Simon Azzopardi is the Chief Executive Officer at CoreView.
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Things looked a lot different twenty-two years ago, especially regarding technology. The idea of AI was mostly heard of in the movies, and you had to have a specific skill set to be an app developer. However, with today's technological breakthroughs, almost anyone can make an app. While this is positive in terms of broadening the creative landscape and opening doors for new ideas, it also increases the complexity of an administrator’s responsibilities from a governance perspective.
I have seen firsthand how overburdened and ill-prepared IT administrators can be over my tenure as CEO, founder, and advisor at numerous firms, many of which were in the IT security space. This can have many negative consequences for a company, including a decrease in productivity, an increase in wasted spending and, most importantly, heightened security risks.
The Evolution Of Microsoft 365
Microsoft has also evolved throughout the years, making major changes to its offerings and the necessary components to operate smoothly and securely. While technological advancements are exciting and enhance productivity and efficiency, they can also require new support.
Originally launched in 2013, Microsoft’s Office 365 was the cloud version of its software suite of tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. Over the next ten years, the company would implement various updates and enhancements that provided on-the-go access, simplified storage and multiple-user subscriptions. Again, all of these updates improved the user experience but made it more complicated for the administrators to oversee the IT operations of it all.
Another new addition to the Microsoft family came in 2018 with the introduction of the Microsoft Power platform. This technology allows those lacking coding skills to create and develop apps using low-code programming.
Traditionally, IT administrators have operated in silos, monitoring the various components of Microsoft 365 independently. Still, with the recent democratization of development and the rapid technological advancements, this is no longer feasible—IT administrators need help.
Increasingly Sophisticated Security Threats
Sophisticated technology means even more sophisticated cyberattacks. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, the global cost of cybercrime is predicted to reach $9.5 trillion this year. There is great potential for a single breach to impact more than just one company and cost significant resources. Proactive security management, constant monitoring, and alertness are more important than ever. One major concern for organizations throughout the next couple of years will be cloud misconfigurations, something I've found especially relevant for Microsoft 365 users. Gartner reported that 60% of organizations will see preventing cloud misconfiguration as a cloud security priority, compared with 25% in 2021.
As Microsoft 365 grows and expands, it inevitably faces escalating security threats. Because it is so widely adopted, I believe it is even more of a lucrative target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit vulnerabilities within the platform. The threats are multifaceted and require ongoing attention, ranging from ransomware attacks to phishing scams. The likelihood of compromised sensitive data increases with the number of enterprises that depend on Microsoft 365 for day-to-day operations.
Maintaining Smooth And Secure Operations
With the increasing sophistication of hacking techniques and the ever-evolving landscape of Microsoft 365, companies should not rely solely on Microsoft or even a handful of IT administrators to oversee it all. The right tools to manage, automate and back up Microsoft 365 configurations at scale make it possible to stay ahead of threats and maintain smooth and secure operations. Taking a proactive approach is key, and it is a worthwhile investment.
Because Microsoft 365 is so expansive, there are many key components that should be considered when deciding on the right set of goverance tools. It is imperative to select a suite of tools that not only lets you analyze, administer and automate, but also optimize, secure and audit your environment. Each of these is a vital piece to the larger puzzle that is Microsoft 365. The correct tool will simplify an administrator's life in both cloud and on-premise systems, optimize processes to speed up workflows, improve governance plans and empower all stakeholders without sacrificing security.
As innovation and the rate of new technology soars, so will the responsibilities of an IT administrator. Without any support, it could take a very specialized team with a significant number of members to keep up.
Securing Microsoft 365 is critical for protecting your organization's data and ensuring compliance with security standards. Here are a few additional tips to implement immediately to enhance your M365 environment:
• Secure email with Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to protect against phishing, malware and other email threats. It's also helpful to implement Data Loss Prevention (DLP). These policies help prevent the accidental or intentional sharing of sensitive information.
• Educate and train users. Human error is a common cause of security breaches. By conducting regular security awareness training for users, you can educate them about phishing, safe email practices, password management and other security best practices.
Investing in the right set of governance tools can lead to cost, labor and effort savings, and safeguard precious data. My experiences have taught me that having the proper support to manage infrastructure across all Microsoft 365 products shouldn't be seen as an extra benefit, but rather a necessity.
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