While Microsoft Azure provides robust infrastructure-level protections, the shared responsibility model means that organizations remain accountable for securing their applications, data, identities, and access configurations within their Azure environment. This is where an Azure cloud security audit becomes essential, a critical process designed to identify vulnerabilities, ensure regulatory compliance, and maintain a strong security posture amid an evolving threat landscape.

Importance of a security audit: Why does it matter more than ever?

In today’s dynamic and complex cloud environments, cyber threats are becoming more advanced and persistent. Many organizations assume that Microsoft secures everything within Azure by default. This misconception leads to overlooked risks, including misconfigured resources, excessive permissions, outdated policies, and unencrypted sensitive data.

A comprehensive Azure security audit helps identify vulnerabilities across your cloud infrastructure. Without regular audits, these hidden risks can go unnoticed, increasing the likelihood of security breaches and compliance violations. Here’s why an Azure security audit is more important than ever:

Prevent costly data breaches

One of the most serious consequences of poor cloud security is a data breach. Weak access controls or improperly configured Azure storage accounts can expose sensitive customer, employee, or financial data. A breach can result in financial loss, legal complications, and erosion of customer trust.

Meet regulatory compliance requirements

Azure environments must comply with industry regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, and NIST. A lack of regular security assessments can result in non-compliance, leading to hefty fines and reputational damage. Security audits help validate your alignment with these standards and uncover gaps before regulators do.

Strengthen identity and access management

Unauthorized access resulting from compromised credentials or inadequate identity controls poses a significant security risk. Azure security audits assess your identity and access management setup, helping to enforce best practices such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access control (RBAC) to prevent privilege escalation and unauthorized activity.

Detect and prevent hidden cost exploits

Unsecured Azure environments can be exploited for illicit activities such as crypto mining, resulting in unexpected spikes in cloud usage costs. Regular audits help detect such activities early and reduce unnecessary expenditures.

Reduce operational downtime

Security incidents, whether caused by DDoS attacks, malware, or human error, can result in significant downtime. This affects business continuity and violates SLAs. Azure security audits help you strengthen incident response plans and improve overall system resilience.

Further readings: Best practices for setting up a cloud security compliance framework

What does a security audit cover? Your Azure Security Audit checklist

A comprehensive Azure security audit is a crucial process for assessing the security controls and configurations within your cloud environment. By regularly auditing your Azure setup, you can identify vulnerabilities, prevent security incidents, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. Below are the key areas typically covered in an Azure security audit checklist:

1: Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Identity and Access Management (IAM) ensures that only authorized users and applications have access to your Azure resources. A security audit of IAM focuses on reviewing user permissions, enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA), and securing access controls to minimize the risk of unauthorized access.

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Review access permissions to ensure users and apps have only the necessary privileges.

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Confirm that MFA is enforced for all accounts, especially administrative ones.

• Identity protection: Audit your Microsoft Entra ID (previously known as Azure Active Directory) settings for security and compliance with identity policies.

2: Network security

Network security safeguards your resources from unauthorized network access and attacks. This audit area focuses on reviewing network configurations, including virtual networks, firewalls, and VPNs, to ensure proper segmentation, isolation, and encryption of network traffic.

• Virtual networks and subnets: Evaluate the configuration of virtual networks to ensure proper segmentation and security.

• Network Security Groups (NSGs): Check for correct inbound and outbound traffic rules to restrict unauthorized access.

• Firewalls and VPNs: Ensure that Azure Firewall and VPN connections are set up securely to prevent unauthorized network traffic.

3: Data protection

Data protection involves securing sensitive information from unauthorized access or accidental exposure. This audit area focuses on assessing encryption practices, secure data storage, and ensuring that sensitive data is protected both in transit and at rest.

• Encryption protocols: Ensure data is encrypted both at rest and during transmission.

• Azure Key Vault: Verify that sensitive information, such as keys and certificates, is securely stored in Azure Key Vault.

• Data classification: Review data classification policies to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.

4: Compliance alignment

Azure environments must comply with various industry regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and NIST. A security audit assesses how well your Azure setup aligns with these standards, helping you identify gaps and minimize the risk of non-compliance penalties.

• Regulatory standards: Map your Azure configurations against regulatory requirements such as GDPR and HIPAA to identify compliance gaps.

• Compliance manager reports: Review compliance reports to ensure your resources align with legal and regulatory requirements.

5: Monitoring and logging

Continuous monitoring and logging are crucial for identifying potential security threats in real-time. This audit area ensures that proper monitoring tools, like Azure Security Center and Azure Sentinel, are in place to track security events, generate alerts, and maintain logs for future incident investigations.

• Azure Security Center: Ensure that continuous security monitoring is enabled to identify vulnerabilities in real-time.

• Azure Sentinel: Leverage Azure Sentinel for advanced threat detection and incident management.

• Audit logs: Confirm that audit logs are enabled and retained to support security investigations.

6: Configuration review

Ensuring your Azure resources are configured according to best practices and security policies is essential for reducing the attack surface. A configuration review audits the settings across resources, such as virtual machines and app services, to confirm compliance with security standards.

• Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates: Review ARM templates for security best practices when provisioning resources.

• App services security: Audit the security settings for app services to ensure secure coding practices are in place.

• Virtual Machines (VMs): Ensure proper configuration and patch management for VMs to protect against vulnerabilities.

How do you strengthen your organization’s Azure Security posture?

While Microsoft provides powerful tools, such as Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Azure Policy, to help secure your Azure environment, a robust security posture requires a strategic and layered approach. Some Azure security audit best practices that you can adopt to strengthen your organization’s security posture include:

• Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of identity verification, reducing the risk of compromised user accounts.

• Implementing Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) enforces the principle of least privilege, ensuring users have only the access necessary to perform their roles.

• Encrypting data both at rest and in transit protects sensitive information from interception or unauthorized access.

