Ensuring the security of an organisation's data and systems has always been vital, but increasingly so nowadays with digital technology providing as many threats as opportunities. Microsoft 365 (M365) offers a robust suite of tools designed to enhance productivity and collaboration, but without regular security reviews, your organisation could be vulnerable to various threats. Here, we explore the key benefits of conducting a thorough security review of your M365 environment.
- Identifying and Mitigating Risks
A comprehensive security review helps identify potential vulnerabilities within your M365 setup. By assessing each component, from Microsoft Entra ID to Microsoft Defender, you can pinpoint areas that require improvement. For instance, reviewing your Defender for Office 365 settings can highlight misconfigurations that might expose your organisation to phishing attacks or malware.
- Enhancing Data Protection and Privacy
Regular security reviews ensure that your data protection measures are up to date. This includes verifying that retention policies are correctly configured across SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Exchange Online. Properly implemented retention policies help prevent data loss and ensure compliance with industry regulations.
- Improving Compliance
Staying compliant with industry standards and regulations is crucial for any organisation. A security review can help ensure that your M365 environment meets the necessary compliance requirements. This includes checking that your backup solutions are in place and functioning correctly, which is essential for data security and regulatory compliance.
- Optimising Security Configurations
Security reviews provide an opportunity to optimise your existing configurations. For example, enabling advanced threat protection features and ensuring that multi-factor authentication (MFA) is correctly implemented can significantly enhance your security posture. These measures help protect against unauthorised access and reduce the risk of data breaches.
- Increasing Productivity and Efficiency
By addressing security vulnerabilities and optimising configurations, you can improve the overall efficiency of your IT operations. Automated updates and centralised management of security settings reduce the need for manual interventions, freeing up your IT team to focus on more strategic tasks.
- Boosting User Confidence
A secure M365 environment instils confidence in your users, knowing that their data and communications are protected. This can lead to increased adoption of M365 tools and a more collaborative and productive workforce.
Conclusion
Conducting regular security reviews of your M365 environment is not just a best practice; it's a necessity in dealing with current threats. By identifying and mitigating risks, enhancing data protection, ensuring compliance, optimising configurations, and boosting productivity, you can safeguard your organisation's digital assets and maintain a robust security posture.
FluidOne’s Enterprise IT team has years of experience optimising and protecting the IT environments of organisations. If you are curious, why not try our free comprehensive M365 review, and see how we can help you.
About the Author
Stephen Hall is a Senior M365 Consultant at FluidOne. He has been a consultant for over 6 years, having worked in support roles both in-house and in MSP environments, giving him an excellent foundation and understanding of how organisations can harness technology to achieve their business objectives.
Stephen specialises in M365 infrastructure, security, identity management, and compliance.
