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Microsoft 365 Security Settings Most Businesses Should Review
A lot of businesses use Microsoft 365 every day.
Email, calendars, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Word, Excel, and file sharing often live there. That makes Microsoft 365 one of the most important parts of the business.
It also means the security settings should not be ignored.
This does not have to be a complicated conversation. But a few areas are worth reviewing.
Sign-in protection
The first question is simple: how are users signing in?
Passwords alone are not enough for most businesses anymore. Multi-factor sign-in adds another layer of protection by asking users to verify who they are in another way.
Microsoft recommends using security defaults or Conditional Access for multi-factor authentication in Microsoft 365. The exact setup depends on the business and licensing, but the larger point is the same: sign-ins should be protected.
Admin accounts
Admin accounts need extra care.
These accounts can change settings, add or remove users, access sensitive areas, and make changes that affect the whole company. They should be limited to the people who truly need them.
It is also worth reviewing whether admin accounts are protected with stronger sign-in requirements and whether old admin access has been removed.
Email protection
Email is one of the main ways attackers try to reach employees.
Microsoft 365 includes security features related to phishing, spam, malware, and account protection. Microsoft lists email protection and multi-factor authentication among important Microsoft 365 security features.
Businesses should know what is turned on, what is being monitored, and what users should do when a suspicious message gets through.
File sharing
File sharing is useful, but it can get messy.
OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams make it easy to share files inside and outside the company. That is convenient, but it also means permissions should be reviewed.
Questions worth asking:
- Who can share files externally?
- Are shared links set to expire?
- Can anyone with a link open sensitive files?
- Are former employees still listed on shared folders?
- Do users know when to use OneDrive versus SharePoint?
The goal is not to block useful work. The goal is to avoid accidental exposure.
Old users and unused accounts
Old accounts should not sit around.
When someone leaves the company, their access should be removed or converted properly. Their email, files, groups, shared mailboxes, and apps may all need review.
Unused accounts can become a security risk because no one is paying attention to them.
Devices and access
Many employees access Microsoft 365 from laptops, phones, tablets, and home computers.
That may be normal for the business, but it should be understood. If people can access company email and files from anywhere, the company should have a plan for device security and lost devices.
Review settings regularly
Microsoft 365 changes over time. Businesses change too.
New employees join. People leave. Teams are created. Files are shared. Vendors get access. Settings that made sense two years ago may not fit today.
A regular review helps make sure Microsoft 365 is still set up around how the business actually works.
You do not need to know every setting yourself. But someone should.