• Setting up virtual networks and firewall controls helps manage network traffic and protect cloud assets from external threats.

• Performing regular vulnerability scans and patch management helps identify and remediate security gaps before they can be exploited, thereby enhancing overall security.

• Utilizing continuous monitoring with Azure Defender and Azure Sentinel detects emerging threats, analyzes security incidents, and responds swiftly to security alerts.

• Engaging in third-party security audits helps you gain an unbiased assessment of your Azure security configurations and receive actionable recommendations.

Protect your cloud investments with Confiz’s Azure security expertise

At Confiz, we help enterprises gain complete visibility into their Azure cloud environment, minimize security risks, and close compliance gaps through our in-depth Azure Cloud Security Assessment. Our expert team conducts a thorough evaluation of your Azure configurations, identifies vulnerabilities, and provides clear, actionable steps to strengthen your security posture.

Our Azure Security Assessment offer includes:

• Comprehensive audit report detailing vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and compliance gaps

• Risk heatmap identifying high-priority security concerns

• An actionable remediation plan aligned with industry best practices

• Recommendations for strengthening compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and NIST

• Data encryption assessment (at rest and in transit)

• Network security review, including Virtual Networks and Firewalls

• Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing

• Continuous monitoring setup with Microsoft Defender for Cloud

• Audit readiness evaluation and compliance tracking

By partnering with Confiz, you can reduce the risk of data breaches, improve regulatory alignment, safeguard your brand reputation, and ensure business continuity.

Regular Azure security audits are not just a best practice; they’re essential. They empower your organization to identify threats early, enforce compliance, and build a resilient cloud environment. To learn more or request your assessment, contact us at marketing@confiz.com.

This transition goes beyond just adopting cloud platforms – organizations are reimagining IT architectures and operations to build foundations for next-generation solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Embracing a cloud mindset: The first step towards transformation

Successful digital transformation begins with more than just tools; it starts with a mindset. A cloud mindset means embracing change, fostering adaptability, and preparing teams to operate in more collaborative and connected ways. It often requires a leadership realignment to champion digital initiatives, reinforcing that successful cloud adoption impacts not just systems, but also people, culture, and strategic direction.

If you’re a business leader or key decision-maker in an organization still reliant on legacy systems, it’s time to view upgrading to Microsoft Dynamics 365 not just as a technical shift, but as a strategic move to drive innovation and long-term value

This blog explains why adopting a cloud mindset is critical for Dynamics 365 migration. We’ll also explore the key characteristics of a cloud-first organization and how this approach can drive greater value, innovation, and agility for your business.

Master the essentials: Best practices and mistakes to avoid during your Dynamics 365 migration

Moving to the cloud: Why cloud-first business applications matter?

Legacy systems can slow down innovation. Traditional business applications were designed to capture and report data, but often lacked the intelligence to help users work faster or make proactive decisions. At the same time, IT teams are frequently burdened with maintaining infrastructure, managing updates, and resolving technical issues, leaving little bandwidth for strategic initiatives.

In today’s hyper-competitive landscape, operational efficiency alone isn’t enough. Businesses need personalization, real-time insights, and agility to stay ahead. By leveraging data from various sources, such as social media, online behavior, and in-store activity, organizations can deliver tailored experiences and smarter recommendations that set them apart.

This is where cloud-based platforms like Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations offer a clear advantage, shifting the focus from infrastructure maintenance to continuous innovation and value creation. By reducing manual processes, eliminating infrastructure overhead, and enabling real-time updates, Dynamics 365 empowers businesses to work smarter. It helps create personalized customer experiences using data from online and offline sources, enhances productivity with AI-driven tools, and supports continuous agility through frequent enhancements.

Cloud-first success strategies for long-term value

A successful cloud transformation requires more than migration; it calls for a strategic framework that prioritizes agility, data intelligence, and continuous delivery. Below are key approaches that organizations can adopt to maximize value from their Microsoft Dynamics 365 investment and thrive in a cloud-first future.

1: Becoming a data-driven organization

Modern organizations thrive on actionable insights. But data alone isn’t enough; it must be clean, connected, and contextual. Dynamics 365 and modern AI-driven customer data platforms (CDPs), such as Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (a module of Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement), help unify data across systems, creating a single view of customers and operations.

To support this, businesses need a data strategy that defines how data is structured, stored, and used. This includes selecting the right data store (e.g., Dataverse vs. data lakes), ensuring governance, and designing for integration across the Microsoft ecosystem.

Being data-driven means leveraging real-time insights for faster, smarter decision-making. Dynamics 365 supports this with built-in AI, robust compliance tools, and seamless integration with Microsoft Power Platform and Azure.

2: Think platform, not just apps

Modernization isn’t about swapping one tool for another—it’s about building a future-ready foundation. A platform approach ensures better agility, reuse, and scalability. With Microsoft Dynamics 365, businesses can integrate legacy systems, third-party apps, and business processes into a unified ecosystem.

This approach simplifies data governance, accelerates innovation, and improves operational efficiency. Your platform should include clear integration patterns, security and compliance controls, and scalable architecture for future growth.

3: Embrace DevOps and automation

To deliver faster, error-free updates, businesses must adopt DevOps and automation. Tools like Azure DevOps streamline release cycles by integrating development, testing, and deployment. This cultural shift reduces silos and fosters shared accountability between IT and business teams.

Automation minimizes downtime, supports continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), and enhances reliability, critical in today’s fast-paced digital environment.

Transitioning with confidence: Migrating business applications from on-premises to the cloud

Having explored the strategies for building a cloud-first foundation, the next step is migration. Transitioning from legacy systems to the cloud isn’t just about technology; it’s about aligning people, processes, and platforms for long-term transformation.

Upgrading to Dynamics 365 can yield up to 106% ROI according to a recent Total Economic Impact study.

