Top Security Benefits of Office 365 | Netzen Solutions Ltd

Top Security Benefits of Office 365

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27 August 2020, by , in Cyber Security, IT Support, Comments off

The Office 365 business suite offers some major security benefits, and security is a top business issue, especially cyber security.

According to the Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2020, nearly half of businesses and a quarter of charities report that they have had cyber breaches or attacks in the past 12 months.

Businesses are now in the market for top cyber security solutions like penetration testing and SECaaS, this is why Netzen offer such services.

How safe are cloud-based datacentres and how do they compare with on-premises storage? There are various ways that Microsoft keeps things secure for businesses using Office 365.

MFA: Multi-factor Authentication

When it comes to the log-in process, MFA adds an extra layer of protection. Typically, when you log into most services or sites you have one form of verification, a password.

But with MFA, there is a combination of two or more things:

  • Something you know (a password)
  • Something that’s part of you (fingerprint or retinal scan)
  • Something you possess (a passcode on a phone).

There’s built-in MFA with Office 365, but also the option to add-on Azure Multi-Factor Authentication for more specific compliance requirements.

Data Loss Prevention and Email Encryption

Data loss prevention, or DLP, is how MS Office 365 ensures that no information of a sensitive nation gets outside your business.

DLP monitors your environment, looking out for sensitive data, which it then prevents users from sending externally.

You can customise these policies, but Office 365 comes with templates that cover major compliance and regulatory requirements.

Customisation can include things such as credit card numbers, and what actions can be taken. DLP rules cover location of data, type of information and the context you’re using it in.

An essential aspect of DLP is email encryption, which makes sure that no one except the intended recipient can open and read the emails you send.

Managing Mobile Devices

In an era of increased remote working and mobile connectivity, controlling access to your company’s data has to include mobile device management, MDM.

Even if you don’t have a bring your own device (BYOD) policy, there is still every chance of employees accessing company data via mobile devices.

If any of these devices are lost or stolen, how vulnerable will your data be?

The MS Office 365 solution is built-in MDM, which has multiple options for how you control it.

Basic Mobility and Security enables you to secure and manage mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. You can create and manage access settings, and where a device is stolen, you can wipe sensitive information from it remotely.

Advanced Threat Protection

There are various forms of cybercrime out there and one of the most common is ransomware.

The threat usually comes via links and attachments in emails, which may look authentic but are in fact malicious.

Cybercriminals have become more and more sophisticated, which makes malicious links and attachment harder to spot.

But, with Office 365’s Advanced Threat Protection, these emails won’t reach the inbox in the first place. Instead, it opens these emails and links in a virtual environment, completely separate from your own. Here, it can check for malicious content or activity.

Identity Management

For security purposes, you should be limiting the number of users who have admin privileges. Admin account breaches tend to be more serious than normal user account breaches, as they mean access to more sensitive information.

Supporting best practice, the MS Office Suite has a security feature that gives you the ability to assign users temporary admin privileges where necessary.

You can customise these just-in-time admin requests, to control how long you grant admin privileges for, and what information they will need to provide for activation.

How Do You Migrate to Office 365?

Obviously, one major security issue is how to migrate safely to Office 365 in the first place.

The best way to ensure a secure and comprehensive migration of your systems, with no errors, loose-ends or breaches is to use a professional migration service.

This type of specialist migration service will ensure that you stay data compliant, and get you properly set-up to enjoy the benefits of using Office 365 for business.

Is Cloud-based Security the Best Option for You?

With the security benefits of Office 365, you have a broader scope of threat intelligence, combined with greater automation, which removes any weaknesses coming from human intervention.

These security features are advanced, and continue to improve, and as a cloud-based service subscriber, you will automatically benefit from these changes.

Finally, there is the transparency that Office 365 gives you, so that you can rest assured that you are protecting your data is properly.

How Netzen can help

We can provide your business with Office 365 integration with all of the above security features. If you are currently using another email platform we can also migration your emails to Office 365, get in touch to discuss your requirements.