Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

In this article, we'll go over some common frequently asked questions that you may have as you deploy and work with our PowerPlay solutions.

What is Tokity PowerPlay?

PowerPlay is a set of Power Automate solutions that DeskDirector customers can use to automate or simplify many of the tasks that come with running an MSP. The solutions include managing leavers and joiners, assets, change and problem tracking, licensing reports, and automatically managing contact groups.

What solutions are available in PowerPlay?

PowerPlay offers the following solutions:

• HR Joiners Solution - Automates user onboarding
• HR Leavers Solution - Automates user offboarding
• Sync Entra Groups Solution - Automatically syncs DeskDirector contact groups with Entra groups
• Problem Management Solution - Tracks and actions problems within environments
• Change Management Solution - Manages change control within organisations
• Asset Management Solution - Provides asset management and tracking
• Sync Licensing Report Solution - Tracks licensing within customer tenants and provides scheduled reports

Who is PowerPlay designed for?

PowerPlay is designed for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) who use DeskDirector and want to automate various aspects of their operations within Power Automate environments.

Deployment & Setup

What's the difference between ALM and Self-Service deployment?

• ALM Deployment: Fully managed by DeskDirector with automatic updates and support. This limits flexibility but hands off all maintenance responsibility to DeskDirector.
• Self-Service Deployment: Provides greater flexibility to customise and edit automations, but the solution will not be managed or supported by DeskDirector after deployment.

What are the prerequisites for deploying PowerPlay?

You will need:

• Master Administrator privileges in your DeskDirector instance
• Global Administrator privileges in your Microsoft 365 tenant
• Power Platform CLI (pac) installed
• Microsoft Graph SDK installed locally
• Administrator permissions on your computer to run PowerShell scripts
• At least one Power Platform License (Power Apps Premium or Power Automate Premium)
• Microsoft Entra ID P2 or Microsoft Entra ID Governance license for admin users

What is a ServOrg and CustOrg?

• ServOrg (Service Provider Organisation): The Power Platform environment that lives within the service provider's (MSP's) Microsoft tenant. You typically only need one ServOrg.
• CustOrg (Customer Organisation): The Power Platform environment that lives within a client or customer's Microsoft 365 tenant. You can have multiple CustOrgs, one for each customer.

Do I need to deploy both ServOrg and CustOrg?

Yes. To use PowerPlay, you need to deploy one ServOrg in your own tenant and at least one CustOrg in each customer tenant that wants to use customer-facing PowerPlay solutions. If you want to use solutions for your own company, you'll need both a ServOrg and a CustOrg in your Microsoft tenant.

How long does deployment take?

The deployment process varies by solution, but typically includes:

• Initial provisioning request (immediate)
• Pre-deployment checks (15-30 minutes)
• ServOrg deployment (30-60 minutes)
• CustOrg deployment per customer (30-60 minutes)
• Post-deployment configuration (varies by solution, 1-3 hours)

Where should I save the deployment scripts?

Save the PowerShell deployment scripts to a location like C:\PowerPlay or C:\Users\<Your User>\PowerPlay. Avoid leaving them in your Downloads folder, as this can lead to conflicts with anti-virus programs.

Licensing & Requirements

What licenses do I need?

• At least one Power Platform License per tenant (Power Apps Premium or Power Automate Premium)
• Microsoft Entra ID P2 or Microsoft Entra ID Governance license for all admin users involved in deployment
• Standard Microsoft 365 licenses for end users

Do I need separate licenses for each customer?

Yes, each customer tenant that uses PowerPlay needs at least one Power Platform License (Power Apps Premium or Power Automate Premium).

Technical Questions

Why am I getting licensing errors when running deployment scripts?

This typically occurs because:

• You're missing a Power Apps Premium License in the tenant
• The Admin user doesn't have a Microsoft Entra ID P2 or Entra ID Governance license

We recommend that you verify that requirements are met before running the deployment scripts

Why am I seeing authentication failures during deployment?

Authentication warnings like "Authentication failed. Dataverse might not be ready yet" are usually expected. The scripts are designed to handle these automatically by re-attempting authentication or waiting longer for Dataverse to provision. If scripts crash completely, contact DeskDirector support.

Why can't I turn on Flows?

This is usually related to the order in which flows are enabled. Always enable child flows first before enabling parent flows. Child flows are typically named with "(Child)" in the title. Follow the order specified in the deployment guides.

Why am I getting 502 errors when trying to re-deploy?

This is usually caused by conflicts with previous solution deployments. If you've previously deployed a ServOrg or CustOrg, delete the previous environment before attempting to re-deploy.

Solution-Specific Questions

How does the HR Joiners solution work?

The HR Joiners solution automates user onboarding by providing a clean interface to create new user accounts in Entra, assign licenses, add to groups, and complete other onboarding tasks. It integrates with DeskDirector ticketing and can be customised for your specific onboarding workflow.

How does the HR Leavers solution work?

The HR Leavers solution automates user offboarding, including disabling accounts, removing from groups, handling shared mailboxes, and documenting the offboarding process. It includes SharePoint integration for storing offboarding documentation.