Read further: Discover the full ROI of migrating from AX to Dynamics 365 in the cloud

But to make the most of this transition, businesses must evaluate:

• Current system fit: Does your on-prem system still support your needs?
• Data readiness: Is your data model clean and optimized for the cloud?
• Security and compliance: Can your cloud platform meet regulatory standards?
• Data governance: Do you have clarity on data flow, transformation, and storage?
• Migration steps: Are compatibility and validation processes in place?
• Customization review: Are outdated customizations slowing you down?
• Integration updates: Will current integrations work in the cloud?
• Performance planning: Are you prepared for usability or latency shifts?

Begin your migration journey with confidence

Selecting the right cloud solution provider ensures a smooth and confident transition to the cloud. At Confiz, we help businesses seamlessly transition from Dynamics AX and other on-premise systems to Microsoft Dynamics 365. With deep experience in cloud architecture, data management, and ERP modernization, we ensure your Dynamics 365 migration is secure, scalable, and aligned with your long-term goals.

Ready to upgrade? Reach out to us at marketing@confiz.com  to explore our Dynamics 365 migration services and take the first step toward intelligent transformation.

Source: Microsoft

This change marks the end of a leniency period, during which customers could use more user licenses than they had officially purchased.

If your organization is non-compliant, you might experience service disruptions, penalties, or both. Additionally, you won’t be able to add new users without the required licenses, potentially impacting operations and limiting business continuity.

This change has huge implications for organizations relying on Dynamics 365 F&SCM to run financial operations, supply chains, procurement, inventory, etc.

Our blog serves as a comprehensive guide to help you understand the Microsoft D365 F&SCM license enforcement in 2025, prepare your organization for compliance, avoid non-compliance risks, and take steps to prevent unnecessary licensing costs.

What’s changing and when?

Until now, Microsoft has allowed customers to exceed their licensed user count in Dynamics 365 F&SCM. That will no longer be the case. Starting:

• April 30, 2025 – License usage reports available: Organizations will begin reviewing detailed license usage reports in Lifecycle Services (LCS) to identify users without valid licenses and prepare for upcoming enforcement.

• September 1, 2025 – Soft enforcement begins: Also known as a “soft block,” this phase introduces in-app warning banners for users without valid licenses, alerting them to the issue without restricting access.

• November 1, 2025 – Full enforcement starts: Referred to as a “hard block,” this phase will deny platform access to any users who are not properly licensed.

This includes all Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management apps (Finance, Supply Chain Management, Commerce, Project Operations, and HR).

Why does this licensing change matter?

The upcoming enforcement of D365 F&SCM licensing will have significant consequences for organizations that aren’t prepared. After November 1, 2025, any unlicensed user will be locked out of the system, jeopardizing access to critical business functions.

What are the penalties for non-compliance?

If an organization fails to comply with the license enforcement for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management (F&SCM), it could face several consequences:

1: Loss of access

• Starting November 1, 2025, unlicensed users will be blocked from accessing Dynamics 365 applications.
• This could disrupt financial operations, supply chain workflows, and other business processes.

2: Financial risks

• Organizations may need to purchase additional licenses to regain access.
• Some companies have had to buy thousands of extra licenses due to misconfigured security roles.

3: Compliance issues

• Microsoft may conduct audits to ensure proper licensing.
• Non-compliance could lead to unexpected costs or contractual penalties.

4: Operational disruptions

• Employees unable to access critical applications may experience delays in processing financial transactions, inventory management, and reporting.

• IT teams may need to reconfigure security roles to meet compliance requirements urgently.

This change isn’t just about compliance but protecting your operations, financial stability, and internal controls. Now is the time to assess, plan, and act.

Who should take action?

This upcoming enforcement will affect any organization using Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management, particularly those in:

• Manufacturing
• Distribution
• Retail
• Professional Services

If your business is approaching a Dynamics 365 license renewal or entering into an Enterprise Agreement (EA) negotiation, ensuring compliance is not optional – it’s critical.

Key stakeholders who need to get involved:

• CIOs and IT directors – for infrastructure readiness and license governance
• CFOs and finance leaders – to manage and forecast licensing costs accurately
• ERP admins and system owners – to ensure users are properly licensed and mapped to the right roles

What can you do?

To stay ahead of the enforcement deadline, organizations should take the following steps:

• Review security roles and license assignments to verify compliance and ensure all users have the correct permissions. Misconfigured roles can lead to unnecessary license costs.

• Use the Power Platform admin center to track available and assigned licenses. This will allow you to better visualize license usage and avoid last-minute disruptions.

• Optimize security role configurations to minimize unnecessary license requirements, ensuring that employees are assigned only the roles they truly need

How can Confiz help you prepare for the D365 F&SCM license enforcement 2025?

Still unsure where to begin? You’re not alone, and that’s where we come in. At Confiz, we partner with organizations to ensure they’re fully prepared for Microsoft’s upcoming licensing enforcement, minimizing disruption and risk. Here’s how we can support you:

1: Free license compliance assessment

We start with a no-cost, 60-minute consultation. Our certified Dynamics 365 consultants will review your current licensing landscape to:

• Identify unauthorized or misassigned users
• Detecting potential security role issues
• Highlight immediate red flags that may lead to non-compliance

This rapid assessment helps to uncover hidden risks that could result in access disruptions or unnecessary licensing costs.

2: In-depth audit and optimization plan

We go beyond a surface-level check. Our team performs a deep audit of your environment to match your current system usage with licensing requirements. This includes:

• Unlicensed user count – A detailed breakdown of users lacking valid licenses.
• Role optimization opportunities – Identifying over-permissioned or outdated roles that lead to misalignment.
• Estimated licensing needs – A tailored recommendation of the licenses you need, including opportunities to reduce costs with user type adjustments or reassignments.

You will receive a comprehensive report to help you make informed decisions.

