Securing Dynamics 365 F&O with Azure Active Directory Group Management

SECURING DYNAMICS 365 F&O WITH AZURE ACTIVE DIRECTORY GROUP MANAGEMENT

CONTENT Introduction Enable the Active Directory security groups feature Setup Active Directory security groups Import Active Directory security groups Assign D365FO security roles to Active Directory Groups Managing users in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations

Introduction

Microsoft Active Directory (AD) Security Groups are a long-established feature in Microsoft’s identity management framework, designed to centralize the management of users, roles, and organizational assignments. By assigning users to specific AD security groups, administrators can map those groups to corresponding roles or permissions within Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365 F&O). This ensures consistent access control across the organization, reducing the manual effort of managing individual user permissions.

A key benefit of AD Security Groups in D365 F&O is Just-in-Time (JIT) provisioning. JIT allows new users to be automatically created and assigned appropriate roles based on their AD group membership when they first sign into the system. This simplifies onboarding and ensures that access is aligned with their organizational role from the start.

While AD Security Groups are a valuable tool, they are considered a legacy option compared to modern identity management solutions like Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). Azure AD offers enhanced features, such as conditional access and multi-factor authentication, which provide more robust security options. However, organizations with existing AD infrastructure can still leverage AD Security Groups for efficient role-based access control in their D365 environments.

The purpose of AD security groups is to streamline access control within a network by allowing administrators to assign rights and permissions to multiple users simultaneously. This method ensures uniform access to resources such as files, folders, and applications. For example, an AD security group for a department like "Finance" can be assigned specific permissions, and all members of that group will inherit the same access rights, simplifying permission management.

Over time, security groups also make it easy to manage changing user roles or onboarding new users. By adding or removing users from a group, administrators can adjust permissions without needing to update each user individually. This helps maintain security, reduces errors, and ensures compliance with regulatory standards.

Administrators can utilize Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) groups to efficiently control user permissions within Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365FO). This guide outlines the process for configuring and managing access in D365FO. It’s important to note that the configuration of Azure AD itself falls under the purview of the IT department.

Enable the Active Directory security groups feature

To enable the feature, go to System administration > Setup > License configuration. You can find the Microsoft Entra ID (Active Directory) security group configuration key in the Administration folder.

Configuration keys can be edited only in maintenance mode.

Note: Microsoft Entra ID is the new name for Azure AD in November 2023. The names Azure Active Directory, Azure AD, and AAD are replaced with Microsoft Entra ID.

• Microsoft Entra is the name for the product family of identity and network access solutions.
• Microsoft Entra ID is one of the products within that family.
• Acronym usage isn't encouraged, but if you must replace AAD with an acronym due to space limitations, use ME-ID.

Setup Active Directory security groups

The next step is to create Azure Active Directory groups and assign members to them. This can be done in the Microsoft 365 admin center, the Office 365 admin center, or the Azure portal. 

Import Active Directory security groups

After the feature is enabled, a new Groups page is available at System administration > Users > Groups. 

Once the group structure and memberships are ready, proceed with the configuration in Microsoft Dynamics 365. Go to System administration > Users > Groups.

To start to import Azure Directory security groups, select Import groups, and then select the groups to import.

The ID field requires custom input.

After the import is completed, you can maintain role and organization assignments on the Groups page. The process resembles the process that's used on the Users page.

Assign D365FO security roles to Active Directory Groups

Next is to assign security roles to the AD groups in D365FO. Users who are members of the Azure Active Directory (AD) groups will inherit the assigned security roles.

• Roles are not directly assigned to the individual users, roles are assigned to AD security groups. 
• A user can belong to multiple groups, and in such cases, they will receive cumulative access across all their group memberships.

Managing users in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations

If security is set up through AD groups, SOD risk analysis will not work. The solution is to assign security roles directly to users as usual.

If workflows include security roles in their setup, they will not function properly either. The solution is to assign security roles directly to users as usual.

User can have AD security group and security role direct assignment at the same time. In this case, user will grant access to all permissions cumulatively.

Dynamics 365 ERP Technologies contributing to designing a Resilient, Intelligent, and Adaptable Supply Chain against the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic - PART 2

This is the second post of the article series that are about Dynamics 365 ERP Technologies contributing to designing a Resilient, Intelligent, and Adaptable Supply Chain against the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

PART 1: Introduction, Using technology against the impact of the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic on supply chains, Cloud ERP

PART 2: Cloud ERP components

PART 3: Dynamics 365 ERP Technologies contributing to designing a Resilient, Intelligent, and Adaptable Supply Chain against the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic

PART 4: Conclusion and recommendations

Let's start PART 2

CONTENT Azure services Dynamics 365 Business Applications Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management Dynamics 365 Sales Dynamics 365 Customer Service Dynamics 365 Field Service Dynamics 365 Commerce Dynamics 365 Marketing Power platform Power BI Power Apps Power Automate Power Virtual Agents

An ideal system includes a cloud platform, ERP on it, and connectivity technologies for peripheral system integrations. Specific to Microsoft Cloud ERP, the details of these basic components are as follows.

