Within many organizations, Microsoft Teams and SharePoint sites are still created manually. An employee requests a new project environment, IT sets it up, and in the meantime, names, permissions, metadata and structure are redefined each time. This takes time, creates errors and makes it difficult to keep a grip on governance and compliance.
How convenient would it be if Teams and SharePoint sites were created automatically as soon as a new customer, project or file is registered in AFAS, Salesforce or Business Central? In this blog, we’ll show you how Workspace Assistant 365 allows you to automatically create Teams and SharePoint sites based on data from systems such as AFAS, Salesforce or Business Central. And we look at what this brings to structure, governance and management within Microsoft 365.
Within Microsoft 365, employees can quickly create their own Teams and SharePoint sites to collaborate on projects, clients or files. This seems convenient, but in practice it also frequently results in fragmentation and unclear structures.
Project teams create their own Team, departments use different naming conventions and permissions are set manually. This creates duplicate workspaces, loose structures and environments that over time are no longer managed properly. Especially in organizations where many projects, clients or files are created, Microsoft 365 quickly grows into a cluttered environment as a result.
On top of that, information is often already available in systems such as AFAS, Salesforce or Business Central. Still, employees must then manually create and set up a Teams or SharePoint environment. As a result, data is processed multiple times and differences in rights, structure and layout between workspaces arise more quickly.
With Workspace Assistant 365, you link Microsoft Teams and SharePoint sites to systems such as AFAS, Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. As soon as a new customer, project, file or collaboration is registered there, the appropriate workspace is automatically created within Microsoft 365.
Think, for example, of a new project in AFAS for which a Microsoft Team with associated SharePoint site is automatically set up. Or a new customer in Salesforce for which a central collaboration environment immediately becomes available for documentation, communication and project information.
Workspace Assistant 365 thereby uses the data from the source system as the basis for setup. Based on fixed templates, it automatically determines what a Teams or SharePoint environment should look like. Think of preset naming, standard Teams channels, document libraries, metadata and rights structures. This eliminates the need for every employee to determine for themselves how a workspace should be set up. Every environment is built the same way, with the same structure and governance agreements in place. This makes the Microsoft 365 environment clear and manageable.
Automatic provisioning not only saves time, but also provides more structure within Microsoft 365. Employees always start from the same base, keeping the Microsoft 365 environment clear and manageable.
This is especially noticeable in day-to-day management. IT departments no longer have to manually create each Teams or SharePoint environment or correct it afterwards when rights, naming or structures differ. Employees also need to perform fewer separate steps before they can get to work. This shifts the focus from manual management to control and standardization. New workspaces connect directly to existing processes and agreements within the organization, while employees gain faster access to the right environment.
The provisioning process within Workspace Assistant 365 usually consists of a number of set steps:
As organizations increase their use of Teams and SharePoint, so does the need for structure and standardization. Without clear processes, more and more loose workspaces, different ways of working and additional management burden arise.
By automatically creating Teams and SharePoint sites based on data from AFAS, Salesforce or Business Central, Microsoft 365 better aligns with existing processes within the organization. Workspaces are set up faster, governance is applied immediately and employees can collaborate more easily within a recognizable structure.
With Workspace Assistant 365 from I4-YOU, you automate the setup and management of Teams and SharePoint sites within Microsoft 365. This way, you keep a grip on structure, governance and collaboration. Wondering what automatic provisioning can look like within your organization? We would be happy to show you how Workspace Assistant 365 connects to AFAS, Salesforce or Business Central. Feel free to contact us for a demo or introduction.
