Power Platform Admin Centre Tutorial: What’s New in New Admin Centre?

In this “Power Platform Admin Centre Tutorial,” we will learn what the new features or services are that are added to the Power Platform Admin Centre, and we will walk you through each section of the Power Platform Admin Centre and explain them with the practical demo.

The Microsoft Power Platform is a cornerstone of business innovation, offering tools like Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents. To ensure efficient governance and streamlined management, Microsoft introduced the New Admin Center within the Power Platform Admin Center. This feature-rich platform empowers administrators with enhanced visibility, control, and security for their environments, apps, and flows.

In this article, we will explore the New Admin Center in Power Platform Admin Center, highlighting its features, benefits, and how organizations can optimize its capabilities.

The New Admin Center in Power Platform Admin Center

In the below sections, we will discuss the various new features in the Power Platform new admin centre.

Introduction to the Power Platform Admin Center

The Power Platform Admin Center is a centralized hub for managing Power Platform environments and resources. It allows admins to oversee critical aspects such as:

• Environment management.
• Data loss prevention (DLP) policies.
• User and license management.
• Analytics and monitoring.

With the New Admin Center, Microsoft has introduced several updates designed to enhance usability, simplify navigation, and improve governance.

Key Features of the New Admin Center

1. Enhanced Environment Management

The New Admin Center offers robust tools for creating, managing, and monitoring environments. Admins can:

• View all environments in a unified dashboard.
• Monitor environment capacity and usage trends.
• Perform environment lifecycle operations, such as creating, renaming, and deleting environments.

These features help admins maintain optimal resource allocation while ensuring business continuity.

2. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Policies

Data governance is a top priority for organizations. The New Admin Center simplifies the creation and enforcement of DLP policies. Admins can:

• Define connectors as “business” or “non-business” to segregate sensitive data.
• Apply DLP policies at the tenant or environment level.
• Use advanced analytics to monitor policy violations and usage patterns.

These capabilities strengthen compliance and safeguard organizational data.

3. Streamlined User and License Management

Managing users and licenses can be a daunting task, especially in large organizations. The New Admin Center provides:

• Insights into user activity across Power Platform apps.
• License assignment and utilization reports.
• Alerts for over-utilization or under-utilization of resources.

This ensures efficient resource distribution and cost optimization.

4. Built-in Analytics and Monitoring

Monitoring the performance and usage of apps and flows is critical. The New Admin Center includes built-in analytics tools to track:

• App usage metrics.
• Flow execution trends.
• Environment capacity and storage consumption.

These insights enable proactive troubleshooting and performance optimization.

5. Advanced Security and Compliance Tools

Security is integral to digital transformation. The New Admin Center includes features such as:

• Role-based access control (RBAC) to limit access to sensitive resources.
• Integration with Microsoft’s Compliance Manager for auditing.
• Alerts and notifications for suspicious activities.

By leveraging these tools, organizations can maintain a secure Power Platform ecosystem.

Benefits of the New Admin Center

1. Improved User Experience

The New Admin Center is designed with user-centric navigation and intuitive interfaces. The streamlined dashboard allows admins to access critical information and perform tasks with minimal effort.

2. Centralized Governance

With all administrative tasks consolidated into a single platform, governance becomes more efficient. Admins can manage environments, policies, and security from one location, reducing complexity.

3. Scalable for Growth

Whether managing a small team or an enterprise-level organization, the New Admin Center scales to meet the needs of dynamic businesses. The platform supports a wide range of customization and reporting options.

4. Enhanced Decision-Making

The built-in analytics and monitoring tools provide actionable insights, enabling admins to make data-driven decisions about resource allocation, user management, and policy enforcement.

5. Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem

The Power Platform Admin Center seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft tools like Azure Active Directory, Microsoft 365 Admin Center, and Compliance Manager, creating a cohesive management experience.

Getting Started with the New Admin Center

Step 1: Access the Power Platform Admin Center

Navigate to the Power Platform Admin Center at Power Platform Admin Center. Sign in using your Microsoft admin credentials.

Step 2: Explore the Dashboard

The main dashboard provides an overview of your environments, apps, and flows. Use the navigation pane to explore different sections like environments, policies, and analytics.

Step 3: Set Up Environments

To create or manage environments:

1. Go to the Environments tab.
2. Click + New to create a new environment.
3. Define parameters like environment type, region, and associated security group.

Step 4: Configure DLP Policies

To create a DLP policy:

1. Navigate to the Policies section.
2. Click + New Policy and define the scope (tenant-level or environment-specific).
3. Set connector restrictions and save the policy.

Step 5: Monitor Usage and Performance

Leverage the built-in analytics tools:

1. Visit the Analytics section.
2. Review usage reports for apps, flows, and environments.
3. Identify trends and anomalies to optimize performance.