3: Remediation and technical fixes

Once the audit is complete, we help you close compliance gaps by:

• Reconfiguring security roles to reflect only what users truly need
• Deactivating or removing inactive users who are unnecessarily consuming licenses
• Assigning correct licenses based on actual usage and access requirements
• Coordinating with Microsoft or your CSP for streamlined procurement or licensing adjustments

Our team ensures your technical and governance setup is airtight before enforcement begins.

4: Ongoing monitoring and support

Compliance isn’t a one-time task. We provide:

• Periodic license audits (quarterly or biannually) to detect new risks or usage changes
• Ongoing advisory support to help you adapt to future licensing changes
• Documentation and reporting support for EA/CSP renewals or internal audits

This ensures your organization remains secure, compliant, and cost-effective well beyond November 1, 2025.

Don’t wait until it’s too late!

The window to act is closing. October will be too late to prepare without stress, and by November 1, unlicensed users will be locked out, risking financial disruptions, delayed shipments, and compliance headaches.

Now is the ideal time to assess your current Dynamics 365 F&O SCM licensing setup, address compliance gaps, and prepare for long-term success. At Confiz, we offer a License Compliance Assessment to help you evaluate your current Dynamics 365 F&SCM licensing landscape and prepare for Microsoft’s upcoming enforcement policies.

Our experts will assess your license-to-role alignment, review your security role setup, and uncover potential areas for cost optimization, ensuring your organization remains compliant and efficient. Book your assessment today and take the first step toward smarter, more secure licensing.

We recently encountered a challenge while working on SharePoint file management. Using the CSOM library in .NET, we automated tasks like creating folders, retrieving files, and archiving data seamlessly.

In this blog, we will explain how to handle these scenarios effectively, use SharePoint file management, and share real-world examples to make your development journey smoother.

ClientContex in SharePoint

In SharePoint development, the ClientContext object establishes a connection between your application and the SharePoint site. It serves as the gateway for performing operations like loading data, executing queries, and accessing site resources (e.g., folders, files, and lists).

In our scenario, we created the ClientContext in another class and passed it to the methods.

Here is the code for this:

public static ClientContext ClientContext
{
get { return ConnectToSharepoint(siteUrl, username, password); }
}

public static Web Web
{
get { return ConnectToSharepoint(siteUrl, username, password).Web; }
}

public static ClientContext ConnectToSharepoint(string siteUrl, string username, string password)
{
try
{
ObjectCache cache = MemoryCache.Default;
if (cache.Contains(“sharepointService”))
{
// _log.Info(“Get CRM Service from Cache”);
_service = (ClientContext)cache.Get(“sharepointService”);
return _service;
}

    try
    {
        ClientContext clientContext = new ClientContext(siteUrl);
        clientContext.Credentials = new SharePointOnlineCredentials(username, password.ToSecureString());

        // Add to Cache
        CacheItemPolicy cacheItemPolicy = new CacheItemPolicy();
        cacheItemPolicy.AbsoluteExpiration = DateTime.Now.AddHours(1.0);

        cache.Add("sharepointService", clientContext, cacheItemPolicy);
        return clientContext;
    }
    catch (Exception ex) 
    {
        throw new Exception($"Unable to Connect to SharePoint. Please verify your configuration for SharePoint connection");
    }

    return null;
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    // Console.WriteLine("Error while connecting to CRM " + ex.Message);
    // Console.ReadKey();
    throw ex;
}

}

Creating folders in SharePoint

When it comes to file management in SharePoint and managing folders programmatically, the CSOM (Client-Side Object Model) in .NET proves to be a powerful tool.

Developers can handle hierarchical structures dynamically by designing a reusable method for folder creation. Here’s an approach we used, designed to create folders within SharePoint, ensuring each layer of the hierarchy is properly checked and developed.

Method overview

To streamline folder creation, we designed a method called CreateSharepointFolders. The goal was to:

• Take user inputs, such as the folder path, date, and facility details
• Dynamically create a folder structure based on the year, month, and additional subfolders

public static void CreateSharepointFolders(string FolderPath, DateTime FolderCreationDate, string FacilityCode, ClientContext clientContext, ITracingService tracingService)
{
try
{
tracingService.Trace(“Starting CreateSharepointFolders method”);
tracingService.Trace($”Parameters: FolderPath={FolderPath}, FolderCreationDate={FolderCreationDate}, FacilityCode={FacilityCode}”);

    string year = FolderCreationDate.Year.ToString();
    string month = FolderCreationDate.ToString("MMM");
    List<string> subFolderList = FacilityCode.Split(',').ToList();
    subFolderList.Add("Archive");
    string[] subFolderNames = subFolderList.ToArray();

    tracingService.Trace($"Year: {year}, Month: {month}");
    tracingService.Trace($"SubFolders to create: {string.Join(", ", subFolderNames)}");

    Web web = clientContext.Web;

    // Get root folder
    Folder rootFolder = web.GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl(FolderPath);
    clientContext.Load(rootFolder);
    clientContext.ExecuteQuery();
    tracingService.Trace("Root folder loaded successfully");

    if (rootFolder != null)
    {
        // Check if Year folder exists, if not, create it
        Folder yearFolder;
        try
        {
            yearFolder = web.GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl($"{FolderPath}/{year}");
            clientContext.Load(yearFolder);
            clientContext.ExecuteQuery();
            tracingService.Trace($"Year folder '{year}' already exists");
        }
        catch (ServerException)
        {
            // Folder does not exist, so create it
            tracingService.Trace($"Year folder '{year}' does not exist, creating it");
            yearFolder = rootFolder.Folders.Add(year);
            clientContext.Load(yearFolder);
            clientContext.ExecuteQuery();
            tracingService.Trace($"Year folder '{year}' created successfully");
        }

