Insights

The cybersecurity threat facing businesses in the UK today should not be underestimated.

The Government’s annual CyberSecurity Breaches Survey found that 43% of businesses experienced a cybersecurity breach in the last year. Fortunately, most businesses now understand how real the threat is and are taking action to protect their IT – the same survey found that 74% of businesses consider cybersecurity to be a high priority.

In this blog we look at how Microsoft helps businesses modernise their cybersecurity defences with its Microsoft 365 package – and how this compares with other Microsoft alternatives.

What is Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 is a package of cloud-based apps and services that includes the best of Microsoft:

• Office 365
  All the productivity apps your employees need to achieve more in the modern workplace
• Windows 10
  Microsoft’s most intelligent and secure operating system
• Enterprise Mobility + Security
  Enterprise-grade security that is identity-driven and built to integrate across the Microsoft ecosystem

Microsoft 365 helps organisations increase productivity, boost collaboration and put security at the core of everything they do.

What is Microsoft 365 security?

Today’s workers expect to work anytime, anywhere. But there are security issues associated with this. Achieving ‘anytime, anywhere’ productivity means providing users with quick and easy access to their organisation’s apps and data 24/7, on any device of their choice, on any network.

What’s more, the cybersecurity threat is always changing as cybercriminals look for new vulnerabilities to exploit. Organisations need to stay one step ahead, but this is easier said than done. A holistic and identity-driven approach to cybersecurity is vital against this ever-changing landscape – one which uses state of the art intelligence to detect threats and protect data.

Microsoft 365 is built to empower workers to be mobile and work flexibly. It gives workers the freedom to work how they want, without compromising on security; it uses artificial intelligence to detect the latest threats; and it provides organisations with granular controls over permissions, access and identity, and device management.

Microsoft 365 security features beyond Office 365

As a productivity suite, Office 365 is the best solution available. It provides organisations with all the tools they need to get work done. Yet, though there are security features built in to Office 365, it doesn’t provide the same level of security as Microsoft 365 does. If you invest in Microsoft 365, you’ll be investing in the following:

Continuous threat protection

Microsoft 365 provides protection from unsafe attachments, suspicious links and other forms of hidden malware. As much as you educate your users about cybersecurity best practice, there will always be a risk of human error. It only takes one accidental click on an unsafe attachment to expose your business to a malware attack. Continuous protection against common phishing attacks is essential in the current cybersecurity landscape.

Information Protection Policies

Microsoft 365 helps organisations control and manage how critical company data is accessed. EMS is identity-driven, meaning the system knows who is attempting to access data, and whether they have permissions or not. ¬It gives you tools to control access so that your organisation is always on top of who has access to what. If a user’s identity is verified and authenticated, they can quickly access what they need anytime, anywhere without any risk. The system also prevents users who doesn’t meet these strict controls. Real-time detection of suspicious activity provides a robust level of security.

Device management

Similarly, Microsoft 365 provides the same level of granular controls to carry out the very best device management. This includes securely managing iOS, Android, Windows and macOS devices and providing simplified controls to manage Windows 10 Pro PCs. This enables your organisation to monitor which devices are being used at all times, how they are being used, and to protect against suspicious activity on these devices.

Stay one step ahead of cybercriminals

A lot of the security features in EMS are powered by the Microsoft Intelligent Security Graph, which analyses security events and trends across the global Microsoft user base. The Security Graph then uses machine learning and analytics to find the threat signals, which allows Microsoft to release new updates to defend this across Microsoft 365. This way you stay one step ahead of cybercriminals and protect your against new threats as and when they emerge.

Which Microsoft 365 package should I get?

There are different versions of Microsoft 365. Here are the security features included in each:

• Mobile device management (all)
• Identity management (all)
• Threat detection (E3 + E5)
• Information protection E3 + E5)
• App security (E5)

To find out more about Microsoft 365, which package is best for your organisation, and how it can help you stay secure in the cloud, get in touch with our team today.