Microsoft 365 (M365) has become an indispensable tool for over 1,000,000 companies worldwide thanks to its seamless syncing and robust data management functions. However, this popularity also makes it a prime target for cyber threats. At Brigantia, we understand organisations' challenges when securing M365 environments, which is why we partner with Hornetsecurity.
Hornetsecurity’s 365 Permissions Manager is a powerful solution designed to enhance the security and compliance of M365 deployments.
Before we explore 365 Permissions Manager, let's consider some of the challenges businesses can face when using M365.
Microsoft 365 – the challenges
The top challenges organisations face with M365 are mostly SharePoint integration and concerns about Copilot exacerbating the risks highlighted below.
Account breaches
M365 provides numerous entry points for threat actors to exploit. This is due to potential flaws in code and configuration gaps, which means account breaches can be a significant risk. Attackers continuously develop new methods to exploit vulnerabilities and gain unauthorised access to sensitive information.
Data loss and leakage
Data manipulation by insiders is worryingly easy within M365. Unauthorised sharing, corruption, and deletion of sensitive data can lead to severe compliance violations and hefty fines. For any business, ensuring data integrity and preventing unauthorised access are critical concerns and areas they want to protect.
Phishing and social engineering
Despite widespread awareness, phishing and social engineering attacks are effective methods for threat actors to pass through systems. These attacks can easily compromise internal systems and data, and robust security measures are needed to lower the risk of a successful attack.
Misconfiguration
It can be challenging and time-consuming to manage permissions in M365, often requiring admins to access individual user accounts. This complexity increases the risk of misconfiguration, potentially allowing new employees to access confidential files or external users to create guest accounts. Lapses like this can lead to complications and threats, such as significant data loss and leakage.
Third-party applications
The growing demand and need for additional tools and third-party applications introduce further security risks. Many of these applications have poor security measures and high permission access levels, providing ample opportunities for threat actors to exploit and gain internal access to the internal M365 environment.
Compliance
Adhering to compliance standards like ISO27001 requires rigorous policy application and monitoring within M365. However, admins often need more capability to apply bulk policies efficiently, making achieving and maintaining compliance difficult.
Hornetsecurity 365 Permissions Manager
In light of the array of challenges and threats detailed above, it's clear that organisations need a robust solution to keep their Microsoft 365 environment secure. 365 Permissions Manager has the most impact in this area.
Onboarding a tenant
Onboarding new tenants in M365 and setting appropriate permission levels can be tedious. 365 Permissions Manager streamlines this process into a simple 7-step procedure, significantly reducing the risk of misconfiguration and ensuring a secure setup from the start.
Offboarding a tenant or user
Removing permissions for an employee or organisation that has left can be challenging. 365 Permissions Manager simplifies the process, allowing admins to quickly revoke access for a user or group and clean up single users using the quick actions feature, which will ensure that no unauthorised access can continue.
Managing SharePoint
As mentioned earlier, SharePoint is one of the critical challenges regarding M365 security. SharePoint lacks the tools to monitor permission levels across a tenant or organisation. 365 Permissions Manager addresses this gap with its intuitive dashboard and alert system. It enables admins to monitor risk levels and compliance violations effectively, helping to maximise efficiency and security.
Creating compliance policies and generating reports
Compliance is a critical aspect of cybersecurity. 365 Permissions Manager offers four out-of-the-box policies based on ISO27001, which can be customised. Admins can easily create and assign custom policies to internal sites, simplifying the task of ensuring compliance. In addition, generating audit reports becomes a quick and straightforward process.
365 Permissions Manager is a game-changer for organisations using M365. Its user-friendly interface allows admins to quickly become compliant and significantly improve the internal security of their M365 environments.
By addressing the critical challenges of account breaches, data loss, phishing, misconfiguration, third-party applications, and compliance, Hornetsecurity empowers businesses to manage their M365 permissions effectively.
Brigantia and Hornetsecurity
By incorporating Hornetsecurity's 365 Permissions Manager into your cybersecurity offering, you can provide your customers with enhanced security, simplified compliance, and peace of mind. To unlock the full potential of M365 environments with Hornetsecurity, contact our team to book a demo and find out more information.
