We live in a truly revolutionary age, technology has become emersed into the very fabric of our daily lives, it is now so tightly woven that the thought of living without effective technology is an alien concept.
Modern tech has made it possible for organizations around the world to adopt an at least partially remote working team, the pandemic forced many into different ways of working and this new way of working allowed businesses of all sizes to continue trading, some even thrived throughout those uncertain times.
Unfortunately, with the advancements in technology that we have all enjoyed and the capabilities it allows, security threats have emerged that previously didn’t exist. Most organizations in the world have a range of different tools they use throughout the day to complete their job requirements; the problem is that most have no idea how to use them effectively or – even more worryingly – safely.
Microsoft 365 is one of the most famous tech names in the world – it is one of the most capable business subscription services on the planet. You would be hard pressed to find someone in the civilized world that hasn’t used these tools at some point in their life, and it is likely that you or members of your team use them daily to get the job done. It is essential that both you and your team as are secure as possible when navigating the service, but, how secure is Microsoft 365 really?
How Secure Is Microsoft 365?
Before we go into the security features of Microsoft 365, let’s take a very quick walk-through what Microsoft 365 actually is, for those that have somehow not heard of it.
There are over one million companies around the globe that rely on the capabilities of Microsoft 365, and Microsoft’s ‘Teams’ app has amassed an astonishing 250 million daily active users. Its popularity is plain to see, but what actually is it?
Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based suite designed to improve levels of productivity and security through their services. The suite offers practically everything a business could need to survive and thrive – it is due to this that many businesses in the world regard it as the very best business suite on the market today.
Microsoft 365 as platform – considering its sophistication and the extent of its possibilities – is very secure. Being a Multi-Billion Dollar company, Microsoft’s data centers are protected by top-of-the-line security infrastructure and processes that make them practically impossible to breach, not impossible, but practically impossible.
A particularly good selling point of Microsoft is the promise you get upon signing your subscription, they offer a financially backed 99.9% application uptime guarantee – meaning the platform is more or less always functional.
Microsoft take a step further to guarantee security, they offer a large range of capable security features such as access management, threat protection, information protection, and security and risk management.
The Security Features of Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 describe their security ethos as being based around four main pillars:
1. Identity and Access Management
Microsoft identity and access management (IAM) solutions puts your IT in the driving seat, it manages IT for you, guaranteeing top levels of security for your company’s applications, networks, and databases. Microsoft IAM makes it possible to be safe against suspicious login attempts, it protects user credentials with risk-based access controls, identity protection tools and authentication options.
IAM is the future of security, your IT administrator will only permit access to the extent at which your department needs it – this way you know that no one has access to things they shouldn’t or can see things that are permitted above their station.
2. Threat Protection
Microsoft threat protection can guarantee that your email, apps, devices – and crucially your data and identities – are safe with automated security solutions that keep them secure against some of the most popular of cyber threats.
Microsoft has a feature called and referred to as SIEM (Microsoft Azure Sentinel) – it stands for Security Information and Event Management. Microsoft Azure Sentinel can cleverly detect and prevent threats before they have a chance to cause damage. With the latest AI, Azure Sentinel makes it possible to respond to suspicious events before they become a problem, this ability to respond at the earliest opportunity gives you a far greater chance of surviving a cyber attack.
3. Information Protection
Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) helps you to distribute, organize, and protect your company’s sensitive information across the Cloud, apps, and endpoints. MIP solutions assist you in protecting your data and sensitive information whilst simultaneously distributing it in a manner that will help to prevent any data loss from causing too many problems in the workplace.
Microsoft Information Governance (MIG) helps you to guarantee compliance with data privacy regulations, this one is particularly important, cyber threats are on the rise, and we must be prepared. It does this by enabling you to efficiently manage information records – through retention or deletion – with automated policies and pre-built data connectors.
4. Security & Risk Management
Microsoft 365 security and risk management makes it possible to quickly identify and remediate risks from bad links or – more likely these days – in the eventuality of a mistake.
Microsoft Cloud App Security and Compliance Management
The four pillars are only a small part of Microsoft’s security first approach. They also have pillars centered around Microsoft Cloud app security and compliance, with the help they give you to safely migrate to Cloud computing, you can be sure that you don’t fall foul to your regulatory requirements.
In the following article we will explore the Microsoft Compliance Manager and some best practices that will enable you to run a safe efficient Microsoft environment. But, if you think you are going to need some help, contact us and book a security assessment. Let us complete a FREE network security assessment that identifies your company’s weak points, and recommends the proper hardware and software that addresses vulnerabilities and prevents future problems.
Ensuring a secure IT Landscape
We customize our services to meet your specific business needs. Whether you have a single location or multiple operations across the country or around the globe, Centarus will partner with you to implement the right IT solutions to help you reduce costs, streamline your processes and increase productivity. Our team of experts will ensure that you and your team are not only working in the most secure way possible on your IT environment, but also that you are prepared for a secure future too. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us.