        // Create Month folder inside Year folder
        Folder monthFolder;
        try
        {
            monthFolder = web.GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl($"{FolderPath}/{year}/{month}");
            clientContext.Load(monthFolder);
            clientContext.ExecuteQuery();
            tracingService.Trace($"Month folder '{month}' already exists");
        }
        catch (ServerException)
        {
            // Folder does not exist, so create it
            tracingService.Trace($"Month folder '{month}' does not exist, creating it");
            monthFolder = yearFolder.Folders.Add(month);
            clientContext.Load(monthFolder);
            clientContext.ExecuteQuery();
            tracingService.Trace($"Month folder '{month}' created successfully");
        }

        // Create subfolders in the Month folder
        tracingService.Trace("Starting to create subfolders");
        foreach (string subFolderName in subFolderNames)
        {
            tracingService.Trace($"Creating subfolder: {subFolderName.Trim()}");
            Folder subFolder = monthFolder.Folders.Add(subFolderName.Trim());
            clientContext.Load(subFolder);
        }
        clientContext.ExecuteQuery(); // Execute all folder creations at once
        tracingService.Trace("All subfolders created successfully");
    }

    tracingService.Trace("CreateSharepointFolders method completed successfully");
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    tracingService.Trace($"Error in CreateSharepointFolders: {ex.Message}");
    tracingService.Trace($"Stack trace: {ex.StackTrace}");
    throw;
}

}

Retrieving Excel files from SharePoint

After successfully creating folders, the next step in SharePoint file management best practices is retrieving and processing stored files. We needed to retrieve Excel files from a structured folder path and read their contents into a DataTable for further processing.

Method overview

To retrieve and read Excel files, we implemented the RetrieveSharepointFiles method, which:

• Navigates through a given folder path in SharePoint
• Filters out Excel files (.xlsx, .xls)
• Reads the first sheet of each Excel file into a DataTable
• Returns a list of DataTable objects for further analysis

Here’s the method that fetches Excel files from a specific folder structure:

public List RetrieveSharepointFiles(string folderpath, DateTime Date, string facilityCode, ClientContext clientContext)
{
string folderPath = $”{folderpath}/{Date.Year.ToString()}/{Date.ToString(“MMM”)}/{facilityCode}”;
List listDataTable = new List();
Web web = clientContext.Web;

try
{
    clientContext.Load(web, w => w.ServerRelativeUrl);
    clientContext.ExecuteQuery();
    var SiteName = web.ServerRelativeUrl;

    // Get the folder containing the files
    Folder folder = web.GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl($"{SiteName}{folderPath}");
    clientContext.Load(folder);
    clientContext.ExecuteQuery();

    // Get all files inside the folder
    FileCollection files = folder.Files;
    clientContext.Load(files);
    clientContext.ExecuteQuery();

    List<string> excelFiles = new List<string>();
    foreach (File file in files)
    {
        if (file.Name.EndsWith(".xlsx") || file.Name.EndsWith(".xls"))
        {
            excelFiles.Add(file.Name);
        }
    }

    // If Excel files exist, read them
    if (excelFiles.Count > 0)
    {
        CRMHelper cRMHelper = new CRMHelper();

        foreach (string excelFile in excelFiles)
        {
            listDataTable.Add(cRMHelper.ReadExcelFile(clientContext, folderPath, excelFile, SiteName));
        }

        return listDataTable;
    }
    else
    {
        // "No Excel files found for the given year and month."
    }
}
catch (ServerException ex)
{
    // "Error accessing SharePoint folder: {ex.Message}"
}

return null;

}

Once the Excel files are retrieved, the next step is reading their contents into a DataTable. This allows for efficient data querying and manipulation.

Here’s the method that reads Excel files:

public DataTable ReadExcelFile(ClientContext clientContext, string folderPath, string _fileName, string SiteName)
{
string documentLibrary = folderPath;
string fileName = _fileName;
List columnHeader = new List();
Web web = clientContext.Web;

// Get the file from SharePoint
File file = web.GetFileByServerRelativeUrl($"{SiteName}{documentLibrary}/{fileName}");
clientContext.Load(file);
clientContext.ExecuteQuery();

ClientResult<Stream> streamResult = file.OpenBinaryStream();
clientContext.ExecuteQuery();

// Read the Excel file directly from the stream
using (Stream fileStream = streamResult.Value)
{
    if (fileStream != null)
    {
        using (var reader = ExcelReaderFactory.CreateReader(fileStream))
        {
            var excelConfig = new ExcelDataSetConfiguration
            {
                ConfigureDataTable = _ => new ExcelDataTableConfiguration
                {
                    UseHeaderRow = true
                }
            };

            DataSet result = reader.AsDataSet(excelConfig);
            DataTable sheet = result.Tables[0];
            return sheet;

            // foreach (DataColumn col in sheet.Columns)
            // {
            //     columnHeader.Add(col.ColumnName);
            // }
        }
    }
    else
    {
        // "Failed to open the file stream."
    }
}

return null;

}

Why use DataTable for Excel processing?

The DataTable class provides a structured way to work with tabular data in memory. It offers:

• Efficient Data Querying
• Sorting & Filtering
• Aggregation

Archiving Excel files in SharePoint

Efficient file management includes retrieving files and systematically archiving them. Archiving helps maintain an organized folder structure, ensuring that older files are moved to a designated location without cluttering active directories.

