FAQs

What is Mesa Digital?

Mesa Digital is a Microsoft Power Platform consulting group based in Central Oklahoma. We help nonprofits and small businesses replace spreadsheets and manual processes with real apps, automations, and reporting tools built on the Microsoft 365 tools you already own. Our approach is enablement-first: we'd rather train your team to build and maintain solutions themselves, and step in to build it for you when that's the better fit.

What is Microsoft Power Platform?

Microsoft Power Platform is a set of tools built into Microsoft 365 that let you build real business applications and automations without writing code. Instead of buying a separate SaaS subscription for every problem or hiring a development firm to build something custom, you can build tailored solutions using tools you likely already own, connected directly to the data and systems you already use. It includes five core tools:

Power Apps - build custom business applications
Power Automate - automate manual tasks and workflows, like approvals and email notifications
Power Pages - create external-facing portals for customers, vendors, or partner organizations
Power BI - data reporting and visualization
Copilot Studio - build custom AI agents

What is low-code and why should my organization invest in it?

Low-code software enables application development using drag-and-drop elements from a graphical user interface rather than traditional text-based programming. Low-code is meant to democratize the task of software development.

Research shows that over 70% of businesses rely on low-code tools for digital transformation. The reason is simple: traditional custom software development is often an expensive over-engineered solution. Most business problems don't require bespoke code, which quickly becomes costly to build and difficult to maintain. Low-code tools allow organizations to deploy secure, tailored solutions faster and far more cost-effectively without taking on technical debt.

Why use Microsoft Power Platform?

Microsoft Power Platform is a mature, enterprise-grade, low-code suite that allows organizations to build custom software, automate processes, and analyze data natively inside their existing Microsoft ecosystem.

Why it’s a smart investment:

Zero Infrastructure Overhead: It lives directly in your Microsoft tenant, automatically inheriting your existing security and governance policies.

Built-in Licensing Value: If you already use Microsoft 365, base Power Apps and Power Automate licenses are often already included and remarkably generous for everyday operational needs.

Deep Non-Profit Savings: Qualified non-profits receive substantial discounts on premium licensing, maximizing ROI for cost-conscious organizations.

Faster Time-to-Value: Solve everyday operational problems in weeks rather than spending tens of thousands on custom bespoke code.

Some of the world's biggest companies, municipalities, and federal agencies use Microsoft Power Platform for mission-critical functions. If it meets their needs, it will probably meet yours too!

Why use Mesa Digital for a custom solution build?

Most software firms focus purely on custom development, creating complex systems that leave you dependent on expensive outside contractors for every minor tweak. At Mesa Digital, we take a technology enablement approach.

Here is why organizations choose us:

100% Power Platform Specialization: We don't try to be everything to everyone. We specialize exclusively in the Microsoft Power Platform, giving us deep, targeted expertise in canvas apps, automation, data architecture, and licensing optimization.

Enablement-First Philosophy: We don't just build solutions and hand over a key; Every engagement includes tailored training and documentation so your internal team understands how to support, adjust, and expand your tools independently.

Pragmatic, Low-Code Approach: We focus on solving operational bottlenecks quickly and cost-effectively, skipping unnecessary custom code in favor of scalable, native Microsoft features.

Dedicated to SMBs & Non-Profits: We understand lean budgets and operational constraints. We optimize your existing Microsoft licenses and leverage non-profit discounts to maximize every dollar you spend.

Microsoft Certified Expertise: We hold Microsoft Power Platform certifications and deliver training from an official well-architected framework. You can be fully confident that your team is learning industry best practices and building solutions the way Microsoft intended.

How are your prices for each service determined?

Prices are determined by the complexity of the solution blueprint we build together. More screens, tables, roles/permission, API integrations, etc. increase the components of the solution and therefore more build-time.

What if my needs don't fit one of your service packages?

Every organization is a little different, and our standard packages won't always be the right fit. In those cases, we'll estimate cost using an hourly rate of $150/hour based on the actual build time required, so if a package would cover more than you need, you're not paying for it.

What happens if my organization pays for a Solution Blueprint and we decide not to use Mesa Digital for our project?

The Solution Blueprint is technology-agnostic, so the solution design information we gather throughout the process stays valuable no matter which team ends up building it. It's really about mapping the current state, the future state, and why it's important to get there. The need for thorough solution design upfront is the same regardless of what tool you use or what platform you're on. Whether you use low-code technology or complex programming frameworks, it's still necessary to understand what's being changed and why. Only once that's clear can you identify the right tools for the job. We don't assume Power Platform is the answer at this stage, and if it isn't, we'll point you toward other firms better suited to your needs.

If you chose Mesa Digital for your solution implementation after you receive the Solution Blueprint, you take the entire price of the Blueprint service and apply it to the cost of implementation.

Does Mesa Digital offer any discounts or promotions?

Mesa Digital is offering a limited time Founding Partners Program discount of 50% Off first-engagements. Visit our Contact page to see how you can join.*

Mesa Digital offers a 20% discount to verified 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. Organizations must be searchable on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS) database or provide an official IRS Determination Letter / Group Exemption Ruling.*

*Discounts can't be combined.

How long does a typical Power Platform project take with Mesa Digital?

Most custom Power Apps and automated workflows take between 2 to 8 weeks from initial discovery to deployment depending on complexity. Because low-code eliminates the need to build underlying infrastructure from scratch, we can deliver functional prototypes in days rather than months.

What happens after our Power Platform solution goes live?

