How to improve Microsoft 365 (M365) Security

Many organisations rely heavily on #Microsoft365, often known as M365, as their primary set of tools for getting work done on a daily basis. Microsoft 365, which is a collection of programmes may be the most widely used office suite in the world, but it hides a dangerous truth: cybercriminals love to target it because they know they can gain access to your company's most sensitive data through its applications.

M365 has some built-in security protections, however it is not intended to provide full data protection. The responsibility for the security of an organization's deployment of Microsoft 365 rests with the organization itself, so it's crucial that the organisation understands how to setup and implement key security elements correctly. In highly regulated fields like finance, healthcare, and law, this is especially important to keep in mind.

The Importance of Realizing M365's Security Implications

The Current State of Security in M365 According to Statista, Microsoft 365 is used by over a million businesses around the world. This means a serious risk of information disclosure.

In the eyes of hackers and other cybercriminals, this opens up chances, which they are seizing with both hands. The results of McAfee's study were the same. Data governance and security are more crucial than ever as cloud-based collaboration tools like Microsoft's Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive have been widely adopted as a quick fix to get people working together remotely. Eighty-three percent of respondents to a recent survey by BeyondTrust and Forrester regarding the post-COVID age say the growing number of remote workers raises the likelihood of a security breach.

Windows administrators may feel they have a grasp on security because of their familiarity with Active Directory, Microsoft Office, and similar tools. In reality, this false sense of familiarity creates a hazardous sense of complacency. Spending any amount of time managing a company's tenant on Azure (where Microsoft Office and other cloud tools from Microsoft are located) will convince users that what they thought was familiar is actually unique. Learning about the relevant technologies and procedures is necessary for grasping the nuances and repercussions of the variances. All too often, people's private information and identities are at risk due to default sets and settings (from the likes of hackers).

For instance, #MicrosoftTeams enables team leaders to welcome outsiders into team meetings and channel-based collaboration. This appears to be harmless and might even prove useful. In contrast, many users are taken aback to learn that after an invited guest accepts the invitation, the invited user has full access to all SharePoint files and can even delete messages from the conversation thread. Microsoft acknowledges this issue and offers advice on how to limit the features accessible to visitors. The argument is that those accustomed to Microsoft software deployed locally will approach security in a different way.

Looking to bolster your M365 security? Here's an in-depth analysis of the current security landscape, along with many top tactics employed by the most secure enterprises today.

Methods for Increasing M365 Security and Protection

Identity and access management, workplace security, cloud and gateway security, and data protection are just some of the areas where Microsoft 365's built-in technologies excel. Here

are four specific tool sets that can be a component of your bigger security plan if your business uses Microsoft 365 and you're wanting to boost security.

Identity and Access Management

The security of your business could be severely compromised without proper IAM (Identity and Access Management) in place. A well-intentioned worker, for instance, might make a mistake that discloses their access credentials, or an angry ex-employee might deliberately wreak havoc on your crucial papers.

Microsoft, thankfully, is aware of the importance of taking precautions against dangers from within. That's why they provide a variety of options for security and access management.

• Multi-factor authentication: Windows Hello enables two-factor authentication at the device or Active Directory level, with users validating their identity with a smartphone and a biometric marker or a PIN. Additional sophisticated multi-factor authentication choices let you enhance identity verification and access control even further.
• Conditional Access: Access is granted subject to the following conditions: By using conditional access, you may restrict access to only the authorised people and devices, you can protect your company's most private information. This function employs cutting-edge smart techniques to compare information requests to risk profiles. Microsoft 365 can shut off an ex-employee as soon as they stop using a company-issued device, meaning you don't have to worry about a scorched-earth policy being implemented by accident.
• Protection of Identity: You can prevent bad actors from gaining access to your business's sensitive information by using M365's many solutions for proactive user identity management. In this regard, Azure ID Identity Protection is one example that keeps a constant eye out for any unusual account behaviour. With the Microsoft Cloud security app, you can get a bird's-eye view of the security of all your apps and data in one place, which is a big assist when it comes to data privacy.

Threat Protection

At first glance, it may appear that protecting against threats is straightforward: just install an antimalware programme, set up your firewalls, and make sure no one clicks on any suspicious links. Companies just can't rely on the straightforward safety precautions of yesterday in today's increasingly complicated digital ecosystem. M365 provides a wide variety of utilities to control the security of your entire network against any type of threat. Here are a few illustrations:

• With Azure Security Center, you can centralise your cloud workloads' security management and threat detection, as well as benefit from proactive monitoring and immediate resolution of any issues that may develop.
• Active Directory in Azure: Using adaptive machine learning, you can keep an eye out for and resolve issues that point to compromised identities using this identity and access solution.
• Safeguards Against Modern Threats: Whether it's a sophisticated external threat or a malevolent insider attack, M365 Advanced Threat Protection cloud-based solutions can assist your IT staff to recognise and investigate it.
• Office 365 Threat Intelligence: Located within the M365 dedicated security centre, Threat Intelligence monitors and gathers data from various sources, including user activity, verifications, emails, and device-level insights, to help you quickly identify and address any issues that impact your users or put your data at risk.

Information Protection

If you rely on Microsoft 365 to get work done, it's nearly certain that confidential company data will find its way into a Word or Excel file stored in the cloud. A breach in data security could result if you don't take precautions.

A large number of safeguards against data loss, modification, or illegal disclosure have been included into Microsoft products. This can include both commonplace services like data encryption that works both in transit and at rest, and specialised solutions that are only available through M365.

By using integrated content management, businesses may apply sophisticated tagging and capabilities to several data sets and programmes at once. Labelling information as it is created or modified according to its sensitivity levels allows for a more simplified method to applying policy-based security rules to secure data. The labels dictate the extent to which data is tracked, who has access to it, and when it is erased or retired, providing for more comprehensive controls over the whole information lifecycle.

Smart tools allow businesses not to rely only on individual judgement. You can find sensitive material that is subject to unclear or complex regulations with the help of content discovery technologies, and then you can safeguard it with the best security measures. M365 also protects data both while in transit and while stored using built-in encryption.

Security Management

M365 has a centralised and dedicated security hub that keeps tabs on the status of an organization's security across all its apps, data, and identities. Your security administrator may monitor user activity on devices, create alerts in the event of suspicious behaviour, and get a birds-eye perspective of the organization's security posture with the help of these technologies.

You may get immediate, actionable insights from the security hub's Secure Score dashboard, and their security solutions will help you find and fix any security holes in no time. In conclusion, software-defined management skills allow you to get rid of problems and implement solutions across the board by using policy-based management.

Final Thoughts

Productivity solutions like Microsoft 365 are becoming increasingly important as businesses transition to a digital-first environment. Don't lose sight of the fact that your most private information is passing through these cloud-based services, and that any carelessness on your part could allow a malicious actor to gain access to it.

Because of this, it's crucial for businesses to take every precaution in protecting their M365 installation. First and foremost, employ the built-in safeguards to keep out intruders, safeguard users' identities, and simplify data administration. Then, seek the advice of specialists from the outside. The piece of mind that comes from knowing that your company's most valuable data is being safeguarded is well worth the cost of enlisting the assistance of a third-party managed security services provider.

Your Microsoft 365 should have the most up-to-date security rules and controls implemented immediately. Talk to our security experts to provide the best security solutions to safeguard your apps and data!