Reduce Dynamics 365 Storage Costs with SharePoint Online Integration 

As organizations use Microsoft Dynamics 365, they may quickly encounter storage limits, particularly when managing large volumes of emails, attachments, and documents. Dynamics 365 offers 10GB of default storage, but for businesses with extensive datasets or long operational histories, additional space comes at a premium cost .To avoid costly additional charges for extra data storage, integrating SharePoint Online can be a game-changer .

In this blog, we’ll explore how leveraging SharePoint Online can help reduce storage charges while maintaining a cost-effective Dynamics 365 environment. 

How SharePoint Online Helps Reduce Storage Charges 

1. Offload Email Attachments to SharePoint: One of the main contributors to high storage usage in Dynamics 365 is email attachments. Large attachments can take up significant space, especially when email chains contain multiple files. By integrating SharePoint Online with Dynamics 365, you can store email attachments in SharePoint, which is much cheaper than Dynamics 365’s storage solution. The integration allows you to store these attachments in SharePoint while keeping the reference links accessible within Dynamics 365. This reduces the overall storage load on your Dynamics 365 environment.

2. Leveraging SharePoint for Document Management: Instead of storing documents and notes in Dynamics 365, organizations can utilize SharePoint’s document libraries for file storage. SharePoint is specifically designed for document management, allowing for version control, easy search, and better collaboration. Storing your documents in SharePoint keeps your Dynamics 365 environment clean and minimizes storage consumption, all while benefiting from SharePoint’s enhanced file management features.

3. Improve Storage Efficiency with SharePoint Integration: SharePoint integrates seamlessly with Dynamics 365, allowing your organization to maintain a smooth workflow while offloading files to a more affordable storage option. By configuring your system to store attachments, documents, and other files in SharePoint, you not only reduce the storage cost but also ensure that your team can quickly access relevant documents without navigating away from Dynamics 365. This integration ensures that your data is stored efficiently without sacrificing accessibility or functionality.

4. Minimize Unnecessary Data in Dynamics 365:In addition to storing attachments and documents, Dynamics 365 often accumulates excess data like system jobs and audit logs. These logs and system job records can consume a large portion of your data storage.  While SharePoint does not directly impact the management of these logs, focusing your document storage in SharePoint allows you to reduce the overall data stored in Dynamics 365. Regularly managing and removing outdated system jobs and audit logs can further optimize storage usage, preventing unnecessary consumption of resources in Dynamics 365.

Best Practices for Efficient SharePoint Integration 

• Regular Cleanup of Old Files: Ensure that you regularly archive or delete old documents from both SharePoint and Dynamics 365. This can be done through automated retention policies in SharePoint, which reduces the amount of unnecessary data over time.
• Use Metadata for File Organization: Take advantage of SharePoint’s metadata and tagging features. This will help you organize files based on categories like project name, department, or document type. This enhances searchability and ensures that your storage system remains efficient.
• Automate the Storage Process: Automate the movement of attachments from Dynamics 365 to SharePoint using workflows. This ensures that files are always stored in SharePoint without user intervention, maintaining a seamless and efficient process.

Conclusion 

SharePoint Online offers a cost-effective way to extend the storage capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365 by offloading large files, emails, and documents. With 1TB of free storage included in every Microsoft 365 subscription, businesses can avoid premium charges for additional Dynamics 365 storage.

Beyond storage savings, SharePoint enhances data security and compliance with features like version control, auditing, and permissions management. This integration not only reduces costs but also strengthens data governance and ensures sensitive information is secure and compliant.

Start integrating SharePoint Online with Dynamics 365 today with Codevision Technologies to optimize your storage, reduce costs, and unlock powerful document management capabilities!