The Microsoft 365 Security Illusion
M365 is less secure than many business owners believe. This is true especially as Microsoft prioritizes usability over security out of the box. Luckily there are advanced features and setups which can keep your business safe that the M365 experts at Intero can use.
Why Having M365 Doesn't Mean You're Protected
"We have Microsoft 365, so we're secure." If we had a dollar for every time we heard this, we'd be writing this blog from a beach somewhere tropical. Unfortunately, this common misconception is putting businesses at serious risk.
The Configuration Challenge
Microsoft 365 is an incredibly powerful platform with robust security features. The keyword here is "features"—as in, they need to be properly configured and activated. Out of the box, M365 prioritizes usability over security, which means most of the advanced protection features are disabled by default.
Here's what most businesses don't realize:
M365 has over 1,000 security-related settings
The average business uses less than 20% of available security features
Default configurations prioritize ease of use over protection
Many critical security features require additional licensing
Common Security Gaps We See
In our security assessments, we consistently find these issues:
Multi-Factor Authentication Gaps
MFA enabled for admins but not all users
Legacy authentication still permitted
Emergency access accounts not properly secured
Data Sharing Vulnerabilities
External sharing enabled without restrictions
Guest access not properly governed
Sensitive data shared via unsecured links
Inadequate Monitoring
No alerts for suspicious login attempts
Data exfiltration going undetected
No monitoring of privileged account activities
Conditional Access Oversights
Policies not covering all scenarios
Location-based restrictions not implemented
Device compliance not enforced
The Expertise Investment
Properly securing Microsoft 365 isn't a set-it-and-forget-it task. It requires ongoing attention from someone who understands:
How different M365 services interact from a security perspective
The latest threat vectors targeting cloud environments
How to balance security with productivity
Compliance requirements specific to your industry
Don't Learn Security Lessons the Hard Way
Every month, we see headlines about businesses that thought they were protected because they had Microsoft 365. Don't become another statistic. Your M365 investment is only as strong as the expertise managing it.
Want to know how secure your M365 environment really is? Schedule a complimentary security assessment with our team.
