Replicating Dynamics 365 Permissions to SharePoint: The Liebherr Case Study

I. Executive Summary

This case study explores how Liebherr, Europe’s largest privately owned manufacturer of refrigerators and freezers for residential and commercial use, improved access control to their Dynamics 365 / SharePoint documents through the implementation of Connecting Software solutions.

II. Background and Context

Company Overview: Liebherr-Hausgeräte Ochsenhausen GmbH is a manufacturer of refrigerators and freezers. As the name suggests, it is headquartered in Ochsenhausen, Germany. Its production facility has approximately 2,000 employees. The company is a subsidiary of the Liebherr Group, a multinational conglomerate founded in 1949 with over 48,000 employees worldwide.

Tech stack: In their IT environment, Liebherr-Hausgeräte leverages an integrated Microsoft Dynamics and SharePoint solution. Dynamics 365 handles the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) needs of several hundred users, while Microsoft SharePoint serves as the Document Management system for some of those CRM users and external people.

Initial Challenges: Using the integration that Microsoft provides to connect Dynamics 365 with SharePoint, all documents within Dynamics 365 become visible in SharePoint. This offers advantages in document collaboration and version control. However, the existing permission scheme in Dynamics 365 isn’t reflected on the SharePoint side. This disconnect allows someone without permissions in Dynamics 365 to still access documents through SharePoint. Recognizing this as a security concern, the Liebherr-Hausgeräte IT team sought a solution to improve permission management across their integrated Dynamics and SharePoint environments.

III. Objectives

Project Goals: Liebherr set clear objectives for resolving their document permissions issues. They aimed to:

• Enhance overall document security by ensuring that only authorized individuals can access sensitive information.
• Restrict document access so that users only access documents in SharePoint that they have permissions for in Dynamics 365.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• No unauthorized document access incidents in any department.
• No change in user access workflows or efficiency.

IV. Solution

Solution Description: Connecting Software provided a comprehensive solution that covered more than what was originally planned. Initially, the focus was on CB Dynamics 365 to SharePoint Permissions Replicator, but they then added SharePoint Structure Creator to ensure an optimal organization of SharePoint documents while also avoiding reaching the Unique Permissions limit.

Timeline: The project was completed in just four months.

V. Results and Benefits

Outcomes: The implementation of Connecting Software’s solutions led to several key benefits for Liebherr:

• Enhanced Security: The seamless replication of Dynamics 365 permissions to SharePoint ensured that only authorized personnel could access documents.
• Improved Compliance: The improved permission management system helped Liebherr maintain compliance with internal policies and external regulations.
• Efficient Document Management: The addition of SharePoint Structure Creator optimized document organization, preventing potential access issues and ensuring the unique permissions limit is not reached.
• Positive User Experience: Users experienced no disruptions to their workflows, maintaining efficiency while benefiting from increased document security.

 

“Great tool to automate the replication between SharePoint and D365. It was the best solution, does exactly what we needed. You only see the SharePoint locations that you have access to in D365.”

Daniel Maier – CRM Application Officer -Liebherr-Hausgeräte Ochsenhausen GmbH

Conclusion: By implementing CB Dynamics 365 to SharePoint Permissions Replicator and SharePoint Structure Creator, Liebherr has effectively addressed its initial challenges and achieved its project goals.

VI. Learn More

To learn more about how Connecting Software can help your organization improve document access control and management, explore detailed information about the CB Dynamics 365 to SharePoint Permissions Replicator and SharePoint Structure Creator. For a comprehensive understanding of Liebherr’s success story, you can also download the full case study in PDF format.

 

By Ana Neto

 

 

Software engineer since 1997, she is now a technical advisor for Connecting Software.

Connecting Software is a producer of integration and synchronization software solutions since 2004. We operate globally and we are also a proud “Top Member” and “Top Blogger” at CRMSoftwareBlog.

 

References and Resources

CRM Software Blog – Guide | Dynamics 365 Document Management

YouTube – Mastering Document Management: Integrating SharePoint with Dynamics 365

Connecting Software blog – Mastering SharePoint Unique Permissions for Admins

CRM Software Blog – Using a SharePoint Integration? Be Aware of the SharePoint Document Library Limits

Connecting Software blog – Top 5 SharePoint Document Management Best Practices

Connecting Software blog – Dynamics 365 Success Stories

 

The post Replicating Dynamics 365 Permissions to SharePoint: The Liebherr Case Study appeared first on CRM Software Blog | Dynamics 365.