Enhancing Data Security for Microsoft 365 Applications

Lionel Menchaca

Over the past decade, the internet has morphed from a simple information tool to a robust platform that powers business-critical SaaS applications. And more recently, the pandemic accelerated the push to the cloud as many organizations scrambled to accommodate the new requirements for hybrid workers.

These waves of hybrid workers demanded agility from cloud applications. They also expected tools that enabled new levels of collaboration. While the Microsoft 365 suite of applications were already massively popular, the trend toward SaaS apps that focused on collaboration accelerated M365 adoption overall.

As such, it’s no surprise that M365 emerged as a leading enabler of remote and hybrid work, fueled by the wide range of collaboration capabilities offered by the SaaS suite—from Outlook to Teams, OneDrive to SharePoint. Today, over 500,000 companies and 270 million users connect and collaborate via Microsoft Teams.

But there is a downside. The widespread adoption of M365 have made it a prime target for cyberattacks. This is evident from several high-profile, infamous data breaches in recent years, including the Lapsus$ group in attack in 2021 and the theft of 60k State Department emails in 2023.

How secure is Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 is considered a highly secure platform, utilizing multiple layers of protection including data encryption at rest and in transit, strong authentication methods like multi-factor authentication (MFA), robust access controls and continuous security monitoring. This makes it a reliable choice for safeguarding sensitive business data; however, no system is immune to potential security threats and proper user practices are still important.

That’s why we developed a new resource called the Microsoft 365 Data Security Playbook. It’s a concise guide focused on how Forcepoint helps you build on M365’s core security capabilities to ensure your organization’s data in Microsoft 365.

5 Ways to make M365 more secure

Download this new eBook to dive more into how Forcepoint ONE CASB can help your organization:

1 - Gain visibility into M365 (and other unmanaged approaches

2 - Protect users against M365 malware attacks

3 - Secure collaboration for hybrid workers, partners and third-party contractors

4 - Discover public sharing of sensitive content from SharePoint and OneDrive

5 - Prevent data exfiltration from Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams

Download this Microsoft 365 Data Security Playbook to learn how Forcepoint helps protect your organization’s data in M365 and beyond.

Lionel Menchaca
As the Content Marketing and Technical Writing Specialist, Lionel leads Forcepoint's blogging efforts. He's responsible for the company's global editorial strategy and is part of a core team responsible for content strategy and execution on behalf of the company.
Before Forcepoint, Lionel founded and ran Dell's blogging and social media efforts for seven years. He has a degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Archaeological Studies.
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