Best Practices for Using the New Admin Center

1. Regularly Review Environment Usage

Monitor environment capacity and remove unused resources to maintain efficiency and reduce costs.

2. Enforce Strong DLP Policies

Define and regularly update DLP policies to ensure compliance with organizational and regulatory standards.

3. Leverage Role-Based Access Control

Assign roles to users based on their responsibilities, limiting access to critical resources and reducing security risks.

4. Stay Updated on Platform Changes

Microsoft frequently updates the Power Platform. Stay informed about new features and enhancements by subscribing to the Microsoft 365 admin notifications.

5. Integrate with Other Microsoft Services

Enhance functionality by integrating the New Admin Center with tools like Azure Monitor, PowerShell, and Microsoft Teams for advanced automation and collaboration.

Common Challenges and Solutions

1. Challenge: Navigating Complex Environments

Solution: Use tags and naming conventions to organize environments for easier identification and management.

2. Challenge: Enforcing DLP Policies Across Teams

Solution: Conduct training sessions for team members to raise awareness about DLP policies and their importance.

3. Challenge: Monitoring Performance in Real-Time

Solution: Set up alerts and notifications for performance thresholds to proactively address issues.

Future Enhancements and Roadmap

Microsoft is continuously enhancing the Power Platform Admin Center. Upcoming features include:

• AI-Driven Insights: Leveraging artificial intelligence to provide predictive analytics and automated recommendations.
• Enhanced Reporting: More granular reporting options for compliance and auditing.
• Integration with Third-Party Tools: Expanding the ecosystem with APIs for external integrations.

These updates will further empower administrators and align with evolving business needs.

Practical Demo: New Admin Center in Power Platform Admin Center

Log in to your Power Platform Admin Centre using your Power Platform Admin account. Then, you will see the old or classic Power Platform admin centre home page with a toggle option to “Try the new admin centre.” By default, it is in off mode; to get the new admin centre experience, you need to turn this toggle on.

Enable or Disable “Try the new admin centre“

Now, let’s turn this “Try the new admin centre” toggle on.

Then, you can see the new Power Platform admin center look and feel.

Now, let’s see the each section of new Power Platform admin center one by one.

Manage Actions in Power Platform Admin Center

Using this “Actions” menu, you can see whether you need to take any actions in your Power Platform admin centre; basically, it gives you information about the health of the Power Platform admin centre.

Manage Menu in New Power Platform Admin Center

Under the Manage menu, we can manage the following services and products:

• Environments: Admins can create, manage, and monitor environments, which act as containers for apps, flows, and other resources, ensuring organized resource allocation.
• Environment groups: It is used to group environments for easier management and governance, particularly in organizations with multiple departments or regions.
• Tenant settings: Centralized settings to configure tenant-wide policies, user permissions, security roles, and integration options for the Power Platform.
• Data (preview): A feature in preview that allows administrators to manage and analyze data within Dataverse, including table settings, storage usage, and database insights.
• Power Pages: It enables the management of Power Pages, Microsoft’s tool for creating secure, data-driven websites integrated with Dataverse.
• Dynamic 365: It facilitates the oversight of Dynamics 365 apps and resources, ensuring seamless integration and management within the Power Platform ecosystem.

These management options provide admins with comprehensive control over resources, policies, and tools in their Power Platform environment.

Manage Monitor Tool in Power Platform Admin Center

Under the Monitor tool in the Power Platform Admin Center, administrators can access the following features:

1. Overview: Provides a high-level dashboard that aggregates key metrics and health information about your environments, apps, and flows, allowing admins to quickly assess the status of the platform.
2. Logs: Allows admins to view detailed logs for operations across Power Platform services, such as app usage, flow executions, and error tracking, helping troubleshoot and ensure system reliability.
3. Power Apps: Provides insights and usage analytics specifically for Power Apps, including app performance, user interactions, and error reports, enabling admins to optimize app efficiency and user experience.

These features enable administrators to monitor, track, and ensure the smooth operation of Power Platform resources and applications.

Manage Security settings in Power Platform Admin Center

Under the Security settings in the Power Platform Admin Center, administrators can manage the following features:

1. Overview: Offers a centralized view of security configurations and key metrics, ensuring administrators have a clear understanding of the platform’s security posture.
2. Network Security: Provides tools to configure and enforce network restrictions, such as IP allow/block lists and virtual network integration, to secure access to resources.
3. Threat Detection: Monitors for suspicious activity and potential security threats, offering alerts and actionable insights to protect organizational data.
4. Compliance: Ensures adherence to regulatory standards by providing access to compliance reports, certifications, and policy configurations across the Power Platform.
5. Power Pages: Manages the security settings of Power Pages, including site authentication, user roles, and data access, to safeguard public-facing web applications.

