Security is the priority of every business these days. The more secure your business remains, the greater the efficiency at the workplace. The use of Microsoft Applications has increased worldwide. And with increasing use, the chances of cyber threats have also increased. According to recent data, more than 70% of the cyberthreats have taken place within the Microsoft Suite. Though the Microsoft products are already built with security features, it is also your responsibility to keep your data secure by following the various measures.
In this article, we will explain the following measures that you can follow to keep your data safe and secure.
The following measures are taken:
1.Allow Multi-Factor Authentication:
It is a two-step verification that provides an extra layer of security. Users will receive a code on their mobile phones in order to log in to Microsoft 365 applications. This will protect your system a lot, as hackers will not be able to hack with the username and password.
There are two-step verification methods that are available:
- Microsoft Authenticator app:
You can install this app on your mobile devices and add your account. If anyone tries to log in, then the account holder will receive a message asking whether they want them to login or not.
- SMS text
Microsoft sends a 6-digit verification code that needs to be entered along with the username and password.
2.Give trainings to your employees:
Giving training to the employees is vital, as when training is given, people become aware, and everyone in the organization does not have much knowledge and understanding of cyber threats. There are chances that an employee can fall into the trap of hackers; they may open spam mail or download suspicious attachments.
So, it is highly recommended for businesses to spread security awareness among their employees.
- Conduct trainings:
Do not forget to educate newly hired employees on phishing attacks and other popular swindles. They should know how to create strong passwords.
- Keep employees updated.
Cyberthreats have become more advanced these days, so to keep your employees updated, you need to send them mail related to what best practices should be followed to keep the data secure. Regular sessions and trainings should be conducted.
3.Permission Control:
Every employee should manage their account wisely. Admins can make use of role-based access control. Most probably, the administrator’s account remains in danger, as that is the only point where all the data is available, and it becomes easy for the hackers to obtain all information about the business. So, it is advised that admins use their accounts when necessary.
4.Organize Microsoft Defender for Office 365:
It provides various superior technologies that protect your organization from various threats. You can manage important features such as:
- Anti-Phishing:
You should change the anti-phishing Policy to prevent cybercriminals from obtaining the information through phishing.
Anti-malware protection:
Microsoft Defender itself investigates different types of internal or external malware, such as spyware and viruses.
5.Disallow Auto-Forwarding for E-Mail:
Attackers can hack your online exchange environment as well; they can change the mail settings and forward your mail to an external address, and there are chances that they can delete your important mail.
Fortunately, you can get rid of all these problems as you can disable this feature from the M365 admin center. There are certain steps that you need to follow:
- Visit the Microsoft 365 admin center and choose Exchange>Mail Flow.
- After this, click on the rules tab and then select Create New Rule.
- Choose More Options in the popup window and fill in the name section.
- Open the apply this rule If drop-down, then select the sender>is external/internal
- Then Select Inside the organization and click
- After this step, choose Add Condition, and the drop-down box will open. Select the message properties and include the message type.
- Open the message type and choose Auto-Forward, then click OK.
- Open and do the following: drop down, select Block the message, then reject the message and include an explanation.
- Here, you need to add the specific rejection reason and click OK.
- Select Save at the foot of the page.
6.Safe all your devices:
Ensure all your devices are protected from the cyberthreats. Be aware of the frauds that are increasing day by day. Beside protecting your business laptops, you need to protect your mobile devices also. For this purpose, you can use Microsoft Tool, Basic mobility and security which allows you to manage and secure your mobile devices.
7.Check your security policies:
Threats are becoming more advanced, and one needs to check them daily and update their security policies. Other than this, it is important to unmute the notifications so that you can stay updated about all the activities that are happening. This will allow you to quickly act on the suspicious activity that is likely to happen.
8.Keep an eye on Microsoft Secure Score:
This is one of the best features in Microsoft 365. The Secure Score tells you how secure your organization’s system is. If the score is below 30%, then it means that your environment is highly exposed to threats. In this case, you need to take quick action and apply the best security practices. 100% score will be possible when your Microsoft Defender works in collaboration with the third party.
These are the ways through which you can protect your Microsoft 365 data. Adopt these various measures so that you can be safe from all the cyberthreats.
