By Kurt Mackie – Microsoft on Wednesday announced a new Crisis Communication App to help keep track of employees and their work status during emergencies.

The Crisis Communication App is characterized as a “template in Power Apps,” but organizations mostly will need to have a SharePoint Online subscription to use it. With the app, employees can report their work status, such as whether they are working from home or not. Administrators can use the app to send news and updates. It also has space for RSS-based news feeds, including “information from reputable sources such as WHO, CDC, or a local authority,” Microsoft’s announcement indicated.

Power Apps Licensing Exception
Power Apps, Microsoft’s ad hoc application-building solution for nonprofessional developers, is used with the Crisis Communication App to send push notifications to employees. Microsoft temporarily dropped a licensing requirement to use push notifications specifically for this app.

In particular, Microsoft temporarily waived a Premium Power Apps licensing requirement to use push notifications with the Crisis Communication App. Here’s how the announcement described it: Read On: