The strengths and weaknesses of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Azure have been well documented by now. One thing we tend to overlook though, is how well Dynamics 365 and Azure actually work together. When combined, these products help each other out and users can greatly benefit from this combination.

In this article, we will discuss the four main reasons why Microsoft Azure and Dynamics 365 form a great pair.

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MICROSOFT OFFICE 365. Microsoft Office 365 is a cloud-based version of all your Favourite Microsoft products i.e. Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, OneNote.Office 365 has the tools you need to work anytime, anywhere, on any device. It’s the same Office you’ve used for years, plus all the benefits of the cloud. Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement is part of the Office 365 collaboration and productivity tools. The Microsoft Office 365 portal provides a single sign-on experience for Office 365 customers where they can sign in once and access any Office 365 application, including Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement. In addition, system user accounts in.

Dynamics 365 and Azure: A quick set up

Being made by the same company provides a huge benefit, if not the biggest benefit. It’s seamless to set up together. Hosted on Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365 gives you integration that doesn’t require creating custom links between different applications, and no need to worry about maintaining an on-premise database because of the hybrid cloud.

By choosing to host Dynamics 365 on Azure, you reduce the cost of implementation and increase success with your software. As you know, ERP and CRM are costly, and they require time and work to implement.

In the cloud, you limit the time that your developer spends on configuring custom links to make all your applications work smoothly, and you reduce the cost of implementation. It’s easy to adapt to a complete solution created perfectly. In fact, hosting Dynamics 365 on Azure is a simple way to proceed, but don’t be fooled by the quick set up: this cloud also provides much value to your CRM and ERP.

Dynamics 365 and Azure: Built for each other

First and foremost, Dynamics 365 is built for Azure. That means Azure provides the perfect environment to deploy, manage, and build applications, and Dynamics 365 works seamlessly on this cloud. With Dynamics 365 on Azure, you can rely on a stable and cutting-edge technology that uses the full potential of your ERP and CRM. You get the power of Dynamics 365 and the reliability of Azure. What’s not to love

Azure offers an impressive hybrid cloud for enterprises of all sizes adopting to Dynamics 365 to avoid many changes by moving all the business to the cloud. With Azure, your Dynamics 365 can efficiently work with your database on-site, and the rest of your CRM and ERP on your cloud. When your Dynamics 365 hosts on Azure, you get all its benefits from security and encryption to machine learning and artificial intelligence. They are built to work together, and you get more from each tool by hosting Dynamics 365 on Azure.

Dynamics 365 and Azure: Get access control

Do you know about Azure’s access control features? We often hear how this makes our client’s day because with Azure they have better control over the protection of their data, reports, and overall activity on the ERP and CRM

Azure offers an access control feature that allows restriction of some elements of your cloud from being viewed or accessed by certain persons. On Dynamics 365, the Azure Active Directory assigns roles and makes sure everybody accesses only what they have permission to see. Not only will you safely store all Dynamics 365 information in the cloud, but Azure will help you manage its accessibility. That’s the kind of detail that makes all the difference when you want to demonstrate how the Azure cloud can ease your client’s lives

Dynamics 365 and Azure: The encryption options

When talking about trust, Microsoft Azure is a very interesting cloud because it’s well renowned for its encryption options and compliance coverage. Your clients are likely worried about the idea of putting their data in the cloud. Well, Azure can assure them with their competitive security offerings. With the FedRAMP High Authorization that covers 18 Azure services, more than 70 compliance coverings, and by committing to the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it’s the most trusted cloud. Even the U.S. Government says so

Office 365 Dynamics Crm

And since Dynamics 365 stores sensitive information, having encryption standards that suits your client’s industry requirements will ease their mind with the idea of the cloud. Azure makes it easier for them to manage, store, backup, and control the access to the data of Dynamics 365. Not all clouds can offer that.

Conclusion

As you can see for yourself, hosting Dynamics 365 on Azure is not a bad idea. In fact, it provides so much value to your clients that they can always rely on both tools to make their life simple, improve productivity, and create a successful business. These are only four reasons why Dynamics 365 and Azure are a perfect fit.

We still haven’t talked about backups, artificial intelligence, Power BI, and all the functions that both Azure and Dynamics 365 can combine to help companies stay ahead of competitors and avoid pitfalls. Azure is not just a cloud; it is a powerful tool that will allow your clients to do so much more with their CRM and ERP. It is why they should work with both Dynamics 365 and Azure: to be the best at what they do.

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HIPAA and the HITECH Act overview

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a US healthcare law that establishes requirements for the use, disclosure, and safeguarding of individually identifiable health information. It applies to covered entities, doctors' offices, hospitals, health insurers, and other healthcare companies, with access to patients' protected health information (PHI), as well as to business associates, such as cloud service and IT providers, that process PHI on their behalf. (Most covered entities do not carry out functions such as claims or data processing on their own; they rely on business associates to do so.)

The law regulates the use and dissemination of PHI in four general areas:

• Privacy, which covers patient confidentiality.
• Security, which deals with the protection of information, including physical, technological, and administrative safeguards.
• Identifiers, which are the types of information that cannot be released if collected for research purposes.
• Codes for electronic transmission of data in healthcare-related transactions, including eligibility and insurance claims and payments.

