How Office 365 Security Protects User’s Data On Cloud– Have A Deeper Look
If we consider business workflow in the last 10 years, it has changed a lot. Every business whether it is a small and large are working on Office 365, which is based on cloud computing. The Cloud platform does not require any introduction as it is the most trending technology used on Personal as well as Professional level. With cloud technology, one can easily get things done remotely at any time because it is available on the cloud server. In fact, it brings the culture of BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) culture in the organizations. So, one can easily do office work from any location.
Cloud Computing itself divided into two different disciplines – Public & Private. The Private cloud defines as when a person rents a space in term of Infrastructure or Platform. It includes Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) & Platform as a Service (PaaS) Services and a user can manage their data and other components by own.
On the other hand, there is a public cloud that handled by third-party providers over the public internet and known as Software as a Service (SaaS). It includes apps like – Microsoft Office 365, Google G Suite and many other applications.
As we discussed the benefits of Cloud technology, however, there are security risks associated with the public cloud application. Because the service providers are only liable to keep the system up and neglect the security at many ends that can easily penetrate by the hackers. However, Microsoft Office 365 ensures proper security of Office 365 Data data by integrating the multiple security features at a physical and logical level.
But always keep in mind a local backup of your cloud data is always a safe option to protect data from any catastrophic data loss disaster. In Office 365, there is no backup option available that saves a copy of your Office 365 emails, contacts, and calendar on local system. Thus, it is good to use the third party Office 365 backup software as Microsoft itself says in their policy.
Hence, it is great to use Office 365 Mailbox Backup Application which is devised to save a copy of Office 365 emails, contacts, and calendars into desired PST or EML format on the local system. One can also download the demo version of software too. Moreover, the tool is available for Windows & Mac Operating System.
Free Office 365 Mailbox Backup Tool
100% Safe & Secure Free Office 365 Mac Backup Tool
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Here, we outline the best Office 365 security practices that keep our data secure from online risks & vulnerabilities and safeguards the data on cloud.
Best Microsoft Office 365 Security Practices
Microsoft always develop the great product, which is true and Office 365 is one of them. In Office 365, the security incorporates at every stage, from physical datacenters safety to end-user access. In fact, the level of cloud security is provided by Microsoft is not maintained by any other company at such cost. This is the reason, the more number of people is joining the Office 365 online suite.
Here are the top 3 Office 365 Security features;
- Strong Datacenter Security
- Outlook 365 Email Security
- Data Loss Prevention
1. Facility & Security of Physical Server
The foremost level of security in any cloud-based application is Data Server Security & Availability. Hacker especially targets this kind of server and if he/she can get the access, it will lead to a dangerous situation. Although, Microsoft ensures that no such type of things happens with the Office 365 server as they provide high security to it.
All the customer data stores in the Microsoft datacenters, which are well distributed geographically. Also, it restricts access to the datacenters and uses physical security measures such as Video Surveillance, Biometric Scanners, Security Guards & Officers, Motion Sensors, Employee Badges, Smart Cards.
On the network level, Microsoft strictly allows that connection which are extremely important for the system and block the rest of the connections. The Tiered Access Control to have more granular control over the network security. Adding to it, the firewall rules applied to put restrictions on the harmful connection. Multiple significant security measures are available at the network layer to secure the data center from the vulnerabilities.
Moreover, Microsoft never discloses the location of its data centers to the public. So, it becomes difficult for hackers to first find the location and breach the information.
2. Office 365 Email Security Feature
The another great feature available in Office 365 is Advanced Threat Protection (ATP). Basically, it is a cloud-based email filtering service whose motto is to safeguard the user from unknown malware, malicious links, and viruses. The ATP is designed in such a way that it provides a detailed report to the administrator about the external malicious attacks happening in the firm.
The Office 365 advanced threat protection also analyze who is being targeted by the unknown malware and harmful links in the organization. Adding to it, it is also capable to track those malicious URLs in messages that have been clicked.
The Advanced Threat Protection is available in Office 365 Enterprise E5, Microsoft 365 Business, and Office 365 Education A5. Furthermore, one can easily include ATP in the following plan too.
- Office 365 Business Essentials
- Office 365 Business Premium
- Office 365 Enterprise E1
- Office 365 Enterprise E3
- Office 365 Enterprise F1
- Office 365 A1
- Office 365 A3
- Exchange Online Plan 1
- Exchange Online Plan 2
- Exchange Online Kiosk
- Exchange Online Protection
Techniques of Office 365 ATP Security Features
- Use Safe Attachment Feature
Office 365 has a feature known as ATP Safe Attachments. It aims is to safeguard the message system from the unknown malware and viruses. The messages and attachments that do not comprise the Virus signature are routed to a sandbox environment where ATP analyse the message to find any malicious pattern. In a situation when no suspicious activity is found, the message is delivered to its destination mailbox.
- Safe Links Feature
The ATP Safe Links feature to secure the users from the malicious URLs that comes in a mail or a document. This feature automatically identified and blocked the bad links, even why they masquerade as normal URLs. Safe Links include in the below-mentioned applications-
- Office Online – Word / Excel / PowerPoint / OneNote
- Office 365 ProPlus (Windows or Mac)
- Office application on iOS and Android devices
3. Data Loss Prevention Security Feature
It can be seen that human errors are extreme issues for cyber security that creates a great risk to the data. Due to which, Exchange Online offers the Data Loss Prevention Policy. It is one of the greatest features of Office 365 Cloud security.
It prevents the accidental sharing of data such as bank details, credit card number etc. For example: If you applied DLP policy in the organization, so, whenever a user is sending a mail that includes confidential information is monitor by the DLP. And, it will send a ‘Policy Tips’ message before sending the email or document.
The Data Loss Prevention Policy actively identifies, monitors and safeguard the sensitive data to manage the data risk. Recently, the Office 365 Data Loss Prevention functionality included into Microsoft Teams chat & channel messages for the users who have license of Office 365 Advanced Compliance, which is further included into Office 365 E5 & Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance.
Final Thoughts on Office 365 SAAS Security
We have all learned that Data Security cannot be an afterthought. Microsoft keeps this thing in the mind and includes all the possible security features that are flexible and easily implement by the administrator for protecting data on cloud. Because, whenever, a firm chooses to Office 365 cloud suite for the business, they know Microsoft understands the business security needs. So, they can easily trust O365 without any hassle.