What does the Sync Entra Groups solution do?

This solution automatically keeps DeskDirector Contact Groups synchronised with Entra groups. You create groups in Entra for various contact groups in DeskDirector, and the solution automatically syncs users to these contact groups based on Entra group membership.

What is the Problem Management solution used for?

The Problem Management solution provides an out-of-the-box system for tracking and actioning problems within your or your clients' environments. It integrates with Microsoft Teams for collaboration and DeskDirector for ticket management.

What is the Change Management solution used for?

The Change Management solution provides a structured approach to managing change control, including change requests, risk assessments, CAB (Change Advisory Board) reviews, and implementation tracking. It integrates with SharePoint for documentation storage.

What does the Asset Management solution do?

The Asset Management solution provides comprehensive asset tracking and management capabilities, including asset tagging, location tracking, warranty management, purchase order tracking, and bulk asset imports via Excel templates.

How does the Sync Licensing Report work?

This solution tracks licensing within customer tenants and provides scheduled reports showing license usage, subscribed SKUs, and user license assignments. Reports can be automatically delivered via email on a set schedule.

Support & Troubleshooting

Where can I get help if I'm stuck?

Contact the DeskDirector support team through the DeskDirector Support Portal. For PowerPlay-specific issues, log a ticket under the appropriate PowerPlay category.

Can DeskDirector help with deployment?

Yes, if you choose ALM deployment, DeskDirector handles the deployment for you. For self-service deployments, detailed documentation is provided, but you're responsible for the deployment process.

What if I modify a self-service solution and it breaks?

DeskDirector cannot provide support for self-service solutions that have been modified outside of what is shown in the guides. If you need ongoing support and updates, consider using ALM deployment instead.

How do I update PowerPlay solutions?

• ALM deployments: Updates are automatically managed by DeskDirector
• Self-service deployments: You're responsible for managing updates, which may require re-importing solutions

Where can I find additional documentation?

Additional documentation is available at help.deskdirector.com. The following articles provide detailed information:

• Overview & Introduction
• ServOrg Provisioning & Deployment
• CustOrg Provisioning & Deployment
• Individual solution deployment guides

Best Practices

Should I start with ALM or Self-Service?

Start with ALM deployment if:

• You want hands-off maintenance and automatic updates
• You don't need extensive customisation
• You want ongoing support from DeskDirector

Choose Self-Service if:

• You need to customise workflows extensively
• You have in-house Power Automate expertise
• You're comfortable managing updates independently

How many customers should I pilot with first?

Start with a single customer tenant initially to test the deployment process before deploying to multiple customers. This allows you to identify and resolve any issues in a controlled environment.

What level of technical knowledge is required?

DeskDirector recommends at least a basic understanding of:

• Microsoft Power Platform
• Microsoft 365 and Azure Administration
• Basic IT administration
• Command Line Interface (CLI) usage

For the smoothest experience, have a member of your IT department either assist or conduct the deployment.

Getting Started

What's the first step to get started with PowerPlay?

1. Log a "I want to provision a Tokity Power Play Environment" ticket on the DeskDirector Support Portal
2. Complete pre-deployment checks (verify Power Platform CLI and Microsoft Graph access)
3. Deploy ServOrg to your tenant
4. Deploy CustOrg to customer tenants
5. Deploy specific solutions (HR Joiners, Asset Management, etc.)

Can I deploy multiple solutions at once?

It's recommended to deploy solutions one at a time to ensure proper configuration and testing. Once you're comfortable with the deployment process, you can deploy additional solutions.

What should my base name be?

The base name precedes all environment naming. For example, if you choose "Contoso" as your base name, your environments will be named "Contoso Tokity ServOrg" and "Contoso Tokity CustOrg". Choose a name that clearly identifies your organisation. It's recommended to use the same base name for both ServOrg and CustOrg to avoid confusion.

Integration & Compatibility

Does PowerPlay integrate with existing PSA tools?

PowerPlay is built on DeskDirector and integrates with your existing DeskDirector instance. DeskDirector itself can integrate with various PSA tools like ConnectWise, Autotask, and others.

Can I use PowerPlay with Microsoft Teams?

Yes, several solutions (Problem Management, Change Management, Asset Management) include Microsoft Teams integration for notifications and collaboration.

Does PowerPlay work with SharePoint?

Yes, solutions like HR Leavers, Change Management, and Asset Management use SharePoint for document storage and collaboration.

Can I use custom domains?

When providing your DeskDirector URL during setup, use the standard <yoursubdomain>.deskdirector.com format rather than custom domains.

Security & Permissions

Who can access PowerPlay solutions?

Access is controlled through Power Platform security roles. You can assign specific roles (like "HR Joiners Users" or "Problem Management Administrator") to users or groups in your organisation.

Is data stored securely?

PowerPlay solutions use Microsoft Dataverse for data storage, which provides enterprise-grade security. All data remains within your Microsoft tenant(s) and follows Microsoft's security and compliance standards.

Can I control which agents see which solutions?

Yes, you can assign security roles and share apps with specific users to control access at a granular level.