These features help organizations maintain robust security and compliance within their Power Platform environments.

Manage Deployment in Power Platform Admin Center

The Deployment feature in the Power Platform Admin Center streamlines application and solution delivery through the following tools:

1. Overview: Provides a summary of deployment activities, offering insights into pipeline usage, catalog contents, and the status of solution deployments across environments.
2. Pipelines: Enables administrators to configure and manage deployment pipelines for automating solution migrations between development, testing, and production environments.
3. Catalogs: A centralized repository for reusable components, templates, and solutions, making it easier to standardize and accelerate deployments across the organization.

Deployment in Power Platform Admin CenterThese tools empower organizations to achieve efficient, consistent, and scalable deployments within the Power Platform ecosystem.

Manage Licensing in Power Platform Admin Center

The Manage Licensing feature in the Power Platform Admin Center simplifies the administration of licenses and plans through the following options:

1. Pay-as-you-go Plans: Enables flexible, usage-based billing for Power Platform services, allowing organizations to scale costs based on actual consumption rather than fixed allocations.
2. Capacity Add-ons (Legacy): Provides options to purchase additional storage and capacity for legacy licensing models, ensuring environments have sufficient resources for operation.
3. Products: Manage licenses and monitor usage for specific Power Platform products:
   • Power Apps: Licensing and usage management for app creation and user access.
   • Power Automate: Oversee flow usage and allocate licenses for automation needs.
   • Copilot Studio: Manage licenses for AI-powered assistance tools within the Power Platform.
   • Dataverse: Administer storage and access licenses for Dataverse, the platform’s data storage backbone.
   • Finance and Operations: Handle licensing for apps supporting financial and operational workflows.

These tools provide comprehensive control over licensing and resource allocation for all Power Platform products.

Copilot Readiness in Power Platform Admin Center

The Copilot Readiness section in the Power Platform Admin Center equips administrators with resources and tools to prepare for and optimize the use of Copilot features. It offers:

1. Tutorials and Resources: Access videos and articles on topics such as how Copilot works, preparing for Copilot integration, and understanding its latest features and updates.
2. Usage Insights: Learn about the various applications of Copilot across the Power Platform, enabling admins and users to maximize its AI-driven capabilities.
3. Governance Tools: Guidance on setting policies and managing permissions to ensure secure and compliant Copilot usage.
4. Settings Management: Administer Copilot-related configurations for specific Power Platform tools, including:
   • Power Platform Settings: General settings for enabling and managing Copilot capabilities across environments.
   • Copilot Studio Settings: Tools to customize and govern Copilot Studio features.
   • Power Apps Settings: Tailor Copilot assistance within Power Apps for improved app development experiences.
   • Power Automate Settings: Configure Copilot integration to streamline and enhance automation workflows.
5. Content Moderation: Tools to ensure responsible and ethical use of AI-generated content across applications.

Copilot Studio Settings in Power Platform Admin CenterThis section provides a comprehensive roadmap for organizations to effectively adopt and govern Copilot, empowering teams to harness AI for productivity and innovation.

Microsoft Support Feature in Power Platform Admin Center

The Microsoft Support feature in the Power Platform Admin Center provides essential tools to assist administrators in resolving issues and maintaining system health:

1. Support Requests: Allows admins to create, manage, and track support tickets for technical assistance directly within the platform.
2. Known Issues: Offers a curated list of current platform issues, updates on their resolution status, and guidance on potential workarounds.
3. Service Health: Provides real-time insights into the health and availability of Power Platform services, helping admins identify and address disruptions promptly.

This feature ensures quick access to resources and support for maintaining a stable and efficient Power Platform environment.

YouTube Video Demo: Power Platform Admin Centre Full Tutorial

Conclusion

FAQs: New Admin Center in Power Platform

Q1: Can I manage Power Platform environments from the Microsoft 365 Admin Center?

No, environment management is exclusive to the Power Platform Admin Center, which is specifically designed for this purpose.

Q2: How can I track app performance in real-time?

Use the Analytics section in the New Admin Center to monitor app usage and flow performance. You can also set up alerts for specific thresholds.

Q3: Is the New Admin Center available to all Power Platform users?

The New Admin Center is available to administrators with appropriate permissions. Access depends on the role assigned in Azure Active Directory.

Q4: What are DLP policies, and why are they important?

DLP policies define how data can be shared between connectors within the Power Platform, ensuring sensitive data remains secure and compliant with regulations.

Q5: How often should I review environment usage?

Regular reviews, preferably monthly or quarterly, are recommended to optimize capacity and identify unused resources.

About Post Author