Incorporating Power Pages (formerly Power Apps Portals) into a Center of Excellence (CoE) strategy is essential for ensuring governance, standardization, and sustainable adoption across an organization. While Power Pages enables the creation of low-code websites, it must still align with enterprise-wide policies for compliance, scalability, and lifecycle management.
This guide outlines how Power Pages fits into a CoE model, its governance practices, lifecycle stages, and integration with existing tools and processes.
What is a Center of Excellence (CoE)?
A Center of Excellence (CoE) is a team or framework that defines standards, guidance, tooling, and support for Power Platform usage across an organization. Its primary focus is to:
- Establish governance
- Drive adoption
- Maintain quality and consistency
- Ensure security and compliance
Where Do Power Pages Fit in CoE?
Power Pages are a key external-facing component of the Power Platform. They allow interaction with external users, partners, and customers. In a CoE context, they must be managed carefully due to:
- Data exposure risks
- ALM complexities
- Licensing and cost considerations
- Web development lifecycle challenges
CoE Roles & Responsibilities for Power Pages
| CoE Function | Power Pages Focus |
|---|---|
| Governance | Domain management, security, data access |
| Architecture | Reusability, solution design patterns |
| Operations | ALM, telemetry, backups |
| Adoption & Enablement | Templates, training, mentorship |
| Compliance | Regulatory checks, DLP policies |
| Support | Triage, incident response |
Key CoE Activities for Power Pages
1. Environment Strategy
- Dedicated environments for Dev, Test, and Production
- Enforce Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies
- Separate internal and external portal scenarios
2. Provisioning & Deployment Governance
- Require CoE review for each new portal request
- Define naming conventions, ownership, lifecycle plans
- Automate provisioning using Power Platform Pipelines or DevOps tools
3. Security & Access Control
- Define identity strategy: Azure AD B2C, local authentication, External Identities
- Secure web roles and table permissions
- Regularly audit site permissions using CoE audit flows
4. Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
- Package portal in managed/unmanaged solutions
- Automate export/import with PAC CLI + PowerShell
- Use source control (e.g., Git) for web templates, snippets, etc.
5. Monitoring and Logging
- Enable Azure Application Insights for telemetry
- Use CoE dashboards to track:
- Portal usage
- Errors or performance issues
- Site page popularity
- Implement alerts for failed requests or slow pages
6. Compliance & Risk Management
- Scan for PII in page content and web forms
- Ensure GDPR compliance in data collection
- Use Data Loss Prevention connectors and endpoint monitoring
Tooling the CoE: Power Pages Specific Tools
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
Power Platform CLI (pac) | Portal export/import and configuration automation |
| PowerShell | Scripting deployments and backups |
| Azure Application Insights | Real-time telemetry and usage tracking |
| Power BI | Custom dashboards for usage, compliance, and inventory |
| SharePoint / Dataverse | CoE record keeping, inventory tracking |
| GitHub / Azure DevOps | Source control and CI/CD pipelines |
CoE Portal Inventory Template
A CoE should maintain a centralized Portal Inventory with details such as:
- Portal Name
- Environment
- Owner
- Authentication Method
- Purpose / Description
- Last Deployment Date
- Telemetry Enabled (Yes/No)
- ALM Pipeline Status
Can be tracked using Dataverse table, SharePoint list, or Power BI dashboard.
Developer & Maker Enablement
- Provide pre-built templates for common portal types
- Document design guidelines (themes, navigation, layout)
- Run training workshops on portal security and performance
- Offer a mentorship program for new portal makers
Metrics to Track in CoE
- Number of active portals
- Total external users registered
- Pages with highest traffic
- Average page load time
- Web roles with most permissions
- Failed login attempts
- Portal solution deployments/month
- Percentage of portals with Application Insights enabled
Lifecycle Management in CoE
| Phase | CoE Role |
|---|---|
| Idea | Evaluate request, assess risks |
| Design | Assist with architecture and security |
| Build | Enforce reuse, templates, security settings |
| Test | Review against performance & security standards |
| Deploy | Help manage solution imports |
| Maintain | Monitor logs, metrics, and user feedback |
| Retire | Archive content and decommission securely |
Licensing Considerations
The CoE should monitor:
- Capacity usage per portal
- External user license consumption
- Login/Session overage cost impact
- Use Power Platform Admin Center or Power BI dashboards to track