AZURE SERVICES

This is a cloud platform. Microsoft Azure, commonly referred to as Azure, is a cloud computing service created to build, test, deploy and manage applications and services through data centers managed by Microsoft. It provides software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and supports many different programming languages, tools, and frameworks, including both Microsoft-specific and third-party software and systems. The Azure cloud platform is a cloud service with over 200 products designed to help implement new solutions to solve today's challenges and create the future, helps design end-to-end solutions for businesses with selected tools and system frameworks.

DYNAMICS 365 BUSINESS APPS

Dynamics 365 is Microsoft's latest product in the field of business management software for a long time, and it is an innovation that offers CRM, ERP, and business applications under a single digital roof. This new approach to business software distribution is the result of years of development and innovation on behalf of Microsoft, a leading provider of business applications for almost two decades. When Microsoft acquired two existing ERP programs, Great Plains and Solomon, in 2001, it released the first product that would become a comprehensive and well-known software stable. The following year, Microsoft purchased two more ERP products, Axapta and Navision, and officially established the Business Solutions division.

After briefly considering using these acquisitions as the basis for developing its own, all-genuine ERP product, Microsoft eventually decided to develop existing purchased products. Equipping these products with a similar role-based user interface, SQL-based reporting, and analytics, a SharePoint-based portal, Pocket PC-based mobile clients, and integration with Microsoft Office, Microsoft has rebranded it by adding its own CRM to its four ERP platforms. New products were released in 2005 under the Dynamics umbrella as Dynamics NAV, Dynamics GP, Dynamics AX, Dynamics SL, and Dynamics CRM 3.0. In 2016, Microsoft moved to the next phase of its business software products. Combining the functionality of all existing Dynamics products in a single umbrella solution, Dynamics 365 was designed and released to offer both CRM and ERP capabilities in a single streamlined product.

Dynamics 365 can divide its functionality into applications that can be used individually, as well as offer more holistic solutions integrated with other applications in the package.

Various Dynamics 365 apps are currently available and more are planned in the near future. Each application includes a CRM or ERP functionality and can be used with a wider application suite or on its own. While digital transformation is currently at the top of Microsoft's mission statement, this change is also aimed at helping organizations leverage business management tools whatever their circumstances, allowing them to start small and build broader solutions as needed. What each of these applications actually does and the necessary building blocks of Dynamics 365 to initiate digital transformation are as follows:

Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management: The most important application of Dynamics 365 is the ERP application. This application is predominantly based on Dynamics AX and includes everything an organization needs to manage, plan and analyze its financial and operational processes. The application combines financial management and operational processes and is useful for businesses in all industries. Dynamics 365 ERP has extensive manufacturing capabilities, so it's a good option for batch, continuous, or lean manufacturing businesses of any size. It also has solid capabilities for public sector companies. It has fairly broad financial management features and tends to conduct economic analysis as opposed to general business accounting.

The most comprehensive and robust ERP application in the package covers large areas of business processes and operations. It helps users control every aspect of data entry and exit and is packed with financial management tools (including accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting, cash and bank management, asset management, and general ledger). It also has tools to ensure regulatory compliance and public sector requirements in 34 countries. It offers tools for managing human capital, including creating and managing benefits, deductions, and compensation plans, overseeing employee development and training, delivering employee surveys, dealing with payroll and new hires. It helps control, analyze and optimize supply chain and warehousing operations with capabilities such as cost management, inventory management, purchasing and sourcing, product information management, and shipping and warehouse management. The app also helps streamline and automate processes throughout the supply chain, from picking to delivery.

Using SQL server's forecasting algorithms, the application's demand forecasting capabilities also help improve product availability, minimize inventory costs, and reduce procurement costs by automating processes from procurement to payment. Providing a platform to connect operations throughout the manufacturing lifecycle, Dynamics 365 ERP offers a choice of order types so users can choose the best manufacturing processes for their needs or create their own mix of separate, lean, and processes. It is a single, unified solution to support business processes throughout the supply chain.

