Worried About Cloud Security When Using Microsoft Office 365? 

Don’t Be — Here’s Why.

Some small business owners worry that putting their files on the Cloud isn’t the secure thing to do. Perhaps you do too?  With all the hacking and data being compromised today, you should worry about the security of your confidential information, and take every step required to protect it.

Concerns about security are the single greatest barrier holding back cloud adoption. Thankfully, Microsoft has made significant investments in cloud security. Plus, they’ve partnered with third-party security vendors to provide additional layers of security for businesses with complex requirements.

I continually remind my clients that by using Microsoft solutions like Office 365 they don’t need to worry about storing data in the Cloud. Microsoft takes data security very seriously. Office 365 has multiple layers of security in place, and Microsoft will monitor your data 24/7, to continually prevent intrusions. They keep your data and emails stored securely so only you or your authorized users can access them. And, Office 365 files get backed up regularly. (If for some reason you decide to end your Office 365 subscription, Microsoft won’t delete your data until you have a chance to archive it.  Plus, they will never look at your information without your permission.)

Microsoft spends an amazing $1 billion each year on research and development for their security.  Office 365’s security has achieved a multitude of security certificates ranging from ISO 27001 and ISO 27018 to SSAE16 and ISAE 3401. External and internal audits also ensure a comprehensive approach to securing the applications in Office 365. Plus, Microsoft has built-in encryption features that follow industry cryptographic standards such as SSL/TLS, AES, etc. (If you don’t understand what this means, just know that these are very robust levels of security.)

To help you know that your data is secure, Microsoft Office 365 has a tool called Secure Score that your administrators can use to analyze your security posture and make improvements if needed.  You never need to worry, as you’ll always know where you stand.

Plus, did you know that Office 365 has built–in malware and spam filtering capabilities? It protects both your inbound and outbound email messages from malicious software and spam. It’s already set up for you, and you can filter it further for specific customizations if you need to.

Microsoft provides Data Loss Prevention so you can identify, monitor, and automatically protect sensitive information when using Office 365.

Their anti-malware protects your data from malicious applications by both detecting and preventing them from entering your system. If malware does get through, it’s quarantined to prevent additional damage. Microsoft also performs regular updates, hotfixes, and patches for Office 365 so you know your software is always up to date.

What about email protection? Due to the evolving nature of the cyber threat landscape, Microsoft offers security for Exchange Online to protect against spam, viruses, and malware. They offer protection against unknown malware and other zero-day threats that can slip through emails. Microsoft detects malicious patterns, and as long as none are detected, the message is delivered to its destination. Each message is automatically scanned to detect and block malicious URLs so your employees won’t click them.

We also like Office 365 because it’s designed to promote your business’s compliance with legal, regulatory, and technical standards. We help our clients set up policies that optimize these conditions, and to ensure a secure and compliant Office 365 work environment that meets their unique requirements.

To do this we take advantage the Microsoft Compliance Center to manage compliance across Office 365, Exchange Online, and SharePoint Online. During the initial setup of Office 365, we help our clients manage the archiving of mailboxes, eDiscovery cases, auditing reports, and retention and deletion policies in Exchange Online and SharePoint Online. Plus, we assign permissions to their compliance managers so they can access the features in the Security & Compliance Center once setup is complete.

The explosion of cloud usage has coincided with the increase in mobile device use and BYOD policies.  With this, businesses have benefitted from cost savings and increased productivity. With so many employees using their mobile devices for work, we advise that our clients use Office 365 to secure and manage their organization’s email, calendar, contacts, and tasks. This way, they can perform common mobile device management tasks like setting device access rules, viewing device reports, and remotely wiping devices that are lost or stolen.

And don’t worry. No one can break into your cloud. In terms of physical security, Microsoft stores their customer data in data centers that are distributed geographically and employs strict control with badges, smart cards, biometric scanners, motion sensors, security officers, video surveillance, and two-factor authentication.

At the network level, they only allow connections that are necessary for systems to operate, and block other ports, protocols, and connections. Their proprietary Tiered Access Control, along with firewall rules, detect intrusions and vulnerabilities.

Plus, access to Office 365 data is strictly controlled with a lockbox process that greatly limits human access to data. Microsoft uses a process that ensures every stage of Office 365 development conforms to security best practices, and that its cloud services remain secure with every new release.

So, there’s no need to worry about the Cloud when using Microsoft solutions like Office 365. CTECH Consulting Group can set up Office 365 for your business using the best of what today’s security has to offer. Contact us and we’ll tell you more.  (403) 457-1478 info@ctechgroup.net