The scope of HIPAA was extended with the enactment of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. Together, HIPAA and HITECH Act rules include:

• The HIPAA Privacy Rule, which focuses on the right of individuals to control the use of their personal information, and covers the confidentiality of PHI, limiting its use and disclosure.
• The HIPAA Security Rule, which sets the standards for administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect electronic PHI from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure. It also includes such organizational requirements as Business Associate Agreements (BAAs).

The HITECH Breach Notification Final Rule, which requires giving notice to individuals and the government when a breach of unsecured PHI occurs.

Microsoft and HIPAA and the HITECH Act

HIPAA regulations require that covered entities and their business associates, in this case, Microsoft when it provides services, including cloud services, to covered entities, enter into contracts to ensure that those business associates will adequately protect PHI. These contracts, or BAAs, clarify and limit how the business associate can handle PHI, and set forth each party's adherence to the security and privacy provisions set forth in HIPAA and the HITECH Act. Once a BAA is in place, Microsoft customers (covered entities) can use its services to process and store PHI.

Currently there is no official certification for HIPAA or HITECH Act compliance. However, those Microsoft services covered under the BAA have undergone audits conducted by accredited independent auditors for the Microsoft ISO/IEC 27001 certification.

Microsoft enterprise cloud services are also covered by FedRAMP assessments. Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Azure Government received a Provisional Authority to Operate from the FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board; Microsoft Dynamics 365 U.S. Government received an Agency Authority to Operate from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, as did Microsoft Office 365 U.S. Government from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

To learn how the Microsoft Cloud helps customers support HIPAA and the HITECH requirements, visit Microsoft Customer Stories.

Microsoft in-scope cloud services

• Microsoft Cloud App Security
• Microsoft Healthcare Bot Service
• Microsoft Stream
• Microsoft Professional Services: Premier and On Premises for Azure, Dynamics 365, Intune, and for medium business and enterprise customers of Microsoft 365 for business
• Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) cloud service either as a standalone service or as included in an Office 365 or Dynamics 365 branded plan or suite
• Intune
• PowerApps cloud service either as a standalone service or as included in an Office 365 or Dynamics 365 branded plan or suite
• Power BI cloud service either as a standalone service or as included in an Office 365 or Dynamics 365 branded plan or suite
• Azure DevOps Services

Accelerate your deployment of HIPAA/HITRUST solutions on Azure

Get a head start on taking advantage of the benefits of the cloud for health data solutions with the Azure Security and Compliance Blueprint: HIPAA/HITRUST Health Data and AI. This blueprint provides tools and guidance to get you started building HIPAA/HITRUST solutions today.

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Frequently asked questions

Can my organization enter into a BAA with Microsoft?

Microsoft offers qualified companies or their suppliers a BAA that covers in-scope Microsoft services.

For Microsoft cloud services: The HIPAA Business Associate Agreement is available via the Online Services Terms by default to all customers who are covered entities or business associates under HIPAA. See 'Microsoft in-scope cloud services' on this webpage for the list of cloud services covered by this BAA.

For Microsoft Professional Services services: The HIPAA Business Associate Amendment is available for in-scope Microsoft Professional Services upon request to your Microsoft services representative.

Does having a BAA with Microsoft ensure my organization's compliance with HIPAA and the HITECH Act?

No. By offering a BAA, Microsoft helps support your HIPAA compliance, but using Microsoft services does not on its own achieve it. Your organization is responsible for ensuring that you have an adequate compliance program and internal processes in place, and that your particular use of Microsoft services aligns with HIPAA and the HITECH Act.

Can Microsoft modify my organization's BAA?

Microsoft cannot modify the HIPAA BAA, because Microsoft services are consistent for all customers and so must follow the same procedures for everyone. However, to create the BAA for Microsoft's HIPAA-regulated customers and its services, Microsoft collaborated with some of the leading US medical schools and their HIPAA privacy counsel, as well as other public- and private-sector HIPAA-covered entities.

How can I get copies of the auditor's reports?

The Service Trust Portal provides independently audited compliance reports. You can use the portal to request audit reports so that your auditors can compare Microsoft's cloud services results with your own legal and regulatory requirements.

How can I learn more about complying with HIPAA and the HITECH Act?

Office 365 Dynamics Crm Pricing

To assist customers with this task, Microsoft has published these guides:

• HIPAA/HITECH Act implementation guidance for Azure and for Dynamics 365 and Office 365. Written for privacy, security, and compliance officers and others responsible for HIPAA and HITECH Act implementation, they describe concrete steps your organization can take to maintain compliance.
• Practical guide to designing secure health solutions using Microsoft Azure helps you better understand what it takes to successfully adopt a cloud service in a secure manner.
• Addressing HIPAA security and privacy requirements in the Microsoft Cloud offers a brief overview of regulation requirements. It also provides a detailed analysis of how Microsoft's cloud services were built with methodologies that map to those requirements, and guidance on how to build compliance-ready solutions.

Office 365 Dynamics Crm

Use Microsoft Compliance Manager to assess your risk

Microsoft Compliance Manager is a feature in the Microsoft 365 compliance center to help you understand your organization's compliance posture and take actions to help reduce risks. Compliance Manager offers a premium template for building an assessment for this regulation. Find the template in the assessment templates page in Compliance Manager. Learn how to build assessments in Compliance Manager.

Resources

Microsoft Office 365 Dynamics

• HIPAA Omnibus Rule (The final regulations-modifying HIPAA rules)
• Understanding HIPAA Compliance with Azure(May 19, 2016)