Microsoft 365 Security
With a cloud-based suite of software, collaboration and data sharing are simple. However, protecting your business from security concerns can be difficult with limited resources.
An organization’s fear of losing security when moving to the cloud has become even more prominent in light of GDPR. Organizations are worried that they may not protect users’ data adequately, resulting in heavy penalties under the new regulations.
Many organizations feel a move to the cloud means compromising on safety for increased flexibility and worry this would make them vulnerable to attack.
Luckily, that’s not the case. Microsoft’s Office 365 platform offers a host of new features to help protect users and organizations from cybersecurity threats. The best part is that organizations can customize this cloud solution for their unique needs and discover the perfect fit with Microsoft’s tools.
Rea & Associates is dedicated to helping you find the best cloud solution for your unique needs through our services, resources, and expertise. We have made this easy by providing security tools and Microsoft 365 security services to help businesses in Northeastern Ohio harden Microsoft 365 environments.
With Microsoft 365 penetration testing services and Microsoft 365 security awareness training, Rea & Associates can ensure you have the right Microsoft 365 security solutions in place.
Microsoft 365 Security Concerns
Microsoft ensures cloud security with its rigorous protocols and secure access during server migration. However, users must still take responsibility for configuring and managing this data to ensure no leakage or theft. Security concerns include:
Permission and Privilege Abuse
When users are assigned more permissions than necessary, they can accidentally or deliberately expose sensitive data. Excessive rights make it easier for hackers to take over user accounts and access unnecessary information.
Microsoft 365’s lack of granular control makes this all too easy; restricting permissions by business unit or country could help mitigate the risk of a breach while simplifying management tasks like resetting passwords.
External File Sharing
Sharing files and folders is a great way to collaborate with others, but it’s easy for this data to get into the wrong hands if you’re not careful.
With Microsoft 365, users can share single files or an entire folder which grants access to all of its subfolders and new ones created there. This means that outside organizations have unlimited access on top of any permissions granted by your employees, which makes your data vulnerable and easy to compromise.
Short Log Retention Periods
Since Microsoft 365 is essentially a cloud service, it stores audit logs from 90 days minimum to one year maximum. Most compliance standards such as HIPAA require administrators to retain audit logs for a minimum of six years. This makes Microsoft 365 compliance difficult and presents a liability for organizations in case a data breach occurs.
Administrator Account Breaches
Cybercriminals often target top administrative accounts to gain access to higher privileges. This results most commonly after they take over an admin account, which is constantly the case due to Microsoft 365’s centralized management model that allows all administrators global credentials; these grant access for every user and their content.
Suppose hackers manage this takeover of a powerful administrator who has total control throughout each employee’s profile data. In that case, they can change critical settings like disabling company policies or deleting valuable information entirely.
To reduce risk from organization-wide damage by hacking into one compromised large-scale account with great power, you should enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) within your security administration center.
Microsoft 365 Security Tools
At Rea & Associates, we believe that our customers should get the very most out of their cloud platforms. This is why it’s crucial to understand what security tools are available within Office 365 and how they can benefit your business. Here are the top Microsoft 365 security tools:
Recognizing Suspicious Links
Cybercriminals use infected and suspicious links to launch an attack on an organization. They can use phishing emails and disguise themselves as Microsoft customer support offering a link to “update your Microsoft account.”
The link redirects the user to an infected site or downloads an email attachment to access their account and sensitive information.
Office 365 makes it harder for cyber-criminals to prey on an organization by flagging suspicious links from the outset. Admins can quickly check and vet links to determine whether they are safe or dangerous.
By flagging suspicious inputs, Office365 equips organizations with tools designed to protect against data breaches.
OneDrive for Ransomware Protection and Business File Restoration
Ransomware is a severe threat to any organization’s cyber security, mainly because it can quickly take effect. However, Office 365 provides users with unprecedented file restore tools that allow them to instantly revert to previous versions of files within moments after a threat affects their account or device.
Any corrupted versions are immediately erased and replaced by safe ones from before – this ensures user safety as soon as possible in case something goes wrong during ransomware attacks on their computers.
Boosted DLP Policies
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools are typically used to detect and prevent oversharing of sensitive information. DLP helps keep user data safe and secure by ensuring that sensitive information isn’t leaked to the wrong people or accessed inappropriately.
The biggest benefit of utilizing the Office 365 platform for DLP is that it provides more collaboration and file restoration capabilities than on-premises ever could.
Microsoft 365 has considerably beefed up its data loss prevention (DLP) policy within Microsoft 365 with Microsoft’s security roadmap. The platform regularly updates its policies in response to new threats, allowing Microsoft to provide organizations ahead-of-the-curve protection against threats like ransomware, data breaches, and phishing emails.
Rea & Associates Microsoft 365 Security Services
Office 365 helps organizations succeed by providing them with multiple new ways to fortify themselves against cybercriminals. With seamless integration between cloud-based services and on-premise networks, Office 365 provides an additional layer of security that is often sufficient for many enterprises.
Rea & Associates Microsoft 365 penetration testing services are designed to test Microsoft’s advanced threat protection by emulating real-world attacks. By using this service, organizations can identify Microsoft 365 security issues and make necessary adjustments to harden Microsoft 365 environments.
Rea & Associates Microsoft 365 security experts are ready to help you understand Microsoft’s Microsoft 365 architecture, harden your Microsoft 365 environment with MFA, and ensure Microsoft 365 Security by performing regular penetration testing.
Contact us today to start strengthening your Microsoft 365 security.