Managed Environments in Dataverse: A Comprehensive Guide

Managed Environments is a feature within Microsoft Dataverse designed to enhance governance, simplify monitoring, and promote responsible resource usage in Power Platform environments. By enabling Managed Environments, administrators can gain better visibility, apply advanced security measures, and streamline compliance efforts.

This article will explore what Managed Environments are, their features, use cases, and how to enable and configure them effectively.

What Are Managed Environments in Dataverse?

Managed Environments is a built-in capability in Dataverse that provides enhanced governance controls for Power Platform environments. It offers tools to monitor usage, enforce policies, and manage resources, ensuring better alignment with organizational governance standards.

By using Managed Environments, administrators can:

• Improve compliance through built-in monitoring.
• Automate enforcement of security policies.
• Gain insights into resource consumption.

Key Features of Managed Environments

1. Advanced Security Controls
   • Enforce restrictions on sharing apps outside the organization.
   • Apply tenant-level DLP (Data Loss Prevention) policies.
   • Control the export of data to prevent data leaks.
2. App Sharing and Sharing Limitations
   • Set caps on the number of users an app can be shared with.
   • Monitor sharing behaviors for compliance.
3. Usage Insights
   • Gain visibility into app, flow, and resource usage.
   • Identify underutilized apps to optimize resources.
4. Data Policies
   • Create and enforce governance policies specific to Managed Environments.
   • Ensure consistent compliance with organizational data handling standards.
5. Simplified Auditing
   • Centralized auditing for apps and flows.
   • Simplified compliance reporting for regulatory requirements.
6. Tenant Isolation
   • Restrict access to resources between different environments.
   • Enable isolation between tenant-managed and developer-created environments.
7. Automated Notifications
   • Receive alerts for non-compliant behavior.
   • Proactively identify issues related to resource consumption and sharing.

Use Cases for Managed Environments

1. Enhanced Compliance in Regulated Industries
   • Financial services, healthcare, and government organizations can enforce strict data governance policies.
2. Enterprise Resource Optimization
   • Identify and manage underutilized resources to reduce costs.
3. App Lifecycle Management
   • Monitor and manage app sharing to ensure they are being used responsibly within and outside the organization.
4. Secure Collaboration Across Teams
   • Enable secure data-sharing practices in collaborative environments.
5. Preventing Data Leakage
   • Use sharing restrictions and data export policies to safeguard sensitive information.

How to Enable Managed Environments

1. Access the Power Platform Admin Center
   • Navigate to Power Platform Admin Center.
2. Select the Target Environment
   • From the list of environments, choose the one you wish to manage.
3. Enable Managed Environments
   • Locate the Managed Environments option in the environment settings and toggle it on.
4. Set Up Governance Policies
   • Configure sharing restrictions, DLP policies, and other governance settings.
5. Monitor Usage and Compliance
   • Use built-in dashboards and logs to track resource usage, sharing, and policy adherence.

Best Practices for Managed Environments

1. Define Clear Governance Policies
   • Ensure policies align with organizational compliance requirements.
2. Regularly Monitor Insights
   • Use the usage insights dashboard to track app and flow usage patterns.
3. Educate App Makers
   • Train app makers on sharing and governance policies.
4. Leverage Security Features
   • Implement tenant isolation and sharing restrictions to prevent unauthorized access.
5. Review Policies Periodically
   • Update policies as organizational needs evolve.

Conclusion

Managed Environments in Dataverse is a powerful tool for organizations aiming to maintain control and compliance in their Power Platform ecosystems. By leveraging its capabilities, businesses can ensure secure, compliant, and efficient management of their Dataverse environments.

Whether you’re in a heavily regulated industry or simply looking to optimize your resources, enabling Managed Environments is a critical step towards responsible governance and resource management.

Hope it helps.