Power Platform is a cloud-based solution platform offered by Microsoft, providing versatile tools for creating solutions that support various business needs. The platform consists of separate components, which include Power Apps for developing user interfaces; Power Automate for process automation, software robotics, and integrations; Power BI for data analysis and visualization; Power Pages for data-based web implementations; and also Copilot Studio for AI-based solutions such as chatbot implementations.
The seamless interplay between these components and across the entire Microsoft product offering makes the Power Platform a development environment that is more than the sum of its parts. At Cloud1, we leverage the Power Platform to help organizations enhance and improve the quality of their operations and maintain their competitiveness in rapidly changing business environments.
Cloud1 is a Finnish expert company focused on data-driven cloud service solutions, dedicated to transforming data into business benefits with a customer-centric approach and expert knowledge, utilizing years of experience. Our experienced consultants have been implementing solutions for our clients using Power Platform tools for several years. Through our core expertise, we handle everything related to the platform, from Power Platform technical management to the development of multidimensional business applications and comprehensive integration solutions between an organization's other data architectures. We also offer the necessary training packages for managing the platform and developing the skills of in-house developers. In addition, we provide ongoing service support for the solutions we develop and long-term platform management consulting to ensure broader utilization.
With our assistance, transitioning from the ready-made building blocks offered by Power Platform to fully customized solutions traditionally tailored through coding also presents no problems. Cloud1 is part of the same corporate family as Devisioona Oy. Devisioona is an expert company in Microsoft technology, revitalizing its clients' businesses by building tailored applications and modernizing application architectures. Together with the Devisioona team, we can further enrich the functionalities of solutions created with Power Platform, whether it involves the Dataverse plugin architecture, adding a code component to an individual Power App, or even web development required as part of a solution package.
The solutions we have implemented are currently being utilized in industries such as manufacturing, construction, energy, and finance. We see several advantages of the Power Platform that benefit all business sectors. The platform enables a more versatile use of Microsoft ecosystem benefits. It is a technologically modern and scalable platform that supports agile development work and offers a reliable way to implement application packages, meeting even the strictest security requirements.
The ready, modular platform that allows solutions to be customized brings speed and transparency to development. The future prospects are also bolstered by the fact that the platform's continuous development is a significant part of Microsoft's long-term plans. The extensive developer support network built around platform development, coupled with Microsoft's support, increases the attractiveness of the tools compared to other similar product families. A ready, SaaS-delivered yet simultaneously fully modular and customizable platform that allows solutions to be tailored according to need brings development speed and transparency as well as peace of mind to the customer.
Integration with Existing Systems and Data Sources
Through our data solution-focused business, we often build a centralized data platform in Azure for our clients, according to our concept. Just as often, we implement various reporting solutions for our clients' businesses, for example, using Power BI. The demand for data fetched from multiple sources for a report and its visualization has raised hopes for the possibility to input data through the same report. Sometimes there's a need to input new data, but the need to correct wrong data also arises. A Power Apps element embedded in a Power BI report is an excellent tool for these purposes. With the application, data can be sent back to the database or modified without leaving the report, and the embedded app can communicate with the data displayed on the report in real-time. The Power Apps application thus works well as an interface in situations where data needs to be corrected, but access to the source database wants to be limited.
An embedded Power Apps application in a report also works conveniently when there's a need to model different scenarios to support decision-making. In an example situation, the data underlying the reporting is constructed to depict the current realization of a situation. End users need to simulate different possible scenarios using certain variables. Through parameters entered via the embedded Power Apps application, it is possible to visually illustrate how potential changes would affect the current situation. The tool built can support business needs related to risk management, resourcing, or maintaining competitiveness.
Agile Solutions to Support Compliance with Legislation and Regulation
The Power Platform flexibly adapts to use cases where there is a need to collect data from multiple channels onto a single centralized data platform. In a scenario where a company has a legislative requirement to collect data related to its operations from both internal and external actors, the electronically collected information is brought to a centralized data platform, and a unified report view is compiled from this data. This summary is then forwarded as required by the use cases to third parties, such as authorities and stakeholders. In constructing such implementations, we have utilized the functionalities of Power Pages, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. The entire solution can be designed so that the applications ensure data accuracy, while the system manages data processing and the calculation of necessary information through automation.
Improving Employee Experience and Security Through Modern Solutions
The modern and scalable Power Platform and its tools are an excellent choice for situations where there's a need to update Excel-based implementations to current standards. Replacing an Excel implementation with the Power Platform makes work more secure, user-friendly, and easier to manage. A tailored application can make the overall process seamless and user-friendly, eliminating the need for end-users to handle and send separate files.
The application can incorporate user-guiding functionalities that ensure both the accuracy and timeliness of data. Automated processes guide users and data in the right direction through approval processes and other necessary steps. Handling various exceptional cases also becomes easier with automated workflows. Monitoring of data movements, data quality, and process stages can be achieved in real-time with a Power BI report.
Transforming a fragmented process into a proper tool with the Power Platform increases employee satisfaction by improving data transparency, reducing repetitive context switching, and ensuring the currency of the data being handled. At the same time, potential bottlenecks become quickly apparent, allowing for future improvements to be made in just the right areas.
It All Begins with Cooperation
Successful implementation starts with good, collaborative planning. Comprehensive expertise in different areas of system architecture and the continuous transfer of knowledge between experts helps to better understand the whole picture. Moving forward most effectively comes from a clear idea, formed together with the client, of what business need the solutions are intended to support and which solution best supports the end-users. If you need support in harnessing the Power Platform for the benefit of your business, please contact us.