Microsoft Teams has become the primary productivity, collaboration, and communication platform for countless companies worldwide, boasting more than 320 million monthly active users. Combining messaging and conferencing features, with file and screen sharing, AI-powered assistants, and innovative integrations, this platform has transformed how we work.
However, any company implementing a digital workplace solution needs to ensure they’re leveraging the right strategies to protect their data, customers, team members, and business reputation.
Fortunately, maintaining security, privacy and compliance in Microsoft Teams can be simpler than it seems. By leveraging in-built security capabilities in Teams, as well as the help of the right security experts, any business can unlock the power of MS Teams, without compromising on security.
Here are 5 top tips you can use to strengthen your security posture in Teams.
1. Leverage Secure Identity and Access Controls
Strong identity and access controls are crucial to security in Microsoft Teams. Implementing meticulous policies to determine which team members should be able to access which tools, and how they should protect their accounts from infiltration will protect you from a range of risks.
Microsoft already offers various access control capabilities built into Microsoft Teams, from the ability to mandate multi-factor authentication for all users, to policies that block access to certain documents and features (such as meeting recording) for certain groups.
You can even leverage role-based access control in the Microsoft Teams Rooms Pro management portal, assigning different permissions to managers, site leads, site technicians, and everyday team members. Plus, there’s the option to create custom roles for each team member.
For companies leveraging BYOD policies, conditional access controls even give you the opportunity to identify which devices should be able to connect to your Microsoft ecosystem.
If you’re working with contractors, or people outside of your organization, you can create private channels with Microsoft Teams, and invite people to join them as guests. You’ll be able to control which files and documents these guests can access.
Shaun Redfearn, Symity’s Principal Security Consultant, says: “Your Identity and Access Management (IdAM) strategy underpins your entire tenant and should be well defined outside of just Teams. Consider in-built tools such as Privileged Identity Management (PIM), Conditional Access (CA), and identity lifecycle management for Guest accounts.
A strong IdAM strategy will help maintain security whilst enabling collaboration in Teams.”
2. Implement Policies and Content Protection Standards
Alongside offering businesses comprehensive identity and access controls, Microsoft Teams also enables business leaders to create policies they can apply to entire organizations and specific groups. You can determine what employees can do in meetings (like sharing files or recording content).
There’s also the option to control what employees can access in messaging threads, live events, and voice calls. For instance, you can identify who can create channels, which teams can route and make calls through Teams, and how content is shared. Plus, you can define which apps and integrations employees can access within Teams, reducing the risk of staff members using risky apps.
Additionally, for content protection, Microsoft Teams’ Compliance solutions offer access to a range of features, such as sensitivity labels which apply restrictions to certain types of content, retention policies that ensure critical content is secured and preserved, and safe attachment options. These policies and configurations will help to reduce your exposure to risks like malware, phishing attempts, data breaches, and compliance issues.
Shaun Redfearn says:
“Controlling and managing the data within Teams is a key consideration. Microsoft Purview is the native solution for Teams governance and compliance. Leveraging in-built tools such as Retention Policies, Sensitivity Labels and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) allows for the governance and protection of valuable corporate data.”
3. Upgrade to Microsoft Teams Premium
Microsoft Teams Premium, the add-on package for Microsoft Teams, doesn’t just enhance user experiences within the collaboration platform, it can also enhance security.
Each Microsoft Teams Premium plan comes with advanced protections, building on the existing controls businesses already have. You can add watermarks to videos and events, preventing people from downloading, sharing, or capturing sensitive content.
There are advanced security labels, which define which content can be shared, copied, downloaded, or recorded. Plus. You’ll be able to implement features like:
- Content-controlled meeting templates
- End-to-end encryption for up to 200 meeting participants
- Recording and transcription controls
- Copy and paste controls
Microsoft Teams Premium also offers users a host of other benefits, like access to branded meetings and AI-powered tools (Such as Intelligent Recap). Plus, the features are constantly evolving. Recently, Microsoft started rolling out solutions like Microsoft Places (for office management) as well as contact center capabilities within the Queues app for Teams.
4. Leverage Additional Microsoft Services
Though Microsoft builds various security features into Microsoft Teams directly, the company also offers more advanced tools and suites for those with specific security needs. For instance, the Microsoft 365 Defender suite provides extended detection and response capabilities across Microsoft Teams, email tools, cloud systems, and endpoints.
It can help you track incidents throughout your business, implement permitter controls, and leverage in-depth insights into potential security threats. This technology even builds on the Analytical and Reporting tools within Microsoft Teams to give you more visibility into how employees use Microsoft Teams and other services.
Alternatively, you could consider implementing Microsoft Sentinel alongside Teams. This end-to-end cloud-native SIEM service helps companies to investigate, detect, and mitigate cyber threats, leveraging AI, advanced analytics, and automation. It can help you combine your security strategies for Microsoft Teams, with a comprehensive strategy for team and data protection.
You could even experiment with Microsoft Purview, Microsoft’s unified data governance solution, designed to help you manage and governance your on-premises, SaaS, and multi-cloud data.
All these additional tools are tightly integrated with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem by default, making them easier to implement into your security strategy than third-party solutions. Plus, they can offer better insights than some other tools. For instance, Defender for Office can natively scan Teams messages for malware using its Safe Attachments and Safe Links Features.
5. Work with a Security Consultant
Finally, one of the best ways to ensure you stay secure in Microsoft Teams, is to leverage the assistance of a dedicated security consultant. Microsoft Security Partners certified by Microsoft itself, can help you implement bespoke security strategies, based on your needs and risks.
These partners can provide access to Workshops and training resources, that can help educate your team members on threats, and minimize the risk of human error. They can offer expert insights into the best security configurations and tools you can use to reduce potential risks throughout your ecosystem. Plus, leading partners can help you plan, deploy, and adopt advanced security tools.
Some leaders in the security landscape even offer access to managed services, such as security incident management, managed detection and response, and vulnerability and threat management. What’s more, a consultant will be able to work with you as your security strategy evolves, showing you new ways to respond to emerging threats.
Stay Secure in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool for collaboration, communication, and productivity, with plenty of built-in features to help protect your security posture. However, in today’s world of evolving threats, its crucial to ensure you have the right strategy in place to protect your data and teams.
Leveraging a combination of built-in features for policies, access control, and content protection, alongside state-of-the-art security tools and consulting services will help you maintain compliance, and defend your brand’s reputation.
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