Here’s the method that archives files:

public void ArchiveExcelFile(ClientContext clientContext, string sourcePath, string destinationPath, DateTime date, string facilityCode)
{
string folderPath = $”{sourcePath}/{date.Year.ToString()}/{date.ToString(“MMM”)}/{facilityCode}”;
Web web = clientContext.Web;

clientContext.Load(web, w => w.ServerRelativeUrl);
clientContext.ExecuteQuery();
var siteName = web.ServerRelativeUrl;

// Get the folder containing the files
Folder folder = web.GetFolderByServerRelativeUrl($"{siteName}{folderPath}");
clientContext.Load(folder);
clientContext.ExecuteQuery();

// Get all files inside the folder
FileCollection files = folder.Files;
clientContext.Load(files);
clientContext.ExecuteQuery();

string destinationFolderUrl = $"{siteName}{destinationPath}/{date.Year.ToString()}/{date.ToString("MMM")}/Archive";

foreach (var file in files)
{
    string sourceFileUrl = file.ServerRelativeUrl; // Get the relative URL of the file
    string destinationFileUrl = $"{destinationFolderUrl}/{file.Name}";

    // Move the file
    File sourceFile = clientContext.Web.GetFileByServerRelativeUrl($"{siteName}{sourceFileUrl}");
    sourceFile.MoveTo(destinationFileUrl, MoveOperations.Overwrite);
    clientContext.ExecuteQuery();

    // tracingService.Trace($"File '{file.Name}' has been moved successfully.");
}

}

Conclusion

By implementing automated archiving, we simplify SharePoint file management, ensuring documents are stored in a structured, easily retrievable format. This efficient approach reduces manual effort and improves long-term data accessibility. Need help optimizing SharePoint for better file management? Contact us at marketing@confiz.com.

FastTrack is Microsoft’s flagship program designed to streamline and accelerate the adoption of Microsoft Cloud solutions like Microsoft 365, Azure, and Dynamics 365. The recognition stems from our strategic expansion into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where our growing presence is opening new avenues to support clients with enterprise-scale implementations. As a FastTrack Ready Partner, we are now uniquely guide organizations through seamless cloud transitions, accelerate deployment timelines, and ensure long-term success through strategic alignment with Microsoft’s ecosystem.

With this status, our clients will gain access to a robust range of benefits:

• Faster, smoother cloud migrations

Our clients benefit from streamlined cloud adoption, as we leverage FastTrack tools and support to minimize risk, reduce downtime, and simplify complex migrations.

• Direct access to Microsoft expertise

With direct connections to Microsoft engineers and technical teams, we offer our clients expert guidance on architecture, performance, and security – every step of the way.

• Cost-efficient deployments

Many FastTrack services are available at no extra cost to eligible clients, allowing us to deliver high-impact onboarding and migration support without added budget pressures.

• AI and automation integration

We help our clients embrace AI and automation across their Microsoft ecosystem, improving productivity, decision-making, and innovation readiness.

• Best practices, tailored to you

By aligning with Microsoft’s deployment frameworks and governance models, we ensure every solution we deliver is reliable, scalable, and built for long-term success.

• Support beyond go-live

Our partnership enables us to provide long-term strategic planning, helping clients continuously evolve and grow within the Microsoft cloud environment.

“Being recognized as a FastTrack Portfolio Partner within our second year of expanding into the Saudi market is a huge achievement. It reflects our commitment to excellence, as our Centers of Excellence collaborate closely with FastTrack to bring proactive architectural and product guidance to all our Dynamics 365 projects,” said Hashim Ali Zulfiqar, Managing Director EMEA, Confiz.

Ahsan Fayyaz, Senior VP of Professional Services at Confiz, added, “FastTrack for Dynamics 365 has been instrumental in accelerating our customers’ digital transformation journeys, offering expert guidance, best practices, and direct access to Microsoft’s engineering and SME teams. By integrating Success by Design principles and expert-led implementation support, we ensure seamless adoption and successful outcomes, empowering our customers to achieve their business goals confidently.”

Ahmad Youness, Director of Business Growth at Confiz – EMEA, emphasized, “Achieving FastTrack Partner status is a significant milestone for us. It enhances our ability to deliver accelerated cloud migrations, optimized deployments, and long-term value for our clients.”

As a FastTrack Ready Partner, we’re deepening our Microsoft ecosystem capabilities – empowering businesses to adopt, scale, and realize greater value from their cloud investments with speed and confidence. This partnership also strengthens our ability to deliver continuous support, ensuring that clients not only transition smoothly but also maximize success in their cloud investments.

As organizations continue to accelerate their digital transformation efforts, the partnership between Confiz and Databricks brings together deep implementation expertise and a unified data and AI platform. The result: faster insight delivery, reduced complexity, and smarter decision-making.

With its Databricks Consulting Partner status, Confiz gains access to:

• Foundational training and enablement to build internal capabilities and deliver informed guidance to clients;

• Industry best practices for architecture, governance, and optimization;

• Exclusive partner resources such as tech talks, podcasts, partner all-hands, and direct collaboration with Databricks experts;

• A platform for cloud modernization, enabling clients to move from legacy systems to scalable, AI-ready infrastructure.

“This partnership is especially significant for our clients in the Middle East,” said Hashim Ali, Managing Director – EMEA. “As regional organizations accelerate their digital journeys, Databricks’ unified data and AI platform empowers them to break data silos, enhance collaboration, and operationalize insights at scale. Confiz (through its trusted expertise) and Databricks (with its future-ready foundation) can help organizations turn complex data into a strategic advantage.”

Confiz is already supporting Databricks innovation across the Middle East, delivering tailored solutions that enable organizations to tap into the power of unified data, analytics, and AI to solve industry-specific challenges.

Syed Saqib Bukhari, Director of Professional Services, shared: “At Confiz, we’re deeply committed to making our customers’ data journey a success. Our partnership with Databricks marks a strategic step forward – enabling us to deliver advanced data and AI capabilities that help organizations drive innovation and insight at scale. Together, we’re empowering businesses to unify their data architecture and perform analytics with greater speed and efficiency. This is more than a technology alliance – it’s a shared commitment to delivering real, measurable outcomes.”

Backed by a growing pool of certified Databricks consultants, we are committed to deepening our technical expertise and expanding our global delivery network. We are actively investing in talent acquisition and enablement to meet the increasing demand for data engineering, machine learning, and AI-powered analytics solutions.

