Ten Key Steps to Better Securing Your Microsoft 365 Tenant

We’re all familiar with Microsoft 365 and how its collaboration tools can help boost productivity in your organization, but you may not be as aware of its wide variety of defense mechanisms. Microsoft 365’s security is top notch, but this doesn't mean you're invulnerable to cyberattacks. 

Data leakage, unauthorized access, and malware can still jeopardize your system and offer ideal entry points for hackers. If this happens, the consequences can be dire, ranging from operational disruptions to severe reputational damage. 

The only way to properly fend off hackers is to take your Microsoft 365 data protection to the next level. This post will outline ten key steps to better securing your data in Microsoft 365.

Step One: Enable and Enforce Multi-factor Authentication

Most Microsoft 365 users only utilize a username and password to protect their accounts. Unfortunately, many of those users don't follow robust password policies and often even use their Microsoft 365 password on other platforms or websites. If you’re one of those users, you’re exposing your organization to malicious actors. 

That's where multi-factor authentication (MFA) comes into play. 

Adding this extra level of protection is easy to implement and our team can help. MFA uses a one-time verification code or other factors to verify your identity. 

However, enabling MFA should only be your first step. The next one is to activate Security Defaults, a Microsoft feature that enforces MFA in each administrator account. Not only is it important on administrator accounts, it’s also important for all users in your organization.

Step Two: Utilize Session Timeouts

Many employees fail to log out of their accounts and only lock their mobile devices or computers, thinking this is enough to protect them. Unfortunately, this can still grant hackers unlimited access to accounts, enabling them to compromise your data. 

Implementing session timeouts on internal networks and accounts will automatically log users out after a certain time that they have been inactive. That means hackers can't take over their devices and access sensitive information while their systems are idle and unattended.

Step Three: Avoid Public Calendar Sharing

Calendar sharing enables your employees to synchronize and share schedules with colleagues. While this facilitates team collaboration, it can also give hackers insight into your operations and vulnerable users. 

For example, if your CEO is on vacation and this information is publicly available, attackers can utilize this information to launch a more sophisticated attack on your company.

Step Four: Deploy Third-Party Security Products

There are a whole host of robust solutions on the market for Microsoft 365 that can recognize and halt advanced threats — threats that can often easily bypass your antivirus and firewall defenses. 

These solutions can often notify you about intrusions, how severe they are, and what action was taken to stop them, regardless of the source. 

While Microsoft 365’s built-in security is great, third-party security products can take your organization’s Microsoft 365 security positioning to the next level.

Step Five: Leverage Dashboards and Alerting

Microsoft 365 uses a compliance center that can help you establish your policy notifications to meet your company's security needs. For example, they alert your employees and provide tips on sending sensitive information to a contact outside your network. 

These warnings can safeguard against data leaks while educating your team on safe data sharing methods.

Step Six: Employ Mobile Device Management

Your team often uses smartphones or personal devices to access work email, contacts, documents, and calendars, especially if they work in the field or from home. A top priority should be keeping your company’s data safe by making sure their devices are secure at all times. 

The best way to do so is to implement a mobile device management (MDM) solution. An MDM solution can let you manage your security policy, permissions, restrictions, and wipe crucial information from stolen or lost devices.

Step Seven: Utilize Role-Based Access

Access management is a convenient security feature that can limit the flow of private information across your business. It allows you to establish the users who can access data in your company. 

For instance, you can minimize data leaks by preventing certain team members from reading and editing high importance files.

Step Eight: Configure Logging

Unified audit log (UAL) includes logs from several Microsoft 365 services, such as Azure AD, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams. Giving your administrator access to this will allow them to monitor malicious activity and actions that are against your organization’s security protocols.

Step Nine: Implement Automated/Smart Email Encryption

Finding a tool that can automatically encrypt sensitive data is very important as well. Encrypting emails is often a regulatory or legal requirement, and if you’re not doing it, or if your current process involves having your team manually encrypt emails as needed, upgrading to a more automated solution is a must. 

This feature is essential for Microsoft 365 users who share emails and files regularly or who work with sensitive information.

Step Ten: Educate Your Team

The above measures are undoubtedly effective, but they may amount to nothing if you forget to educate your team on the proper protocols. In fact, human error is the leading cause of most data breaches.

One of the best ways to prevent security breaches in your business is to schedule employee security training and education, which can raise their awareness of potential threats and guide them on how to address them. 

This is especially important when recruiting new employees. Make sure they undergo in-depth security training before granting them access to sensitive data and organizational devices.

Don’t Overlook the Importance of Mitigating These Risks

Microsoft 365 offers a ton of intuitive and convenient tools. Don’t forget that even though the experience may be smooth, you still need to protect your data. 

Don’t take chances and simply hope that you won’t be the next target of a cyberattack. 

With that in mind, applying the defense mechanisms mentioned in this article will dramatically decrease security threats to your business. 

We can help you further ensure your security when using Microsoft 365 apps. Contact us for a 10-15-minute chat that’s obligation-free. Let’s discuss how you can keep cyber threats at bay.