Microsoft 365 ships with powerful security tools, but most of them are off by default. A fresh tenant is convenient, not secure. Here are the settings we turn on first.
Identity and access
- Multi-factor authentication for every user — the single highest-impact change you can make.
- Conditional access to block sign-ins from risky locations and unmanaged devices.
- Disable legacy authentication, which attackers use to bypass MFA entirely.
- Self-service password reset to cut help-desk friction safely.
Email protection
- Anti-phishing and safe-links/safe-attachments policies (Defender for Office 365).
- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC so attackers cannot spoof your domain.
- External-sender warnings so staff know when mail comes from outside.
Data and devices
- Audit logging turned on, so you can investigate if something goes wrong.
- Retention and deletion policies so data is kept — and removed — appropriately.
- Device compliance through Intune for company and BYOD devices.
Each of these is straightforward on its own; the value is in configuring them together, correctly, without locking your team out. That is what our Microsoft 365 & Cloud service handles.
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