Ahsan Saleem, General Manager – Global SME, added, “Confiz’s global journey with Databricks has been marked by impactful success stories across industries. From the world’s largest retail and candy manufacturing companies to major retail operations in the GCC region, Databricks has consistently been our platform of choice. Whether it’s Mosaic AI, MLflow, or Unity Catalog, Databricks powers our data and AI acceleration efforts – enabling us to deliver scalable, intelligent solutions to our clients worldwide.”

This new chapter not only expands our data and AI service offerings but also reinforces its role as a trusted transformation partner – helping businesses turn information into impact.

At Confiz, we take pride in fostering a culture of compassion, where our people come together to make a meaningful impact. Ramadan was the perfect time to give back to society, reflecting our shared commitment to supporting those in need.

The Confiz Social Fund (CSF), an employee-led initiative, is driven by a dedicated committee including Ahsan Saleem (General Manager, Global SME), Noman Akhter (Associate Director, Professional Services), Adnan Rafique (Manager UX Design), Ahmed Iqbal (Senior Software Engineer), Ahmed Shahid (Principal Software Engineer), Mahnoor Imtiaz (Senior Process Audit Specialist), Abuzar Amin (Software Architect), Hira Nisar (Machine Learning Engineer) and Aneeq Anwar (Staff Software Engineer).

This Ramadan, CSF launched a company-wide campaign to spread kindness and support those in need by raising funds. From education and food aid to medical treatments, marriage expenses, shelter, and clean water, the initiative has made a tangible impact across multiple causes, reinforcing the spirit of generosity at Confiz.

Adnan Rafique, one of the earliest volunteers of CSF, expressed his gratitude, stating, “Confiz has always believed in creating an impact beyond business. The generosity of our people is what truly makes this initiative special.”

Since all funds are raised through employee donations, CSF operates with complete transparency. Every contribution is tracked and accounted for, ensuring that donors know exactly how and where their funds are being utilized. CSF reflects the growing culture of giving at Confiz, where a shared vision became reality – driven by collective generosity and shared resources to create meaningful social change.

Looking ahead, Confiz remains committed to expanding CSF’s reach, increasing employee participation, and launching new initiatives that create lasting impact. As we celebrate this incredible achievement, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed. The journey doesn’t end here – every act of kindness brings us closer to a brighter, more hopeful future.

Breaking biases: A conversation for change

The celebration began with an interactive session, “Breaking Biases,” bringing together both female and male colleagues for an open discussion about everyday biases females experience. The conversation focused on raising awareness, sharing experiences, and identifying actionable steps to create a more equitable work environment.

Engaging activities to drive awareness

To make the conversations more impactful, at Confiz, we designed three engaging activities that encouraged participation and reflection:

• Pass the bias – Participants passed around a ball, and whoever held it shared a personal experience of gender bias. The activity encouraged open dialogue, broadened perspectives, and fostered empathy between colleagues.

• Pop the bias – A symbolic dart and balloon activity where biases were written on balloons and participants popped them using darts. This group exercise served as a therapeutic and empowering way to visually break stereotypes and uplift each other.

• Suggestions box – An open forum for employees to submit ideas, recommendations, or policy suggestions to promote female empowerment at Confiz. All inputs were delivered directly to Affan Ijaz, VP Global People and Culture, ensuring that every voice was heard.

Financial empowerment for women

As part of our commitment to women’s empowerment, we invited JS Bank to conduct a Financial Empowerment Session tailored specifically for female employees. The session provided insights into banking services designed to support financial independence, equipping women with the tools to take charge of their financial future.

A sweet gesture of appreciation

To honor the incredible women at Confiz, we celebrated with a thoughtful gesture – each female employee received a special Women’s Day card and cookies as a token of appreciation for their contributions.

At Confiz, we believe that a bias for action is essential for success, making it a core part of our company values. We are dedicated to fostering an environment where individuals and teams take initiative with urgency, thoughtfulness, and a shared commitment to driving meaningful change. By providing women with the right opportunities, mentorship, and collaboration, we strive to create a lasting impact – ensuring inclusivity and progress in the journey toward equality.

To meet these demands, businesses must embrace cutting-edge technologies that minimize friction throughout the customer service lifecycle. A Customer Engagement Center (CEC) can be a game-changer, providing a unified platform that integrates customer interactions across multiple channels, offering a 360-degree view of customer history, and enabling personalized, AI-driven support.

In this blog, we’ll explore the significance of customer engagement centers and how Microsoft is leading the charge with AI-powered innovations – earning recognition as a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Centers.

What is a Customer Engagement Center (CEC)?

A Customer Engagement Center (CEC) is a software solution designed to enhance customer service and support by intelligently managing interactions across multiple touchpoints. These platforms proactively and reactively engage with customers – answering questions, resolving issues, and providing personalized recommendations.

A CEC typically includes:

• Case management & issue resolution – Tracks and manages customer inquiries efficiently.

• Omnichannel support – Unifies customer interactions across chat, email, social media, and phone.

• AI-driven assistance – Uses AI and automation to deliver faster, more accurate responses.

• Customer insights & analytics – Provides a comprehensive view of customer behaviors and preferences.

• Workflow automation – Reduces manual efforts, improving service efficiency.

By integrating these capabilities, a CEC helps organizations streamline operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and build long-term loyalty.

Why businesses need a modern Customer Engagement Center?

With increasing service complexities and customer expectations, traditional support models are no longer sufficient. A modern CEC empowers businesses to:

• Deliver faster support – Automate responses and prioritize urgent cases for quicker resolutions.

• Enhance personalization – Use AI to tailor responses based on customer history and preferences.

• Reduce service costs – Automate routine tasks and optimize agent workloads.

• Ensure consistency across channels – Maintain uniform service quality across chat, email, phone, and social media.

