10 MSP workflows to improve managed service efficiency

With customers’ Microsoft environments becoming more sophisticated, the days of MSPs being hired to ‘just’ service an organization’s Microsoft 365 needs are long gone. Pre-pandemic, tasks typically revolved around new client setups, migrations, and updating existing Microsoft setups. It’s a different story now. MSPs are focusing their time on digital transformation, which means that more processes are needed to manage tenants.

So, how can processes be more efficient? In short, with workflows.

What is a workflow?

A workflow is a sequence of programmed, connected steps or tasks that perform long-running process from start to finish. Workflows can be used for many situations, and are:

• Scalable and repeatable
• Customizable and specific to you
• As simple or complex as you need them to be

A workflow’s purpose is to get work done quickly and efficiently with minimum input required from the admin or technician. MSPs can use workflows to: manage tasks at scale, and control multiple-tenant and user environments quickly and accurately.

10 ways to streamline tenant setups using workflows

Imagine your new tenant has 500+ users to set up. You have the relevant command scripts but need an easy way to assign them to all users and groups. Service desks can:

• Create a workflow that contains relevant command-lines.
• Trigger the workflow across multiple tenant environments.
• Ensure the workflow performs all necessary tasks.

The automated workflow will then manage the repetitive setup tasks at scale. For example:

1. Create new user environments—Add new users to a group, add a new name, create an email address, and assign all or specific Microsoft 365 licenses to a user.
2. Set up and configure mailboxes—Inform Exchange to create a new shared mailbox, define an alias, add an email address, manage and assign permissions to users or groups.
3. Assign permissions to shared mailbox calendars—Assign Publishing Editor permissions to the Shared Mailbox, add a user or group.
4. Set up security policies—Define a user group, assign user group rights, assign passwords/protections, apply access controls.
5. Give user access to Microsoft Teams—Provide access to Microsoft Teams, add user to specific groups.
6. Provide access to OneDrive—Setup a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, add OneDrive, adopt OneDrive, Install OneDrive on user device.
7. Add users to specific Sharepoint folders—Select user groups, assign file access, add user permissions.
8. Offboard—Remove alias permissions, reassign licences to a new user environment.
9. Give existing employee access to previous user’s mailbox—Remove full access permissions for shared a mailbox, define a new alias, add an email address.
10. Regularly monitor offboarded environment—Check permissions are in place, monitor live licenses, trigger email alerts, trigger alerts for security breaches.

With automated workflows in place, specialist technicians don’t need to spend hours building and configuring Microsoft 365 environments manually.

Workflows vs Scripts?

If you’re thinking, ‘But, I already use scripts to make my life easier, why should I use workflows?’ that’s a totally valid question.

Many MSPs and cloud service providers (CSPs) use command-line PowerShell scripts to automate various repetitive user tasks. For example, converting an inbox to a shared mailbox or adding someone to a Microsoft Teams channel. However, there are a number of challenges with scripts:

• They don’t always work on a trigger-basis.
• They need to be kept up to date and tweaked when requirements change.
• Teams need to switch from portal to portal to manage them.
• They are harder to scale.
• Scripts are harder to apply to multiple environments, as each environment has a different underlying configuration.

While scripts do make life a lot easier for MSPs, they only represent the command to complete a task, not the process teams need to take to complete it. The process itself would need to be completed manually, or via an automated workflow.

Workflows are the smarter way to work

If you want to be a more efficient MSP, workflows are the way forward. Tasks are made easier if you build your own scalable flow that is:

1. Easy to maintain
2. Used for multiple tenants
3. Managed from one portal

It’s time to jump on the growth bandwagon and start enjoying a bigger share of the pie. N‑able’s Cloud User Hub makes it easier to automate the management of all of your Microsoft tenants, users, and licenses from a single hub. Click here to find out more.

Laura Moise is Sr. Product Marketing Manager at N‑able