There may be more than 12 days until Christmas, but the end of the year is fast approaching so Grant McGregor is bringing you 12 Security & Compliance Reasons for Switching to Microsoft Teams and Why You Should Do it Now.

Well actually, this week we bring you the first 6 reasons, but you can read part two for the next 6, in next week’s blog.

If you aren’t already using Microsoft Teams for your remote team meetings, virtual conferences and other collaboration activities, its security and compliance features make for a compelling argument to switch – especially if you are using other Microsoft products within your organisation.

We’ve already looked at some of the compelling reasons for using Microsoft Teams to support productivity and collaboration in your organisation in earlier blogs. Today, we’re going to focus on the security and compliance reasons for making the switch to Microsoft Teams.

And there’s no time like the present to do so! Read on to find out what Microsoft Teams can bring to your organisation and why ending 2020 or starting the new year using Teams would be the best gift to give your company.

You know how the song goes; “on the first day of Christmas, Microsoft Teams gave to me…”

#1. Tight integration with Azure Active Directory

Teams enjoys tight integration with Azure Active Directory for security and configuration as well as the rest of the Microsoft 365 suite. This means you can insist on two-factor authentication, which plays an important role in protecting your data. As we know and have written about many times, passwords alone are not enough and can be easily cracked.

#2. Channel moderation and controls

Channel moderators can start new posts, add and remove team members and control replies and who can share channel content. Additionally, meeting hosts can manage call access and also designate roles to participants, allowing specific team members to moderate a channel. This means the responsibility of managing content and context within a channel can be shared between team owners and channel moderators.

#3. Recording consent and access

One of the advantageous features of Microsoft Teams has to be the ability to record calls and video conferences which can then be uploaded to Microsoft Teams to share with other Teams channel members. All recordings are accompanied by a notice that the recording is taking place, which remains live for the duration and links to the privacy notice. Once recorded, the video can be hosted on Microsoft Stream and viewed from there instead of being downloaded, giving you much tighter control over how that content is shared.

#4. Flexible permissions

Permissions to access, share and download subsequent recording content are set by account administrators. These features allow you to stay compliant with internal policies and external regulations at all times. It’s possible to enforce least privileged access across Teams and Office 365. By locking down access rights very tightly, you can minimise access to content and the potential for a data breach.

#5. Integration with Microsoft Intune & Endpoint Manager

If you’re concerned about data security at mobile endpoints, the Microsoft Teams mobile client supports App Protection Policies from Microsoft Intune(1). The Endpoint Manager provides unified endpoint management(2) of corporate and BYOD devices of all kinds in a way that protects corporate data. Microsoft Intune enables you to set policies that match you own risk appetite. For example, you can prevent file download to unmanaged devices. You can manage apps, patching, updates and policies, even for non-Microsoft devices.

#6. Audit external sharing

To help you fulfil your obligations under GDPR as it relates to the sharing of sensitive data with third parties, Office 365 monitoring tools offer the capability to audit external sharing.

If securing your data and workplace with Microsoft Teams, or security in general is of concern to you, take a look at our 12-step checklist to assess your cyber security arrangements, below:

Or you can contact us on 0808 164 4142 for further information.

Don't forget to read Part Two of our blog next week, for the final 6 security & compliance reasons for switching to Microsoft Teams.

Sources:

1. https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/enterprise-mobility-security/microsoft-intune

2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/mem/endpoint-manager-overview