Managing Microsoft 365 Compliance Headaches

IT business leaders and owners are facing an overload of regulatory requirements and compliance challenges in today's fast-paced digital landscape. M365 compliance is one critical area that organizations must address. However, many organizations have limited resources or expertise in compliance management. 

In this edition of the 'Sting of Security', we will explore the significance of M365 compliance in modern business and offer practical advice and insights on simplifying M365 compliance headaches. 

The need for compliance 

With the growing number of cloud-based services, organizations have begun to depend on M365 to store, manage, and share sensitive information. However, with the convenience of the cloud comes increased security risks. As a result, organizations need to take proactive steps to ensure they meet their compliance obligations. 

Simplifying M365 Compliance Issues 

Managing M365 compliance issues is a complex task, particularly for smaller organizations with limited resources.  

Here's a list of tips to ensure that your organization is compliant: 

Identify your data types 

Different data types, such as personally identifiable information, medical data, or intellectual property, come with varying compliance regulations depending on your market and the nature of your business. 

To put you in the picture, assume you work for a financial services company that uses M365 to store and process financial data. You need to identify the types of data you work with, such as account numbers, social security numbers, and so on, to determine which regulations you need to follow. For example, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and other financial regulations require organizations to protect this data type from unauthorized access, disclosure, or theft. 

Understand your compliance requirements 

Compliance is an extremely broad topic; different organizations in different regions must comply with multiple regulatory requirements. Some regulations can be challenging to understand, and determining what to do to ensure compliance can be difficult.  

Therefore, once you have identified the nature of your business and the data types you handle, you can then identify the regulations and standards that apply to your organization, such as GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS, and HIPAA, and understand how they apply to your use of M365. In addition, if your organization works closely with businesses in other regions, you must also consider their regional compliance regulations. For example, if you own a US-based business and work with EU companies, you are also subject to GDPR. 

Leverage M365 compliance features 

M365 includes several compliance features that can assist you in managing compliance issues more effectively. The M365 Compliance Manager provides a centralized dashboard to help you coordinate your compliance requirements and determines a compliance score as you go. It is important to highlight that most M365 features are complex tools designed and built for big enterprises. For this reason, organizations use third-party solutions as they are more cost-effective, save time, and provide access to specialized knowledge, which not all organizations have. 

Monitor regulatory changes 

As discussed during our webinar: From Chaos to Compliance, compliance regulations are often subject to change. Whether it's an update to existing regulations or the introduction of new obligations, someone in your organization needs to be monitoring these changes constantly to help ensure that your organization remains compliant and meets obligations. 

Consult with third parties 

Microsoft 365 compliance can be a big headache for businesses, and even though they release powerful features to help you keep your compliance intact, most tools are designed for the mega enterprises of the world.  

Here are five benefits of using a third-party provider: 

1. Access to specialized expertise: A third-party provider can supply expertise in legal compliance, cybersecurity, data privacy, and risk management that your organization may not have.  
2. Specific compliance needs: Third-party solutions can address specific compliance needs and provide just the controls your organization seeks. For example, an SMB might not have to worry about every single control inside of HIPAA, possibly because of how their business is structured. 
3. Cost-effective: Creating and maintaining an in-house compliance program can be costly, especially for smaller businesses. A third-party compliance provider can provide a more cost-effective solution by providing the required resources, technology, and expertise at a much lower cost. 
4. Easier to manage: Using a third-party provider for M365 compliance-related features are often easier to manage compared to the native functionality that is baked into Microsoft 365. For example, when talking about encryption - with a third-party provider, everything may be done from a single pane of glass, making it simple to set up and manage. While Microsoft's email encryption is functional and useful, it can be tricky to manage, especially at scale and for organizations needing more IT resources or training.  
5. Enhanced security: Working with a third-party provider gives you access to additional security features to help protect sensitive data from cyber threats. 

Participate in our IT compliance survey 

We invite you to participate in our IT compliance survey as part of our ongoing efforts to better understand the practical realities of M365 compliance. By sharing your thoughts and experiences, you will have the chance to win a pair of Bose Tenor Frames.  

How Hornetsecurity can help take that headache away 

Hornetsecurity can help organizations address specific compliance controls across a number of different regulatory bodies. While compliance is not strictly a technical burden, that burden often does fall on the shoulders of IT Teams, and Hornetsecurity provides products and features to help alleviate that stress. For example, Hornetsecurity offers the following products/features that may help organizations handle compliance requirements in their industry vertical: 

• Email Communications Encryption 
• Legally Compliant Archival 
• Share and Permissions Management for Sharepoint Online and OneDrive for Business 
• Business Continuity 
• Backup and Recovery 
• Outbound filtration rules to spot sensitive information and prevent it from leaving the organization 
• Signature and Disclaimers on outbound email 
• And a TON of other amazing security features 

Learn more about these features here.