Outlook calendar synchronization

absentify’s Outlook calendar synchronization feature allows employee absences to be seamlessly integrated into Outlook calendars, simplifying absence management and enhancing team coordination across the Microsoft 365 environment. For full automation, this feature requires granting specific permissions to the absentify Calendars Permission Microsoft 365 Enterprise App (App ID: 3dbcb38b-8d2f-4e97-9bd1-975fb770b31c), which manages absence-related calendar entries.

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Benefits of granting calendar permissions

Granting the Calendars.ReadWrite permission to the absentify Calendars Permission app unlocks several key benefits:

• Automated calendar synchronization: Absences created in absentify are automatically reflected in users’ Outlook calendars, removing the need for manual entry and ensuring all team members stay up-to-date.
• Enhanced visibility across Microsoft 365: Team members can view each other’s availability directly in Outlook and Microsoft Teams, making it easier to coordinate schedules, plan meetings, and manage team resources. Absences are displayed with color-coded entries, helping users quickly identify availability.
• Shared calendar updates (starts at the Mini Plan level): With the Calendars.ReadWrite permission, absentify can also populate shared calendars with absences for specific teams, departments, or user groups. This means that team leads or department managers can view absences collectively in shared calendars, not only within the absentify app but directly within Outlook and other Microsoft 365 tools.

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Default functionality without granting permissions

If the Calendars.ReadWrite permission is not granted, absentify still offers basic calendar functionality:

• iCal email invitations: When an absence is created, users receive an iCal email invitation to add the absence to their Outlook calendar manually. Each employee must accept the invitation to reflect the absence in their personal calendar.

While this option allows users to keep track of their absences in Outlook, it lacks the automation and centralized visibility provided by granting permissions to the absentify Calendars Permission app.

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How absentify uses the calendar permission

To ensure transparency and trust, here’s how absentify uses the Calendars.ReadWrite permission in the absentify Calendars Permission app:

• Limited scope of access: This permission is used exclusively to create, update, or delete calendar entries related to absences. We do not read any other calendar data or events.
• Data storage: When an absence entry is created, we save only the ID of the Outlook calendar event after it has been created. This ID allows us to modify or delete the entry if necessary (e.g., if the absence is canceled or updated).
• No data extraction: absentify does not access or extract information from other calendar entries, ensuring that your users’ personal calendar data remains private and untouched.

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Security and data protection

Our commitment to data security includes the following measures:

• ISO 27001 certification: absentify is ISO 27001 certified, which demonstrates compliance with stringent international standards for information security management.
• Microsoft 365 App Certification: The absentify Calendars Permission app has achieved Microsoft 365 App Certification, confirming adherence to Microsoft’s strict security and compliance standards. This certification assures that absentify follows best practices in data handling and security.
• Secure key management in Azure Vault: The application secret used for calendar synchronization is securely stored in an Azure Key Vault in Northern Europe. Only the top manager at BrainCore Solutions GmbH (creator and owner of absentify) has access to this application secret; no developers or other team members can access it. There is no external copy of the key.

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Granting permissions to the absentify Calendars Permission app

To grant the required permissions to the absentify Calendars Permission app:

1. Open the consent URL: Click the following link to initiate the consent process:
   Grant Permissions
2. Sign in: Log in with your Microsoft 365 administrator credentials.
3. Review permissions: Carefully review the Calendars.ReadWrite permission requested by the absentify Calendars Permission app.
4. Consent: Click Accept to grant the permission.
5. Activate synchronization in absentify: After granting permissions, log in to absentify and navigate to Settings > Microsoft. Ensure you toggle the Enable Calendar Synchronization option to activate the feature. Without this step, synchronization will remain inactive.

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Revoking permissions

If you need to revoke the granted permissions:

1. Access Azure Active Directory: Log in to the Azure portal with your administrator account.
2. Navigate to Enterprise applications: In the left-hand menu, go to Azure Active Directory > Enterprise applications.
3. Select absentify Calendars Permission: Locate and select the absentify Calendars Permission app from the list.
4. Manage permissions: Under Permissions, review and revoke permissions as needed.

Granting the Calendars.ReadWrite permission to the absentify Calendars Permission app allows absentify to provide a seamless absence management experience, automating calendar updates across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including Outlook and Microsoft Teams, while maintaining high standards of security and privacy. With shared calendar updates, managers and team leads can see collective team availability directly within shared calendars, enhancing visibility and team coordination.

For further questions about data handling, security, or permission management, please reach out to our support team. We’re dedicated to maintaining transparency and ensuring that your organization’s data is secure.