Introduction to Microsoft Power Platform landscape: Why IT Admins should care

Imagine a world where your IT team isn’t bogged down by endless service requests, but instead, they’re driving strategic initiatives that propel your organization forward. This isn’t a distant dream—it’s the reality that the Microsoft Power Platform can create.

With over 48 million monthly active users, the Power Platform is revolutionizing how businesses solve problems by empowering “makers”; those without a traditional IT or coding background—to build apps, automate workflows, create reports, and even design websites.

PS: You can check out other numbers and Power Platform statistics at Microsoft Power Platform in Numbers 

For IT professionals, this isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a productivity booster. The Power Platform frees IT teams to focus on what truly matters by enabling users to handle many of their needs. But why should IT admins care? Let’s explore the products that make up the Power Platform and how they can transform your IT operations.

Power Platform products

The Microsoft Power Platform includes five main products that achieve different objectives. Some are for websites, some for reports, and some allow us to create AI Agents, which we’ll need to use for customizing Microsoft 365 Copilot. The best part? They all work together to create an end-to-end business solution and integrate with other Microsoft suites, such as Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Azure.

Power Apps

Power Apps is the go-to tool for building custom applications without writing code. Whether it’s a simple app for tracking inventory or a more complex solution for managing approvals, Power Apps enables users to create intuitive, mobile-friendly apps that integrate seamlessly with other Microsoft tools and data sources. It’s drag-and-drop simplicity with enterprise-grade capabilities.

Power Automate

Think of Power Automate as your automation powerhouse. It lets users create workflows to handle repetitive tasks, from sending approval emails to syncing data between systems. With pre-built templates and connectors for hundreds of apps, users can get things running quickly—and IT doesn’t have to step in every time manually. 

Power BI

Power BI is all about turning raw data into actionable insights. Users can build dashboards and reports that pull data from multiple sources, creating a single, interactive view of what’s happening in the business. It’s a game-changer for decision-making, giving teams the clarity they need without relying on IT for every update.

Power Pages

Power Pages is one of the newest additions to the Power Platform and it’s focused on building secure, data-driven websites with low-code tools. It’s perfect for creating customer portals, partner sites, or even employee self-service pages that connect directly to your organization’s data. With a mix of templates, design flexibility, and robust security features, makers can build professional-grade web experiences while IT ensures proper governance and compliance.

Copilot Studio

Copilot Studio is a graphical, low-code tool for both creating an agent—including building automation with Power Automate—and extending a Microsoft 365 Copilot with your own enterprise data and scenarios. This is a must-use as your organization starts using AI Tools in Microsoft 365 Copilot or agents in the new Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.

The Power Platform core components

At the heart of the Power Platform are three essential components: Dataverse, Power FX, and Connectors. These foundational elements work together to enable seamless app development, data integration, and automation, providing makers with the tools they need to create robust solutions. Let’s break down what each of these components brings to the table. 

Dataverse 

Dataverse is the Power Platform’s underlying data platform. Think of it as a secure, scalable, cloud-based database that lets makers store and manage data for their apps, workflows, and websites. It’s more than just a database—it comes with built-in logic, security, and integration features that make it easy to connect data across the Power Platform and external systems. For IT pros, Dataverse ensures data governance is in place by enabling IT pros to set role-based access control (RBAC), allowing them to define who can view, modify, and share sensitive data. 

Connectors

Connectors are the glue that binds the Power Platform to external systems and services. With over 900 pre-built connectors for tools like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and SQL Server, users can integrate data and automate processes across different platforms. For IT pros, connectors are a dream come true—they simplify integration while offering visibility into how data flows across the organization, ensuring security and compliance remain intact. 

Power FX

Power FX is the low-code programming language used across the Power Platform. Inspired by Excel formulas, it’s intuitive for makers who are already familiar with spreadsheet logic. Whether it’s adding conditional logic to an app or customizing how data is displayed, Power FX makes it easy to add functionality without requiring traditional coding skills. It’s also highly extensible, so IT pros and developers can work alongside makers to build advanced solutions when needed. 

Why IT Professionals need to focus on managing the Power Platform

We already mentioned it, but while the surge in adoption of the Power Platform is a testament to the platform’s capabilities, it also presents challenges. Without proper oversight, you might end up with more Power Platform apps and flows than users, which leads to serious security and compliance risks. 

For instance, an ill-intentioned user could create a flow that automatically transfers sensitive data from SharePoint to an external service like Dropbox, posing significant security risks. And I am not exaggerating; that Microsoft-provided template has been used over 16,000 times alone. Implementing robust governance is essential to prevent such scenarios, ensuring that all apps and flows adhere to organizational policies and that data remains secure. 

With the tie-in between Copilot Agents and Copilot Studio, IT professionals will have to closely monitor Pay as you go usage in the Power Platform admin center to ensure that users do not misuse the company-created agents, costing the organization extra money with no real gain.  

By focusing on effective management and governance of the Power Platform, IT professionals can harness its full potential while safeguarding the organization’s data and maintaining compliance.