Is Office 365 Secure?

Microsoft created Office 365, a cloud-based productivity suite with several tools and services for both people and organisations. Microsoft has put in place several security safeguards to guarantee the privacy and protection of user data within Office 365.

To protect the infrastructure where user data is housed, Office 365 uses strong physical security measures in their data centres, such as stringent access controls, surveillance systems, and redundant power and cooling systems.

Microsoft uses encryption to safeguard data while it is in transit and at rest. This implies that both when data is kept in data centres and when it is sent between the user’s device and the Office 365 servers, it is encrypted. This lessens the chance of data breaches and unauthorised access.

Office 365 Security Concerns

Despite all of Microsoft’s efforts to ensure Office 365 user safety, there are still several ways that your data can become compromised.

Ransomware

Due to its capacity to permeate the ecosystem of the platform and damage crucial data, ransomware poses a serious security risk to Microsoft Office 365. Office 365 is a well-known cloud-based productivity package, making it a desirable target for hackers looking to take advantage of weaknesses. Once a ransomware assault is successful, it has the potential to quickly spread to all linked devices and encrypt crucial files kept in Office 365 accounts or shared via collaboration tools. Users of Office 365 may experience data loss, operational disruption, financial loss, and reputational damage because of this security compromise.

Disabled Audit Logs

The Microsoft Office 365 audit logs are by default turned off, and the administrator must manually enable them (including mailbox auditing). It’s important to note that unless auditing is enabled, no logs are kept.

Insider Threats

Insider threats present a significant security risk to Microsoft Office 365 due to the inherent access privileges and trusted positions held by employees or authorized personnel. An insider threat refers to an individual within an organization who misuses their authorized access to compromise data or systems. In the context of Office 365, an insider threat can involve employees intentionally leaking sensitive information, stealing data for personal gain, or accidentally exposing critical data through negligence or lack of cybersecurity awareness.

How to Stay Secure On Office 365

There are multiple ways that you can help improve your security on Office 365. It’s recommended that you follow the coming methods to ensure your and your data’s safety.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication

Office 365’s MFA feature is a straightforward yet incredibly effective approach to guard against unauthorised access to privileged accounts. You must into the Admin Centre, navigate to Users > Active Users, and then choose multi-factor authentication. You can enable MFA for specific users or for all users on this page.

Enable Audit Logging

Administrators can keep an eye on questionable activity across all services with the use of the Microsoft 365’s unified audit log.  It’s important to remember that for Basic auditing, audit records are kept for 90 days.

Use Office 365 Message Encryption

Office 365 message encryption provides end-to-end encryption, ensuring that the content of messages remains encrypted during transmission and at rest, safeguarding against unauthorized access. This feature enables secure communication, particularly when exchanging sensitive information like financial data or personal details. Office 365 message encryption allows organizations to enforce encryption policies, ensuring compliance with privacy regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.

How Creative ITC Can Secure Your Data in Office 365

If you have lost data or suspect your Office 365 account has been compromised, Creative ITC are here to help. We offer SaaS and BaaS options so that you can retrieve your lost data, regardless of whether it was private or public.

Our fully managed, optimised solution provides an organisation-wide, real-time view of your data protection status, putting you firmly in control of systems, users and devices and eliminating risk of user error, retention policy gaps and restore inflexibility.

To learn more about how Creative ITC can help safeguard your organisation, contact us at hello@creative-itc.com.