Overview, Microsoft Features, Product Features, Architecture diagram, and Pre-requisites list
Table of Contents
2. Microsoft Technology Features
Overview
edison365ideas is a SaaS solution hosted by edison365 in Microsoft’s Azure platform using Azure PaaS but deployed to the customer’s Office 365 and Azure instances with all data stored in the customer’s environment. The application is built in house and maintained by the edison365 team.
The application has been designed to be both easy to use and fully functional with the user interface providing a modern and engaging experience that maximises user adoption. Challenges and ideas are displayed using a card interface with key information visible to users. The application provides features such as ratings, triage and gamification and is configurable to customers specific requirements. edison365ideas provides options for discussion capabilities using Yammer (now Viva Engage) and Microsoft Teams for deep collaboration.
The interface is responsive, cross browser and touch enabled for all devices.
Microsoft Technology Features
- Built on top of Microsoft office365
- SaaS based product hosted by edison365 in Azure with data stored in customers tenant
- Deployed to customers SharePoint Online Classic Publishing Portal Site Collection
- Discussions using Yammer (now Viva Engage)
- Deep collaboration with Microsoft Teams integration
- Gamification statistics in customers Microsoft Azure SQL database
- User profiles provide by Microsoft Delve
- Exchange integration for notifications
- Project Online integration for advanced project management
Product Features
- Intuitive and engaging UI
- Configured via an intuitive UI
- Strategic drivers
- Challenges
- Ideas
- Idea ratings
- Idea triage
- Idea boards
- Gamification
- Leaderboards
- Votes/coins
- Reward exchange
- Search
Architecture Overview
Pre-requisite Requirements
- SharePoint Online Modern Teams or Publishing Portal site collection
- User account with access to SharePoint Tenant App Catalogue & Site Collection Administrator access.
- Modern Teams Sites Only - Language upon creation set to 'English' - this will not impact the end user experience.
- Ensure that custom app authentication is enabled on the SharePoint Online tenant, to enable it run the following SharePoint PowerShell command:
- set-spotenant -DisableCustomAppAuthentication $false
- Details on the set-SpoTenant cmdlets here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/sharepoint-online/set-spotenant?view=sharepoint-ps
- Azure SQL Database – only required for the Gamification preview
- It is recommended to start with an S1 tier on the DTU purchase model and monitor the usage / performance and scale up to a higher standard tier if required. Please consider:
- We recommend restricting the IPs and whitelisting the application IPs, please find these here.
- Alternatively it is possible to enabling the 'Allow Access to Azure Services' option within the Azure SQL firewall.
- Auditing and Threat detection: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security-center/security-center-enable-auditing-on-sql-servers
- Monitor the SQL performance recommendations and send support@edison365.com the details on a monthly basis (preferred): https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-advisor-portal or turn on Automatic Tuning: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/Azure/sql-database/sql-database-automatic-tuning-enable
- We recommend restricting the IPs and whitelisting the application IPs, please find these here.
- It is recommended to start with an S1 tier on the DTU purchase model and monitor the usage / performance and scale up to a higher standard tier if required. Please consider:
- Service Account – only required for the enhanced security mode*.
The account is used in edison365ideas to query the SharePoint Search API when a user accesses a page that uses SharePoint Search to fetch the data- Requires a SharePoint Online license with the ability to log into SharePoint in Office365
- If MFA is required on accounts, App password is needed
- Ideally non-expiring password, otherwise you will need to update the password in edison365ideas when updated.
- Added as edison365ideas Admin user
* The enhanced security mode is a feature that can be used if there are secure challenges internally.