How Secure Is Microsoft Office 365?
Virtually all professionals require a range of services to perform their day-to-day duties, including planners, calendars, email, word processing, spreadsheets, and more. Microsoft Office 365 combines everything you need with any time, anywhere accessibility to help you operate more efficiently. You gain access to cloud storage, alongside the following applications that can be accessed from any device:
- Outlook
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Access
Plus, depending on your edition or subscription plan, you’re also able to gain access to even more useful tools:
- OneDrive
- Exchange
- SharePoint
- Teams
But for many, the cloud is a scary concept. Why? Because there are valid concerns surrounding the idea of storing sensitive information outside of your organization. We get that. Let’s take a look at whether or not the beloved productivity suite is truly secure.
Debunking the Biggest Concerns Surrounding Security with Microsoft Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 is a platform built with industry-leading security features. This is reflected in the fact that they have more compliance certifications worldwide than any other productivity suite. They also offer additional security features:
- Advanced threat protection
- Encryption for data at rest and in transit
- Multi-factor authentication
- Data loss prevention
- And much more
Here are a few of the most common concerns we’ve heard surrounding data security and control:
“Microsoft will own my data!”
This is false. Microsoft does not own or access your data for any reason. They do control access through auditing, role-based access, and approval processes. If you cancel, they will retain your data for a maximum of 90 days to give you time to retrieve it, and then it will be deleted entirely. Microsoft takes precautions to ensure all data remains under the ownership of the user and does not keep copies of your data.
“My data will be sent over the public internet!”
Microsoft uses a range of technologies to encrypt data at rest and in transit. For instance, when data is at rest, volume-level and file-level encryption are used. When data is in transit, multiple encryption technologies, such as transport layer security and internet protocol security, are used. Azure ExpressRoute can also be used to add a direct network connection to their servers and cloud services.
“Other users will be able to access my data!”
If someone wants to access your data, they would need to authenticate with your Active Directory Federation Services, Active Directory via Azure Active Directory Connect or directly through Office 365 Azure AD. Microsoft makes it very difficult for anyone outside of your organization to access your data, even though they have many users around the world accessing their own data via the platform.
A Look at the Enterprise Mobility + Security Suite
Aside from all of the built-in security measures, the Enterprise Mobility + Security Suite offers an added layer of protection with:
- Enhanced Identity Management through Conditional Access
- Device Management through Itune
- Digital Rights Management at the File Level with Azure Information Protection
This allows you to consolidate security on the platform – deploying services properly based on your risk level.
What Are the Benefits of Microsoft Office 365 Above and Beyond a High Level of Security?
Various benefits can be achieved through the use of Microsoft Office 365, including but not limited to:
- More cost-efficient than alternative options as you’re paying a monthly fee for access to the applications you need. There are no upfront costs, and upgrades are automatically released.
- Faster ability to recover from outages or disasters as employees can simply pack up and head home – maintaining access to all of the data and applications they need to do their jobs.
- Simplified integration with third-party tools as the platform supports a range of third-party tools with very minimal configuration needed – making it easy to use what you need without the hassle.
Ready to migrate to Microsoft Office 365? Click here to get started or call us at (800) 875-8843.