You are never left stranded with code you don't understand. Every project concludes with hands-on team training and full documentation so your staff can manage everyday operations independently. If you prefer ongoing support, we offer unlimited 30-day follow up to address edge cases and patch any bugs for standard builds, 60-days unlimited for premium, then hourly-billed support at $125 / hr thereafter. For focused services, Mesa Digital offers 2 free follow-ups post-launch to handle bugs or edge cases.

Optionally, you can enroll in our Ongoing Services which offers your choice of up to 16 hours of scheduled support. Mesa Digital also offers Rapid Response assistance for emergent needs.

Is custom software built on Power Platform secure for sensitive data?

Power Platform solutions inherit your Microsoft 365 tenant's security foundation - the same identity protection, access controls, and multi-factor authentication your organization already has in place, with no separate security layer to manage. Your data stays inside your existing Microsoft tenant rather than living in a third-party SaaS product elsewhere. Generally, the Power Platform offers the flexibility to build software that meets your organization's individual compliance obligations. Mesa Digital will work with your organization to determine your data compliance needs prior to build.

Are Power Apps accessible to those needing assistive technology?

Out-of-the-box controls provide the foundation, but true accessibility requires advanced configuration. We apply official Microsoft standards and UI/UX best practices to build fully accessible solutions for your team. From screen-reader tooltips and alternate text to high-contrast styling and intuitive tab order, we design every screen with user-experience in mind.

Can’t our internal IT team or a tech-savvy employee just build this themselves?

They certainly can and we encourage it! Many IT professionals and even citizen developers have gotten real value out of these low-code tools. In our experience, the Power Platform has a low skill floor, but a high skill ceiling meaning it's easy to jump in and start building, but much more difficult to build and maintain an enterprise-grade application in a well-governed environment. A basic CRUD app or single branch power automate flow can be created by practically anyone, but building comprehensive solutions that touch multiple systems, involve multiple teams, require custom integrations, and are easy to maintain without ballooning licensing costs can be quite challenging. Mesa Digital acts as an accelerator: we build the initial enterprise-grade foundation, establish best-practice governance, and train your internal team to maintain and build on it going forward.

Will Power Apps work with our existing software and database systems?

In most cases, yes. Microsoft Power Platform features hundreds of pre-built connectors that allow seamless integration with practically every M365 technology and many external technologies such as SQL Server, Salesforce, QuickBooks, PostgreSQL, even social media sites like X. If you use proprietary or legacy software, we can likely build custom APIs to connect your data streams directly into your new workflows and dashboards.

General Information on Connectors

List of Connectors published by Microsoft

Comprehensive list of Connectors

Will Power Platform play nice with Google products or AWS systems?

Power Platform connects natively to core Google Workspace tools (Gmail, Sheets, Docs, Calendar, Drive) at no extra licensing cost, and BigQuery data can feed directly into Power BI reporting and Dataverse dataflows. So, if your organization's data or collaboration tools live on Google, Power Platform can still serve as your front-end and automation layer.

AWS has more limited native coverage (basic S3 and SQS access), but remains a fully viable backend. We can build custom connectors to your AWS APIs (DynamoDB, Lambda, RDS, etc.) so Power Platform can read and write your data regardless of where it's hosted.

So even if M365 isn't your organization's primary cloud platform, Power Platform can still serve as a front-end for applications, automations, and data storytelling - pulling from Google Workspace, BigQuery, AWS, or wherever your data actually lives.

Who owns the applications and automated workflows Mesa Digital builds for us?

You do. 100%. Everything we build is constructed directly within your organization’s Microsoft tenant. You own all the intellectual property, source code, data, and user interface designs from day one. The solutions are built using your Power Platform Licenses in your Power Platform environments, so the solutions we build are yours from beginning to end. You are not bound to Mesa Digital beyond contractual obligations agreed upon upfront.

What are the licensing costs of using Power Platform Tools?

Licensing costs can be a concern when considering Power Platform adoption as some premium licenses can get expensive quick especially as you add more apps or users. Microsoft's licensing scheme for Power Platform is notoriously complicated, but within that complexity are opportunities to create a smart strategy to meet your own business or organization's unique needs. The good news is that Microsoft offers nonprofits extremely generous discounts on their premium licenses. Specifically, Microsoft offers up to ten internal premium Power Apps licenses to eligible non-profits for free. After the first ten, Power Apps premium licenses are heavily discounted to around $2.50 per user per month. Microsoft also discounts Premium Power Automate licenses to $3.75 per user per month as well as offering discounts on Power BI as well.

The thing to remember is premium licenses may not even be required for your solution. Not every automation or app will require premium features, and basic Power Apps and Power Automate licenses come standard in M365 user licenses which means many solutions will cost you nothing extra each month in licensing fees.

Mesa Digital can help you navigate your licensing strategy to maximize value. A licensing strategy is included in every solution blueprint we draft so you understand your monthly licensing obligation (if any) up front. We strive to minimize the use of premium features, so you don't pay for things you don't need.

*Mesa Digital receives compensation through the Microsoft CSP program based on the licenses our clients consume. This is a secondary revenue stream, not our primary business model — we use CSP mainly for unified billing and to help clients reduce costs, not to upsell our clients. Mesa Digital is only designated as your Microsoft CSP with your explicit consent, and you can revoke this designation at any time with no impact on our ability to provide you service.

To learn more about Microsoft's licensing discounts check their Microsoft for Nonprofits page.