployment & Solutions	Managed solutions can be deployed; updates are controlled by administrators.	Unmanaged solutions are used; developers can make changes directly.
Backup & Recovery	Regular backups are enforced by administrators.	Backup is often manual and not as strictly enforced.
Data Sensitivity	Suitable for handling sensitive and mission-critical data.	Not ideal for sensitive data; mainly used for experimental data.
Environment Lifecycle	Environments are tightly controlled and monitored throughout their lifecycle.	More flexible lifecycle, with easier creation and deletion of environments.
Compliance Requirements	Compliance and auditing are typically enforced.	Lower compliance and auditing requirements.
Ideal Use Case	Production environments, regulated industries, or when strict control is necessary.	Development, testing, or pilot projects where agility is key.

Top 10 features of Managed Environments

These top ten features are just the tip of the iceberg—there are many more to explore. Check out the complete list here.

Environment groups

Limit sharing

Weekly usage insights

Pipelines in Power Platform

Welcome content for makers

Solution checker

IP Firewall

Extended backup

DLP for desktop flow

Default environment routing

What is the cost or licensing for Managed Environments?

There is no specific license fee for activation, but due to the high processing costs associated with the available features for Microsoft, the classification of premium and standard connectors will be revised after activation.

Consequently, all uses within the managed environment will require a premium license, regardless of whether the connectors are standard. For more details, see here.

Before Managed Environments:

After Managed Environments:

Improving control and security

If your organization is struggling with unmanaged environments, insufficient oversight, or worries about the potential exposure of sensitive data due to errors by citizen developers, Managed Environments present a valuable solution. These environments offer improved control and visibility over the activities of citizen developers.

Furthermore, Managed Environments boost security, deliver more comprehensive insights, and extend the availability of environment backups for up to 28 days.

If you have any inquiries or want to learn more about how we can assist you in enhancing governance within your company, please feel free to reach out to us.

This article was originally published on LinkedIn.

References

Systems, Uds. How Many Microsoft Dynamics Customers Are There? | UDS Blog. 18 Aug. 2023, uds.systems/blog/how-many-microsoft-dynamics-customers-are-there.
Mihaela Blendea. “Managed Environments overview - Power Platform.” Microsoft Learn, 9 July 2024, learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/managed-environment-overview.
AngelMarshall. “Enable maker welcome content - Power Platform.” Microsoft Learn, 9 May 2024, learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/welcome-content.
Ritesp. “IP firewall in Power Platform environments - Power Platform.” Microsoft Learn, 27 June 2024, learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/ip-firewall.