For small to medium-sized businesses, Microsoft 365 Business Premium offers a robust suite of productivity tools coupled with advanced security features. However, many organisations are not taking full advantage of the security capabilities included in their subscription. In this post, we’ll explore the key security features of Microsoft 365 Business Premium and how you can leverage them to protect your business.
Understanding Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is more than just a productivity suite—it’s a comprehensive solution that combines the familiar Office applications with advanced security and device management capabilities. This license tier is often considered the “sweet spot” for small to medium-sized businesses, offering enterprise-grade features at a fraction of the cost.
Key Security Features in Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Let’s dive into the security features that come standard with your Business Premium license:
1. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (Plan 1)
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a cloud-based email filtering service that helps protect your organisation against advanced threats like phishing and zero-day malware.
Key components include:
- Safe Links: This feature provides time-of-click verification of URLs in emails and Office documents. It helps protect your organisation by checking web addresses against a list of known malicious links.
- Safe Attachments: This feature checks email attachments for malicious content. It opens attachments in a virtual environment to detect malicious behaviour before delivering the email.
- Anti-phishing protection: Advanced machine learning models and impersonation detection help protect your users from phishing attacks.
Pro Tip: These features aren’t necessarily enabled by default, so make sure to activate them to take full advantage of their capabilities.
2. Intune Mobile Device Management
Intune is Microsoft’s mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) platform. It allows you to manage both company-owned and personal devices used to access company data.
Key benefits include:
- Enforce device-level security policies (e.g., requiring a PIN to unlock the device)
- Selectively wipe company data from lost or stolen devices
- Manage and deploy apps to devices
Pro Tip: Start with basic policies like requiring a device PIN and the ability to remotely wipe company data. Gradually introduce more advanced policies as your team becomes comfortable with the system.
3. Azure Information Protection (AIP)
AIP helps you classify, label, and protect sensitive information. It can automatically detect sensitive data types (like credit card numbers or health information) and apply appropriate protections.
Key features:
- Prevent sensitive information from being shared inappropriately
- Track and control how protected information is used
Pro Tip: Begin by identifying your most sensitive data types and creating policies to protect them. Educate your users on the importance of data classification and how to use the AIP tools effectively.
4. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA is one of the most effective ways to protect against unauthorised access. It requires users to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to a resource, significantly reducing the risk of compromised accounts.
Pro Tip: Implement MFA for all users, starting with administrators and gradually rolling out to all staff. Consider using the Microsoft Authenticator app for a seamless user experience.
5. Conditional Access Policies
Conditional Access allows you to control access to your resources based on specific conditions. You can create policies that grant or restrict access based on factors like user location, device status, and detected risk level.
Key use cases:
- Block access from countries where your business doesn’t operate
- Require MFA for access to sensitive applications
- Ensure only managed and compliant devices can access company resources
Pro Tip: Start with a few critical policies and gradually expand. Always test new policies in a limited pilot before full deployment.
6. Exchange Online Archiving
While primarily a compliance feature, Exchange Online Archiving contributes to security by helping you retain and protect important email data. It provides users with an archive mailbox for storing old email messages.
Key benefits:
- Automatic movement of old emails to the archive based on policies
- eDiscovery capabilities for legal or compliance needs
- Retention policies to ensure important data isn’t accidentally deleted
Pro Tip: Set up retention policies that align with your industry regulations and business needs. Train users on how to access and use their archive mailboxes effectively.
Case Study: Small Business Success with M365 Business Premium Security
One of our clients, a local mining company with 70 employees was struggling with security concerns, particularly around protecting client financial data. By implementing Microsoft 365 Business Premium and fully leveraging its robust security features, the company saw significant improvements:
- 90% reduction in phishing emails reaching user inboxes
- Zero data breaches in the 6 months following implementation
- Improved ability to meet industry compliance requirements
- Increased employee productivity due to reduced downtime from security incidents
- Streamlined device management using Intune Compliance and configuration policies
- Standardised app deployment to all users leveraging Intune app deployment policies.
- Improved access controls using Conditional Access policies to for Geo Location, User risk and MFA
The firm faced initial challenges with user adoption, particularly around MFA and Geo Location policies. However, with a comprehensive user training campaign, they achieved full adoption within three months.
Conclusion
Microsoft 365 Business Premium offers a wealth of security features that can significantly enhance your organisation’s cybersecurity posture. By fully leveraging these tools, you can protect your business against a wide range of threats while also improving productivity and compliance.
Remember, cybersecurity is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process. Regularly review and update your security measures to stay ahead of evolving threats.
How Grassroots IT Can Help
At Grassroots IT, we specialise in helping businesses make the most of their Microsoft 365 investments. Our team of experts can:
- Assess your current security posture and identify areas for improvement
- Develop a customised implementation plan for M365 Business Premium security features
- Provide user training to ensure smooth adoption of new security measures
- Offer ongoing support and optimisation of your Microsoft 365 environment
Don’t leave your business vulnerable. Contact us today for a consultation, and let’s explore how we can enhance your cybersecurity with Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