In a world where 86% of customers are willing to pay more for better customer experiences, a well-integrated CEC is no longer optional – it’s essential.

Microsoft: A leader in AI-powered Customer Engagement Center

Microsoft has been recognized as a ‘Leader’ in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Customer Engagement Centers, thanks to its AI-driven omnichannel capabilities, rapid innovation, and proven customer success with Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service, part of the Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement suite, leverages advanced AI, including Generative AI, to enhance automation for customers, agents, and administrators. With robust global and vertical market coverage, it meets the customer service needs of organizations of all sizes, including the largest enterprises. While it seamlessly integrates with Microsoft’s tech stack and Dynamics 365 business applications, it is also a powerful solution for organizations new to the ecosystem.

Recent enhancements with the integration of Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service, offering powerful AI-driven capabilities make it ideal for organizations that want to deliver richer customer self-service and assisted-service experiences. Furthermore, the introduction of Copilot Studio paves the way for autonomous AI agents and extends support for Copilot in non-Microsoft environments, reflecting Microsoft’s forward-looking approach to AI innovation.

AI-powered customer service: How Microsoft, the CRM leader, is enhancing efficiency and personalization

Customer service isn’t just about resolving issues – it’s about delivering fast, personalized, and seamless experiences across every interaction. Long-term customer loyalty depends on an organization’s ability to provide intelligent, efficient support at scale. That’s why AI-driven solutions are transforming customer service, enabling organizations to streamline processes, empower service teams, and strengthen customer relationships.

With Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service, organizations can elevate their service capabilities, leveraging AI-driven self-service, intelligent case management, and automated insights to drive efficiency and satisfaction.

AI in Action: How copilot enhances customer service

Since the introduction of Copilot into everyday business applications, its generative AI capabilities have empowered customer service teams to work smarter. Copilot acts as an AI-powered assistant, helping service reps onboard faster, resolve complex cases efficiently, and focus on high-value customer interactions rather than repetitive tasks.

• AI-driven productivity – Copilot in Dynamics 356 Customer Service assists in knowledge retrieval, case summarization, and email drafting, allowing service reps to spend more time engaging with customers.

• Faster resolutions – By analyzing millions of past interactions, Copilot provides real-time solution suggestions, reducing response times.

• Seamless automation – Routine tasks like case creation, updates, and follow-ups are automated, minimizing manual workload.

More insights: See how Copilot for Service is transforming contact center operations.

AI-fueled customer service just got smarter with AI Agents in Copilot

Building on Copilot’s success, Microsoft has introduced AI Agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio – empowering organizations to create AI-driven agents in Copilot Studio that can assist or operate independently to execute business processes.

These agents range from information retrieval assistants to fully autonomous AI workers capable of handling complex service operations.

• Customer intent agent – Continuously identifies new customer issues and updates self-service tools and support teams with solutions.

• Customer knowledge management agent – Extracts insights from case notes, transcripts, and summaries to update and generate new knowledge articles.

• Case management agent – Automates administrative tasks such as case creation, updates, and follow-ups, reducing service reps’ workload.

Further readings: How autonomous agents in Copilot Studio are fueling AI-first innovation

Take the next steps: Elevate customer service with AI-driven innovation

AI is revolutionizing customer interactions, making service operations more efficient, seamless, and customer-centric. With Copilot and AI Agents, businesses can enhance productivity, streamline processes, and deliver exceptional service experiences.

At Confiz, we specialize in implementing Dynamics 365 Customer Service, a key solution within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement. Our expertise in AI-driven automation, CRM rollouts, and customer service transformation enables organizations to optimize workflows, boost agent productivity, and drive measurable business outcomes

In addition, if you’re already using Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, our 4-Week Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot Implementation Program can seamlessly integrate AI into your service operations. Our structured, results-driven approach enhances efficiency, improves accuracy, and delivers long-term value – empowering your team to provide smarter, faster, and more personalized customer experiences.

Ready to take your customer service to the next level? Contact us at marketing@confiz.com to explore how AI can transform your customer engagement strategy.

Accelerating innovation: Key milestones at LEAP 2025

Continuing our journey towards enterprise transformation, we showcased our expertise at LEAP 2025 through:

• Forging strategic partnerships to drive AI adoption and enterprise transformation.
• Signing MoUs with leading organizations to accelerate digital innovation.
• Celebrating major go-lives, delivering tangible business impact.

A standout moment at the event was the introduction of Nawra, our AI-powered digital colleague. Nawra guided visitors through AI, Data, and Cloud innovations, showcasing how Generative AI can revolutionize retail, banking, quick commerce, hospitality, telecom, and fintech industries.

Leadership perspective

Hashim A. Zulfiqar, Managing Director EMEA; Ahsan Saleem, General Manager Global SME; Qaisar Iqbal, Vice President Industry Solutions; Ahmed Youness, Director of Business Growth EMEA; Umer Qadir, Director of Client Data Solutions Global SME; and Umair Khan, Director of Marketing, proudly represented Confiz at LEAP 2025. With enthusiasm, our leadership engaged with industry leaders, prospective clients, and esteemed partners from the Kingdom, strengthening relationships and exploring new opportunities for collaboration.

Speaking about Confiz’s impact at LEAP 2025, Hashim Zulfiqar, Managing Director, EMEA, emphasized the company’s role in driving the next wave of digital transformation:

“Saudi Arabia is at the forefront of a technological revolution, and LEAP 2025 provided the perfect stage to showcase how AI, data, and cloud innovations can redefine business landscapes. At Confiz, we are committed to empowering enterprises with AI-driven solutions that foster innovation, and drive scalability.”

Looking ahead

LEAP 2025 set the stage for groundbreaking advancements in AI and digital transformation by bringing together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and tech innovators. Confiz remains dedicated to helping enterprises build their digital core, leveraging AI-powered, data-driven solutions to drive long-term success.