Microsoft 365 applications
Software that connects to Microsoft 365: login with your Microsoft account, documents in SharePoint, appointments in Outlook and notifications in Teams. Built by a software company that is officially Microsoft Cloud Partner.
Software that works with your Microsoft environment.
An application for Microsoft 365 is custom software that connects to your company’s Microsoft 365 environment: employees log on to their Microsoft account, documents are in SharePoint or OneDrive, appointments come in Outlook and notifications in Teams. Altena builds such applications as a software company and officially Microsoft Cloud Partner.
That’s a combination you don’t see often. Most Microsoft partners manage and deliver licenses. Most software companies build apart from Microsoft. We both do, and that saves: we know the environment where the software has to land, and we don’t have to gamble how Microsoft Graph, Entra ID or Teams work. AdComPro Linked to Microsoft 365 for years.
Do we also manage your environment? Then it is all one whole. See Microsoft 365 management.
Three types of applications for Microsoft 365.
From a link in your existing software to a completely new app that lives in Teams.
Business software linked to Microsoft 365
Your customer portal, planning system or custom application works with the Microsoft environment you already have.
What you get
Employees log in with their Microsoft account (single sign-on via Entra ID), so no extra password. The application reads and writes via Microsoft Graph: mail and calendar in Outlook, documents in SharePoint and OneDrive, users and groups from Entra ID.
Examples
A customer portal that displays quotes directly from SharePoint. A planning tool that puts appointments in the mechanic’s Outlook calendar. A CRM that automatically hangs customer emails from the file.
Existing or new
Do you already have software? Then we build the link in it. Not yet? Then we build the application with Microsoft 365 as the foundation. See also custom software and API integrations.
Including
- Login with Microsoft account (Entra ID, single sign-on)
- Rights and roles taken from your Microsoft groups
- Outlook: Read and write email and calendar
- SharePoint and OneDrive: Retrieve, Save and Share Documents
- Link through the official Microsoft Graph API
- Registration of the app in your own Microsoft environment
- Logging and error handling, so that a malfunction is visible
For companies that no longer want to see their software and their Microsoft environment as two separate worlds.
Teams apps and automation
Own tab, bot or notification in Microsoft Teams, and workflows that run by themselves.
What you get
Your team already works in Teams. Then it makes sense that your software is there: a tab with your planning, a bot handling a leave request, a notification in the channel as soon as a customer places an order.
Automation
New customer in CRM? Then automatically a Teams channel, a SharePoint folder and a calendar invitation for the start call. Simple workflows are put into Power Automate; as soon as it becomes more complicated, we build a real application.
How it works
We start with one workflow that takes most time now, we build it, and then we figure out what else can be automated.
Including
- Own tab or app in Microsoft Teams
- Impact and adaptive cards for applications and approvals
- Reports in Teams Channels from your own software
- Power Automate flows for simple workflows
- Automatically create channels, folders and appointments
- Roll out within your own Microsoft environment
For teams who don’t want another loose system, but want to keep their work in Teams.
SharePoint as Document Hub
Documents in one place, with a customer portal or application around it that shows exactly the right files.
What you get
Your employees work in SharePoint and OneDrive as they are used to. Customers, suppliers or outdoor service only see their own documents via a portal, without anyone having to email files around.
Examples
One customer portal with contracts and invoices from SharePoint. A project environment where the contractor uploads drawings that immediately land in the right project folder. A file app for the outdoor service.
Structure
We set up the folder structure, metadata and rights in SharePoint, so that the application can build on it and it also remains clear without the app.
Including
- Portal or app showing documents from SharePoint
- Rights per customer, project or department
- Uploads that automatically land in the right place
- Version management and history from SharePoint itself
- Search for metadata instead of folder names
- Works with existing SharePoint sites
For companies that already have documents in SharePoint, but they can’t share nicely with the outside world.
Development and management from one team.
Proven with proprietary software
Our product AdComPro connects to Microsoft 365 for calendars, users and documents. What works well there, we take to your application. You don’t need to rediscover what went wrong there.
Official Microsoft Cloud Partner
We know how to securely register an app in a Microsoft environment, what rights to ask and how to explain to the administrator. Often, we are that administrator.
Custom-built software
Where Power Automate is sufficient, we use it. Where it gets complicated, we build an application in Laravel and React that you can expand in five years. Code and data are yours.
In four steps from idea to app in your Microsoft environment.
- 01
Conversation
You tell what you’re doing now, where it wrings and which Microsoft parts you use. Can be online: plan a Teams meeting.
- 02
Design and permissions
We determine exactly what the app needs from Microsoft 365 and only apply for those rights. You get a fixed-price proposal for the first version.
- 03
Building and testing
First working version within weeks, tested in your own environment with real accounts and real documents.
- 04
Deployment and management
We’ll put the app live for your team and keep track of it. If Microsoft changes something that hits you, we’ll let you know.
Clear answers to frequently asked questions.
How much is an application for Microsoft 365?
A loose link, such as logging in to your Microsoft account or showing documents from SharePoint, is a matter of days. A complete application or Teams app is a process of a few weeks. You get a fixed price for the first version in advance. Request an estimate and you know it within one working day. See sample paths and build up your quote.Can employees sign in with their Microsoft account?
Yes. We link the application to Entra ID (the former Azure AD), so that everyone logs in to the account they already have. Multiple authentication and the password policy of your Microsoft environment automatically apply to the app.Power Apps or custom development?
For a simple form or short workflow, Power Automate or Power Apps can be the most efficient choice. In that case, we recommend that solution. Once real logic, many users or links to other systems are added, customization becomes faster, cheaper in maintenance and better expand.Does this work with our existing Microsoft 365 environment?
Yes. We register the application in your own Microsoft environment and only ask for the rights required. You see exactly what the app is allowed and can withdraw it at any time. Nothing needs to be moved.Where does the application run?
On a server that we manage, or in your own Microsoft environment (Azure). Depends on your data and management requirements. Both options are encrypted, with backups and monitoring.Do you also have to manage our Microsoft 365 environment?
No, that is separate from each other. We also build applications for companies that do the management themselves or with someone else. If we manage it, then the alignment is even shorter. Microsoft 365 management.Can you build a link in our existing software?
Yeah, even if we didn’t build that software. We start with a short technical check of what’s in it, and then build the link to Microsoft Graph in it. API integrations.Get more from Microsoft 365?
Tell which Microsoft parts you use and what you want to automate or link. You get a clear assessment within one working day.