Traditionally, there are two schools of thought on using apps to solve business problems: 1) Buy off-the-shelf apps, or 2) Build custom apps from scratch. In many cases, off-the-shelf apps do not solve all business problems, and since they're rarely customizable, you are expected to modify your processes to fit into the way the app functions. This roadblock can be tackled using custom apps, but custom apps are expensive and time consuming, making it difficult for businesses to justify the time and cost of custom app development. This is where Power Apps comes into the picture.

 Power Apps is a set of services and apps that enable you to:

1. Build line-of-business applications directly via web, tablet, or mobile
2. Use skills you already have to build apps (think PowerPoint + Excel skills)
3. Share apps across your organization
4. Rapidly and cost-effectively improve and scale your application as your business requires
5. Connect to a large selection of applications

How can I access PowerApps?

Power Apps apps are developed in Power Apps Studio which can be accessed via a web browser or a Windows app. Once an app is published, it can be shared with users across the organization through web.powerapps.com. Apps can be run on a browser, tablet, or phone.

What can Power Apps connect to?

Using your existing solutions with Power Apps is easy. Power Apps has connectors for hundreds of cloud-based solutions and allows creation of custom connectors for solutions that do not have a built-in Power Apps connector. Here is a list of all the out of the box connectors available for PowerApps.

On Prem vs. Online

Have data in an on premises database? No worries! Power Apps has an on premises gateway that lets you connect to your on premises SQL Server, SharePoint, and other platforms in an easy and secure manner.

1-minute Power Apps Video:

This short, animated video gives a brief overview of what Power Apps is and how it can improve business processes.

1-hour Power Apps video:

If you'd like to get a deeper look into the capabilities of Power Apps and see a few demos and use cases, be sure to view Microsoft's Business Applications Spring 2018 Release video on PowerApps.

Have you heard about PowerObjects' Power Apps competition, running now through Tuesday, June 19?

If you are a current PowerObjects customer and have an idea for a Power Apps solution that would benefit your organization, we want to hear about it! The organization that submits the best use case(s) will win and have their app(s) built at no cost. To participate and for more details, click here!

We are excited by the extensive capabilities of Power Apps and are ready to invest in this platform to help our customers further transform their businesses. Keep an eye out for more Power Apps content coming to our blog in the coming weeks!

In the meantime, happy D365'ing!