Office 365 is one of the most popular productivity programmes on the market. Microsoft boasts more than fifty million subscribers to their popular productivity software.
The popularity of Office 365 has grown to the point of being integral to most offices. Remote support for programmes like Microsoft Teams power millions of companies.
But with such popularity, a question of cybersecurity is often raised. How can users and companies keep their online networks secure? There are some drastic consequences to a security failure in such widespread software.
When working with Office 365, cybersecurity should be at the front of your mind. Read on to see some excellent cybersecurity tips for Office 365 networks.
What is Cyber Security?
Cybersecurity is, as the name suggests, security in the online cyber world. Proper cybersecurity helps defend against unauthorised or criminal uses of electronic data.
Poor cybersecurity can have detrimental effects on a business. An inability to safeguard data or information can lead to leaks, loss of funds, viruses, and more. Here are a few of the most common cybersecurity threats.
Malware
Malicious software – typically called malware – is one of the most common threats. Nearly all cyber security companies focus on Malware to some degree.
Viruses are the most familiar type of malware one might run into. Most anti-virus programmes specifically target this category of malware. Viruses can cause irreparable damage to the hardware of a system and the software of a network, capable of destroying an entire network if unchecked.
Spyware, Adware, and Ransomware
Spyware and adware are also highly common, especially in home units where employees can browse the internet freely. Spyware specifically aims to capture sensitive data, which can drastically harm a company. Adware is more of an annoyance and presents advertisements to the afflicted.
Ransomware is another severe issue. As the name suggests, ransomware is a malicious virus that demands payment to restore services. These highly sophisticated viruses can cause millions in payments and damages.
Data Breaches
A data breach consists of the unauthorised use of a network. Cybercriminals can gather all sorts of sensitive information from a data breach. This includes sensitive payment data, classified information, and much more.
Data breaches are two-part, with the first impact being the stolen information. As data breaches are often made public, they can often ruin the reputation of a company. A company with multiple data breaches is likely to lose the trust of its clients.
Office 365 Cybersecurity Benefits
MS Office 365’s popularity isn’t just a bandwagon. Microsoft has created a wonderful productivity tool, especially for remote workplaces.
Office 365 comes with some excellent tools that aid in cybersecurity efforts. When properly used, these tools can help a team practise proper cybersecurity methods.
Remote Support Software
One of Office’s more notable tools is a remote support software titled Microsoft Dynamics. Dynamics provides live camera feeds and chats to help fix issues in real-time. Teams can utilise these tools to significantly improve safety and productivity.
Being able to offer live remote support is one of the best cybersecurity practices for a few reasons. One of the most common ways for a data breach to occur is an employee doing so on accident. This can happen frequently when an employee has to take matters into their own hands to solve a problem, accidentally giving up valuable information in the process.
By offering a way to immediately give aid, a cybersecurity team can keep employees from accidental breaches. Despite not being directly a cybersecurity feature, this remote support software is crucial to cybersecurity.
Microsoft Teams is also extremely useful for the same reason. Giving employees the ability to seek aid cuts down on risky activities and searches.
Multifactor Authentication
Multifactor authentication, often called MFA, is one of Office 365’s many features. As the name suggests, MFA presents multiple requirements to secure authentication.
Think of this as having multiple locks on your door. If someone attempting to break in picks one lock, they still have more work until they can get in.
MFA puts these locks over your network for your entire workplace. Having users need multiple authentication approvals before signing on makes it significantly harder for unauthorised users to gain access.
Cloud Security
Office 365 offers multiple tools that are focused on providing more security for the Cloud. Considering that the majority of a network will likely be Cloud-based, these tools are crucial to cybersecurity.
Multiple tools, such as CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker) or the Azure Security Center, massively help boost cybersecurity. These programmes are highly adaptive to any business and help keep track of your data while they keep it safe.
Safe Network Installation
An improper network installation can be the worst possible thing for cybersecurity. Not properly setting up passwords, files, and pages can expose them to threats.
Office 365 makes network installation easy, but most importantly, safe. Once you’ve downloaded the Office Deployment Tool, a few quick steps have you ready to deploy a network to your entire team.
Microsoft will provide you with commands and aid you in creating a pilot and broad group. Customisable deployment lets you deploy multiple packages, update them differently, and much more.
This secure network installation will keep your team safe and secure. By ensuring proper cybersecurity from the start, your team will be significantly safer than
Staying Secure
Remote support is a crucial way to stay safe, but it isn’t the only way. Effective network installation is vital to making sure that your remote workforce stays secure.
Cybersecurity is a constantly growing field in the modern information age. As the working world grows more and more remote, the need for cybersecurity will only grow.
Do you have any questions about cybersecurity? Be sure to contact us or explore our blog for more information.
