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.
