The digital experience that workers, customers or partners have with their company is more important than ever. In this regard, Microsoft Power Pages allows you to design, configure and publish modern websites, which users can easily access and from any device. But in which contexts is their use advisable? To achieve what goal? And how? In this article, we'll answer all the questions to understand how to get the most out of buying Power Pages, Microsoft's low-code solution for creating effortless business websites.
Microsoft has been engaged for a long time in a process of “democratizing” the development of software solutions, automations and web pages, which has seen one of its greatest steps forward with the release of Power Platform in 2018.
In fact, the suite allows users to simplify processes, obtain information from their data and create customized solutions to meet business needs and is designed following a “low-code” approach to be accessible to users with different levels of technical expertise, facilitating the creation of customized applications and the automation of workflows in organizations.
In the Power Platform, one of the latest additions was Power Pages, a tool that allows even non-technical users to create web pages in a simple and fast way, without any compromise on the quality or complexity of the final product.
Let's take a look at this product, before we see some examples of what it can do with it.
As we mentioned earlier, Power Pages allows companies to create websites without the need for programming. The workspace available within the platform offers a wide range of templates that can be easily customized by applying themes, styles, and much more. Alternatively, users can choose to build websites from scratch, taking advantage of the wealth of resources in the large learning center.
The purpose of this product is precisely to allow the creation of modern and secure pages and websites even for those who have no knowledge of software development. Through the “low code” philosophy, or with intuitive features such as Drag & Drop, it is possible to configure, create and publish websites that allow you to view and manipulate data coming from a database.
The main difference compared to when Power Pages was simply an extension of Power Apps (with the name of “Power Apps Portals”) is the Design Studio, which allows you to quickly create your own site using pre-configured templates.
The web pages generated by Power Pages are modern and responsive: in fact, the Bootstrap framework is used to render the pages.
Data access is based on Microsoft Dataverse technology, formerly called CDS Common Data Service. In turn, Dataverse is fully integrated with the entire Microsoft 365 Dynamics product family.
In addition to the BC connector, Dataverse offers more than 700 connectors for all the main software currently on the market, allowing information to be integrated, natively and without development, from practically any software source. If you need to interface with data from third-party applications, not included in the list of connectors, this is easily done by developing a Custom connector.
If necessary, it is obviously possible to extend and integrate the functionality through JavaScript.
Thanks to the integration with all the tools of the Microsoft family, it is possible to insert other product functionalities and processes into your web pages, such as workflows built with Power Automate, chatbots created in Virtual Agents and Power BI reports.
Power Pages is based on Microsoft Azure, so, from a security point of view, it is accessible from all the protection, encryption and monitoring tools offered by the Microsoft platform.
Power Pages can be used in various cases to improve a company's internal processes, from communication to interactions between staff members.
Let's see in the following list some of the main areas where the platform's features can be used:
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Now that we have an idea of what Power Pages is and when it can be used, we might wonder what it is actually possible to create in its low-code development environment.
In this section, we will try to provide some examples to test a little more about the types of sites that companies and professionals can create independently.
The first example that could be given is that of a portal dedicated to the feedback of people in the company. With Power Pages, you can create a simple, secure, and accessible channel for your staff to share thoughts, suggestions, and concerns with management.
The portal can be configured to collect anonymous or traceable feedback, as needed, fostering a climate of trust and transparency and allowing the organization to respond quickly to common issues.
With Power Pages, it is possible to create a centralized knowledge hub, where employees can easily find everything they need to work at their best.
We can organize the contents by categories, tags or searchable topics, facilitating orientation and access to information, and then enriching the site with multimedia elements (videos, documents, presentations) with which to support internal training and knowledge sharing.
This site is ideal for simplifying onboarding.
Corporate communication portals can also be developed, where employees can stay updated on all the news, from announcements to policy changes, through events and initiatives. A single platform where all relevant information can be conveyed, improving accessibility and consistency in communication.
While not presenting the complexity and refinement of SharePoint, portals developed with Power Pages can be excellent entry-level solutions to begin to familiarize yourself with the basic functions of a corporate intranet.
A partner portal allows a fluid and structured collaboration between your company and its business partners. With the customizable templates and intuitive design tools offered by Power Pages, it's easy to create an environment where partners can access documentation, register offers, consult training materials, and view performance analysis.
A portal of this type, developed with an attractive design that can be obtained with just a few clicks, can seriously make a difference in the way you present yourself to customers, all with the ease of development that only Power Pages can offer.
Do we need to keep in touch with our community? We will be able to build a portal exclusively for the latter, where members can interact, collaborate and share resources in an inclusive digital environment.
Users will be able to authenticate themselves to access exclusive content, participate in discussions, comment on articles and stay informed about events and updates, and we can quickly integrate features such as forums, blogs and polls to stimulate engagement and create a dynamic and participatory space.
Do we want to leave it to our customers to act a little more independently? We offer them a self-service portal developed with Power Pages, where they can solve problems on their own, consult FAQs, access quick guides or send support requests.
These types of solutions can significantly reduce the workload on the support team, while improving the user experience, and represent a perfect solution for companies that want to optimize customer service, maintaining a high level of quality without increasing operating costs or enduring eternal development times. With Power Pages, just a few clicks are all it takes.
With Power Pages it is also possible to create sites dedicated to the management of events, conferences or workshops. The platform can be configured to manage registrations, ticket purchases, pre-event communications and logistics details.
