Microsoft adds new DLP controls for Power Platform connectors

The Microsoft Power Platform relies on its ecosystem of pre-built and custom connectors to make the broadest range of systems and data accessible to apps and flows. But far too often, the promise of a new connector can collide with the grim reality of an organization’s DLP, or data loss prevention, policies.

DLP serves a critical purpose, ensuring that organizations control against the exposure of sensitive data about customers, employees, financials, and other sensitive and restricted areas. And until now, DLP concerns related to data used by Power Apps or Power Automate flows have been handled in most cases by disallowing apps or connectors that had the potential to pose a risk. Such a model works but lacks nuance or granularity and can lead to restricting the Power Platform in a range of useful cases.

Now Microsoft has released two capabilities, SLP connector action control and SLP for custom connectors, that they believe will improve the use of connectors and the data they supply while giving administrators the ability to protect against improper usage. The new advanced capabilities, “will provide administrators with a level of control that is unmatched in the industry,” wrote Mik Ferland, senior program manager for Power Platform in a recent blog post.

DLP connector action control enables admins to easily allow or block specific connector actions for each connector. Examples include blocking the Delete row (V2) action for the SQL Server connector or blocking the usage of Twitter in one department while enabling read-only usage of the connector in another department.