Microsoft 365 and Security

Are you a current Microsoft 365 user? 

Are you a current Microsoft 365 Basic or Standard user? Or perhaps you’re starting to read more around Microsoft 365 Premium capabilities? We’ll answer some of your questions around Microsoft 365 Business Premium and its enhanced security features in this blog post.  

What is Microsoft 365 Business Premium? 

Microsoft 365 is made up of Windows 10, Office 365 and Enterprise Mobility and Security (EM + S). It's a powerful operating system and boasts an impressive array of productivity tools. It also has an advanced, intelligent security suite that gives a unified solution.  

Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a subscription service that lets you run your organization in the cloud while Microsoft takes care of the IT for you, managing devices, protecting against real-world threats, and providing your organization with the latest in business software. 

How is Business Premium different from Business Basic and Standard? Although it includes all the same apps and services, it offers advanced cyberthreat protection and mobile device management capabilities – hello EM+S! It is these intelligent tools that really set it apart. And, it’s for organisations with up to 300 employees.  

Is Microsoft 365 secure? 

Absolutely! Here are the main ways EM+S protects your business: 

• Protect against threats: Microsoft 365 Business Premium helps protect you against threats with advanced threat protection capabilities. These capabilities include safe attachments and safe links protection. 
• Secure business data: Your personal data is protected on personal devices with PIN access, and restricted copy and saving. You can also add information protection to make sure that only authorized people can access sensitive information. 
• Secure your devices: You can protect your work files on devices by restricting mobile access, such as copy and paste. You can also selectively wipe business data from enrolled mobile devices if they are lost or stolen. 
• Additional security features: Advanced features in Microsoft 365 Business Premium are available to help you protect your business against cyber-threats and safeguard sensitive information. The capabilities include Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention policies (DLP), Exchange Online archiving, Azure Information Protection, and Intune. 

Now that we’ve looked at the security credentials of Microsoft 365 Premium, let's turn our attention to the best practices to help keep your organisation secure.  

Microsoft Security Best Practice 

1. Multifactor Authentication (MFA): Setting up multifactor authentication is an easy and effective way to ramp up the security of your organization. MFA means using two or more ways of verifying your users when they log in to their Microsoft accounts. For example, their passwords, passcodes sent to their phones, fingerprints, etc. This prevents threat actors from gaining unauthorized access to your apps and data even if they know your password. 
2. Dedicated Admin Accounts: Admin accounts are a goldmine for cybercriminals since they include elevated privileges. You must ensure your admins have a separate user account for regular, non-administrative tasks and only use admin accounts when necessary. 
3. Office Message Encryption: There are several encryption capabilities within Microsoft 365, such as Office Message Encryption, that ensures the email messages shared and received within and outside your organization are encrypted. Other encryption capabilities include BitLocker and LTS connections that protect your files on Windows machines, OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online. 
4. Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Create and manage DLP policies in the Microsoft 365 Compliance center to stay compliant with industry regulations. Having a DLP policy will ensure your company’s sensitive information is not lost, mishandled or accessed by unauthorized users. 
5. Anti-Phishing Protection: Phishing emails are the delivery system of choice to compromise accounts and penetrate Microsoft 365 tenants through malicious links and attachments. Anti-phishing protection and Safe Attachment protection, both of which are a part of Microsoft Defender for Office 365, help protect your organization from phishing attacks and attachments and files containing malware, virus, etc. 

Ready to see how Microsoft 365 Business Premium can keep your business operations secure? Get in touch with our team: info@greymatter.com or call us on 01364 654100.