Dynamics 365 Sales: According to researches, a CRM application should encompass Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Digital Commerce, and Marketing functions. In Dynamics 365 modular architecture, these features are represented by standalone applications. The app centralizes all of an organization's sales leads in one place, helping to collect data and automate repetitive areas of the cycle so salespeople can focus on building relationships and developing opportunities. The system can automatically score, qualify and assign leads and provides a real-time analysis at every stage of the process to help users focus their efforts on the most profitable areas. All sales and marketing activities are recorded in a single view, so salespeople get a complete picture of their organization's relationships and previous communications with a customer, making it easy to deliver great service and identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities. Comprehensive, AI-powered reporting capabilities help highlight achievements and opportunities.

Dynamics 365 Customer Service: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service aims to help users provide their customers with excellent, personalized customer service whenever they want and in any channel. Offering a mix of assisted service management and self-service opportunities such as customer portals and peer-to-peer support, Customer Service gives agents the tools and resources they need to add value to customer interactions, whatever the environment. Through a central interface, Customer Service allows agents to create cases, record all customer interactions, and resolve queries through the customer's preferred channel. Knowledge bases shared within the app mean agents are always kept informed of customer case histories and preferences and can provide accurate information on company policy and entitlements. Performance and productivity can be easily monitored and managed through reports and dashboards, so organizations can be confident they are delivering high-level, consistent service across the board.

Dynamics 365 Field Service: In this age of mobile-enabled, businesses need to be connected to their business and customers, wherever they are in the world. Dynamics 365 Field Management gives users the tools they need to deliver exceptional services in the business and in the field. To be able to deliver successfully in the field, organizations need to take a hard look at their operations, access the necessary resources, and have open communication channels with employees, contractors, and customers in the field.

Field Service records are aligned with Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service practices, so being in the field doesn't mean working in the dark. The app also provides a central, accessible repository for resources such as manuals, documentation, and training materials. Work orders can be created from customer service cases, customer portals, or emails, and assets, inventory, and equipment can be managed and reordered in real-time.

Like all applications in the Dynamics 365 family, Field Services is extremely mobile-friendly with mobile and tablet applications available on Android, iOS, and Windows devices.

Dynamics 365 Marketing: Dynamics 365 Marketing, a purpose-built marketing automation application aimed at SMBs, aims to provide companies with the tools they need to generate and incentivize more leads by aligning their sales and marketing strategies and automating many of their core marketing processes. The application offers the opportunity to create, run and manage multi-channel campaigns and events, as well as in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of these efforts with marketing analytics.

POWER PLATFORM

Power Platform consists of four services: Power BI, PowerApps, Power Automate, and Power virtual agents. While each of these services is individually the best of their kind, their combination is a game-changer like no other.

Once the infrastructure is in place, they need a layer on top of the data that allows all employees, regardless of technical ability, to use them in a simple way, increasing their business impact, to ensure that this data works most efficiently. This is what Power Platform does. It is a system that allows users to perform four basic actions on data that helps them run their business: Analysis, Action, Automation, Problem solving.

The increasing number of data sources triggers the need for smarter business solutions for organizations that benefit from this data. The Power platform was created to eliminate the constant dependency on the limited number of programmers, data scientists, and technologists in companies.

Power BI: Power BI is a business intelligence solution that makes it easy to connect, analyze and learn from the data that sustains the business. This data can reside in the cloud or in your own data center in an Excel spreadsheet or SharePoint list, an Oracle database, or an SAP or Salesforce application, or any of hundreds of other systems with built-in support of Power Platform. The services that will make Power BI's report results actionable are PowerApps and Power automate.

Power Apps: Power Apps is a development platform for anyone that enables web and mobile apps to be built without writing code. The natural link between Power BI and Power Apps is an app platform for building apps that increase productivity and often make it effortless to add features to task-specific apps.

Power Automate: Power Automate is an intelligent process automation service that goes beyond simple task automation, allowing non-technical users to automate complex business processes and workflows without a complex IT deployment. Through a simple and intuitive interface, users can create automated workflows that can be triggered by insights in Power BI, integrated through apps built with PowerApps (for example, user action in PowerApp can initiate an approval process), and any event. Workflows run entirely in the cloud and are fully managed by Microsoft.

Power Virtual Agents: Power Virtual Agents are adaptive Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots. It can automatically resolve common customer and internal issues, allowing staff to focus on complex requests and high-value interactions. It allows companies to build powerful chatbots without the need for developers or data scientists using a guided, code-free graphical interface. Power Virtual Agents can be integrated with products and services used every day, creating complex scenarios with prebuilt Power Automate custom workflows.

In addition to these services, there are other related cloud applications and third-party technologies.

... to be continued with Dynamics 365 Technologies vs Covid-19.