But that's not all: Power Pages can also be adapted for booking training courses, corporate trips, guided tours or any other activity that involves a booking system. With flexible templates and an intuitive user interface, it is possible to design a portal tailored to every type of organizational need.
Recruiting has always been a process that requires speed and efficiency and with a modern and functional recruitment portal, where candidates can easily search for and apply for open positions in their company, looking for new recruits will become infinitely easier.
We will be able to publish ads, collect CVs and motivational letters, manage candidates' profiles and follow the evolution of applications in real time. It can also include features such as automatic alerts, search filters and application status tracking, to provide a smooth and efficient experience for job seekers.
Having your own window on the web is now practically mandatory and with Power Pages it is possible to create a public website able to represent your brand and tell the whole world about your offer.
Thanks to the design tools and customizable templates, it will be possible to create visually appealing pages, optimized for navigation from any device, which will become the ideal showcase for presenting your products, services, corporate values and projects in progress, with the guarantee of a solid and secure platform.
The forums may not be a very young solution, but they are still among some of the most popular places on the Internet and using Power Pages it will be possible to create discussion places where users, customers or members of the community can discuss, exchange opinions, ask questions and share experiences.
The forum may be public or accessible only after authentication, depending on the needs and can become an excellent tool to promote knowledge sharing, build relationships and stimulate continuous involvement in an organized digital environment, according to your needs.
But there are those who prefer to get their hands dirty and in this section we will provide some practical steps to personally touch the potential of Power Pages and understand what steps are required to get your page up and running in a short time.
First, to create a site on Microsoft Power Platform, let's make sure you have the following roles and permissions:
If site creation is limited in your tenant, we'll need one of these roles:
Once we've made sure we meet these requirements, let's head over to the Power Pages website and click the “Try it for free” button to start our 30-day free trial.
Then we choose the Microsoft Dataverse environment in which we want to create our site. For this step, we recommend that you avoid using the default environment, as it is shared between users and could lead to unintentional data sharing.
At this point, on the homepage, we click on “+ Create Site” and review the available templates. We can hover with the mouse over each of them to get a detailed overview and choose the one that best suits our needs.
If none of the specific templates suit us, we can always choose a Starter layout or a blank page to create a customized site from scratch. A solution that may take a little longer but that can give us more room to maneuver.
After selecting the ideal template, just click on 'Choose this template'.
Once we have completed our selection of the template, we will need to confirm the default site name and web address. Once we're done, just click 'Done' to provision our new site.
The process may take a few moments but don't panic. If we wish to change the site name and web address, we may do so later, if necessary.
Once the provisioning is over, we can start modifying it or previewing it to adapt it to our vision or experiment to see what can be done.
Being present and operating on the web is now essential for any business that really wants to have a chance to compete and prosper in the contemporary business landscape.
To do this, it is necessary to have the right tools to create your web solutions in a simple, fast and efficient way without being penalized just because you are not a technical user or developer and that is why Power Pages could be the solution you were looking for.
Through a solid development environment with an intuitive and clean interface, it will be possible to set up the web solutions you need in a few hours and a few clicks, without sacrificing the quality and feeling of modern web environments.
If the idea of designing your web pages without having to worry about going crazy behind the code stimulates your interest, the Power Pages free trial can be an excellent starting point to touch the potential of the platform and discover if it is the right solution for your business as well.
Power Pages allows you to build a wide variety of business web portals. Among the most concrete examples are portals for collecting employee feedback, sites for sharing internal resources, environments for corporate communication, portals reserved for partners, spaces dedicated to the community, self-service portals for customers, sites for managing event bookings, recruitment portals, public institutional sites and even online forums. Each portal can be adapted according to operational needs and the target audience.
Yes, Power Pages can be used to develop internal portals that serve as a basic intranet. Although it does not offer the same functional and structural richness as SharePoint, it represents a good solution to start digitizing internal communication and information sharing processes, thanks to its ease of use and the speed of implementation.
With Power Pages, it is possible to create a portal dedicated to employee feedback, which can collect input in a traceable or anonymous form. This solution makes it possible to create a secure, accessible and direct channel between staff and management, promoting transparency and improving organizational well-being.
Yes, Power Pages can integrate document sharing functionality by taking advantage of the native integration with SharePoint. In this way, it is possible to avoid the development of an ad hoc system and to offer secure and controlled access to documentation, both for internal teams and for external collaborators.
Yes, Power Pages lends itself well to creating portals for events, conferences, training courses or other activities that require a registration or booking system. It is possible to manage registrations, pre-event communications and logistical information through an intuitive and easily configurable interface.
A company can develop a self-service portal where customers can solve problems on their own, consult guides, access frequent answers, or send support requests. This approach reduces the workload on the support team and improves the end user experience.
Yes, Power Pages allows the creation of recruiting portals where you can publish job advertisements, collect CVs and motivational letters, manage candidate profiles and monitor the status of applications. It is also possible to configure notifications and filters to make the entire selection process more efficient.
Sure. It is possible to create portals designed for the community where users, after authentication, can access confidential content, participate in discussions, comment on articles and stay updated on events. Features such as forums, blogs, and polls can be easily integrated to encourage participation and engagement.
Absolutely yes. Power Pages allows you to create institutional sites with a modern and responsive design, easily navigable from any device. It is therefore a suitable tool for presenting the corporate identity online, describing your services, values and projects in a professional and secure way.
The Modern Apps team responds swiftly to IT needs where software development is the core component, including solutions that integrate artificial intelligence. The technical staff is trained specifically in delivering software projects based on Microsoft technology stacks and has expertise in managing both agile and long-term projects.
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