There are, in my experience, a few common reasons that businesses start looking for more advanced Dynamics 365 security tools. These include:
- They have an upcoming audit, but realise they can’t provide the necessary information
- They’ve realised staff are defrauding them and discovered the problem too late
- They are frustrated with the lack of granularity out of the box, and the time it takes to design access right
- They lack transparency into system usage patterns which makes compliance difficult
- They struggle with new license reinforcement
There are several tools out there which can enhance Dynamics 365 data security and help resolve these problems. Here are the things I’d recommend looking for when choosing a solution.
7 things you should expect from Dynamics 365 security solutions
You will, of course, be looking for robust technical features in your Dynamics 365 data security tool. But I’d argue that some of the non-technical elements are just as important. Here are seven things I think companies need to look out for.
1. Technical features that make a difference
Any Dynamics 365 security tool should offer you a ton of features and controls that will help make your organization more secure, compliant and audit-ready. You should expect:
· Advanced Dynamics 365 security role assignment and redesign
Go beyond the basic security roles in Dynamics 365 (Global, Deep, Local, Basic, None). The solution should let you design more sophisticated access controls that are relevant to your particular needs.
· Segregation of duties (SoD) simulation and detection of conflicts
Expect your solution to identify any SoD conflicts and help you rectify them.
· Dynamics 365 audit logs and traceability
You should be able to produce clear and easy-to-understand audit logs at the click of a button.
· Audit tools tailored to specific regulations (such as SOX or GDPR)
Generate audit logs that fit major regulations, wherever your organisation operates.
· Emergency access with session context
Support controlled emergency access for external consultants, with full session visibility and step-level audit trails showing exactly what actions were taken.
· Alerts for high-risk activity
Your solution should monitor for high-risk activities (such as unusual payments or attempts to delete information) and alert you of them.
· Automated, fast and tailored role creation
Your tool should let you easily create and reuse roles – including security roles in Dynamics 365 – in just a few minutes.
· A lightweight ‘surveillance camera’ that monitors system usage patterns
Logging activity should not affect system performance – your Dynamics 365 security tool should be lightweight.
These kinds of features will significantly enhance your control over your environment, and go far beyond the basic security tools included in Dynamics 365.
2. Genuine business impact
A Dynamics 365 security tool should have a direct and measurable business impact. At a minimum, it should:
· Save you time
The technology should make it quick and easy for subject matter experts to design roles and permissions. If they need to create new roles or assign permissions to a new employee, the process should be quick – just a few minutes at most.
· Save money
A good Dynamics 365 security tool will save you money by helping you identify users who don’t need full control and assigning them to cheaper licenses.
· Build a strong foundation for audit
The application should enable you to store all the information required for security procedures and prepare your organisation for compliance audits, giving you ongoing visibility and audit readiness.
3. User friendly
For me, this is often overlooked, but really important. You can have the most powerful Dynamics 365 security tool in the world, but if it’s hard to use and time consuming, then people won’t adopt it.
Your solution should be accessible for non-IT professionals who just want to redesign and assign roles to people on their teams. They don’t want to spend hours trying to figure out some complex system – they just want a solution that’s simple, quick and which lets them get on with their jobs.
At XPLUS, we always recommend doing user acceptance testing with our technology to make sure it actually fits and will be adopted.
4. Can it meet other business needs too?
Any tool that can enhance Dynamics 365 data security is good. But if the provider can offer additional Dynamics 365 solutions, then this is even better.
For example, if the underlying technology can help with things like discovery, regression testing or performance testing, then you can kill two (or more!) birds with one stone. Rather than needing to go to market to find multiple tools for different business needs, you get everything in one package.
5. Approved by Microsoft
If Microsoft themselves have approved a Dynamics 365 solution, then this is a clear indicator that the technology is robust, reliable and trustworthy.
For example, our Security and Compliance solution was recently integrated as a standard within Dynamics 365, meaning our basic technology is available to most organizations (our more advanced solutions are available separately).
6. Strong training and support
When you’re investing in a Dynamics 365 security solution, you should expect extensive training and support. At a minimum, you should get clear documentation and written guidance. But more advanced content (such as training videos) should also be available.
Support is also critical – especially for multinational businesses. You should really be getting 24/7 support with contact centres in multiple time zones.
7. Support for your procurement process
Any decision to invest in a Dynamics 365 security tool will require thorough evaluation during procurement. You should expect providers to:
· Provide Proof of Concepts (POC): Any provider should be able to deliver a working POC tailored to your environment so you can model ROI.
· Case studies: They should be able to provide relevant case studies and references from customers in your industry or similar sectors.
· Be responsive: You should expect suppliers to respond quickly, and they should be able to answer questions or provide information in a way that’s clear and transparent.
XPLUS’s Dynamics 365 security solutions
When your organization needs more than just basic in-built Dynamics 365 security, XPLUS can help. We have built the most robust, reliable and sophisticated tools that can make your environment safer, more secure, compliant and audit ready.
But a Dynamics 365 security tool should do much more than ‘just’ improving your safety. And this is where I believe our approach really stands out. From saving you time and money, to training or procurement support, we go above and beyond to ensure you have a quality experience that delivers so much more for your business.
If you’d like to learn more about XPLUS’s technology, our approach, or would like to book a demo, contact me today.
