The security protections offered by Microsoft 365 give businesses new tools to safeguard data, even on remote workstations.
As any IT professional will tell you, IT security is an ever-evolving landscape, with new threats emerging each year, and new tools being developed in response. While the security arms race often feels like it is escalating without an end in sight, the reality is that new technologies continue to address vulnerabilities, leaving fewer easy inroads to would-be hackers.
However, with a more robust tool kit, businesses have a greater responsibility to take precautions to secure their assets. These include security training for employees, following best practices for storing and encrypting sensitive data, and adapting software solutions that can aid both those practices while also protect them from data breaches.
Microsoft 365’s latest security software product, Enterprise Mobile + Security, does just that. Along with many of the security protections that are now standard, it also offers new protections that can help businesses keep their workforces secure, even if employees are working remotely from around the globe. Here’s some of the features it offers.
1. Identity and access management.
Simply put, identity and access management controls allow businesses to specify which employees have access to certain tools and information, while also adding identity checks that make signing in to a system both more secure, and less cumbersome.
First of all, Enterprise Mobile + Security offers secure single sign-ins for apps, so that users only have to log in once to have access to all their work tools. However, it also deploys conditional access, meaning that managers and administrators can fine-tune permissions based on where an employee is signing in from, who they’re with, what device they’re on, or what information they’re requesting.
This means that an employee signing in from a trusted device in their home office might not need any extra identity checks, but if that same employee tries to sign in from an airport café in London, they may be denied access, or they may need to go through an extra layer of security to confirm their identity.
2. Information protection.
A significant part of information security is properly identifying and protecting sensitive data. If protected information, such as CUI, is mixed in with unprotected information, it is easier for that data to be leaked by mistake. Similarly, it is harder to control who has access to sensitive information unless it is set apart. Depending on the sensitivity of that information, protecting it may require placing it in a password-protected folder, or on a completely different server.
The problem is that sensitive information is rarely in one place. New data is being generated all the time across a range of apps, and it’s easy for users to grow lax in their security practices, or to not realize that they are leaving protected data exposed.
Enterprise Mobility + Security provides new tools for automatically identifying, labeling, and classifying sensitive data. It also helps businesses monitor risks to their sensitive data and take action before an issue becomes more serious.
3. Threat protection.
Security threats happen constantly. Businesses must have strong defenses, but they also do not have the luxury of assuming those defenses will always hold. That means their security software must both ward off attacks, and also closely monitor systems to root out any threats that made it past the first line of defenses.
Microsoft 365’s Enterprise Mobility + Security software comes with AI-powered security monitoring technology. These tools help prevent breaches from occurring while also provide in-depth analysis of suspicious behavior. They can then react with a range of automated responses to various threats, with the result that any attacks that do make it into the system are discovered and neutralized quickly and efficiently.
4. Cloud security.
With businesses around the globe more mobile than ever, Enterprise Mobility + Security cloud security protections come at just the right time. Businesses can use this software to protect cloud-based applications, and to block use of unapproved applications that may have security risks. It also offers a security monitoring dashboard that gives users a comprehensive overview of their systems, so that they can better meet compliance standards.
Beyond this, developers can use the new cloud security offerings to integrate new app development with GitHub, using these tools to model threats, scan for vulnerabilities, and test product safety before a product is released.
Brightline can help you implement the best Microsoft 365 solution for your business.
At Brightline, our focus on security and compliance makes us the ideal choice for businesses who want to bring their safeguards to the next level. We are rigorous in keeping our team up to date on the latest compliance guidelines, which means we can keep them abreast of any upcoming changes months ahead of time. It also means we are well-versed in the software options available to our clients, and can help direct them to solutions that will best fit their business and office environment.
Currently, our recommendation favors Microsoft 365 for their robust and continually developing suite of security tools. If you would like to learn more about how these tools can help your business achieve higher security standards while meeting compliance regulations, contact us today. We can guide you through these services and help you learn more about how they can address your needs.
