Which of the following scenarios worries you the most: Burglars breaking into your home or hackers infiltrating your computer? Most Americans are more concerned about cybercrime than real-life theft, according to Gallup. A survey conducted in October 2019 found that 72 percent of respondents either frequently or occasionally worried about computer hackers stealing their credit card, financial or personal information. By contrast, 26 percent reported either frequently or occasionally worrying about a burglary occurring while they’re home.
That anxiety surrounding cybercrime is far from unfounded. In 2019, 1,473 reported data breaches exposed nearly 165 million sensitive records and approximately 705 million non-sensitive records, according to the 2019 End-of-Year Data Breach Report from the Identity Theft Resource Center.
The pandemic has only exacerbated the issue by inspiring COVID-19-themed phishing schemes and other types of cybercrime. In April, Google’s Threat Analysis Group reported detecting 18 million COVID-19-related malware and phishing Gmail messages daily.
As a result, it remains imperative that businesses implement advanced IT security solutions to combat cybercrime and ensure sensitive data stays safe. For organizations that rely on Office 365, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (formerly known as Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection) offers comprehensive cybersecurity for the entire suite of business apps.
In this entry in our Office 365 Spotlight blog series, we’ll go over how Microsoft Defender for Office 365 works and the many ways this solution benefits the companies that rely on it. Before we continue, however, feel free to review the previous entries in our Spotlight series:
Now that you’re all caught up, here’s everything you should know about Microsoft Defender for Office 365.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Overview
This solution provides you with built-in IT security controls for the Office 365 suite, which allows for greater productivity, easier administration and a lower total cost of ownership compared to other cybersecurity solutions, according to Microsoft. Defender for Office 365 leverages AI and utilizes automated workflows to keep your data safe from cybercrime.
Here are some of the key capabilities that this enterprise-grade platform includes to help clients protect sensitive information from malicious actors:
- Attack prevention via a robust filtering stack
- AI-powered detection of malware and other threats
- Next-gen threat hunting and investigation abilities
- Cutting-edge incident response and remediation
- Employee awareness training and simulation features
Ultimately, Defender for Office 365 contains all the next-gen tools and technologies needed to keep you safe from various types of cyberattacks, such as ransomware and phishing campaigns.
5 Standout Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Features
On top of the vital features we’ve already covered, there are numerous other aspects of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 that will significantly boost your ability to prevent data breaches in the first place and respond rapidly and effectively if a security incident does occur.
Consider these top advantages identified by Microsoft:
1. Security across Office 365 apps. This platform delivers integrated security for all of your vital Office 365 apps, such as SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive.
2. In-depth reporting. Gain insights into configuration gaps and increase the visibility of alerts related to critical end user accounts with Priority Account Protection.
3. Simple policy setting configuration process. Microsoft streamlines the process in the Office 365 Security & Compliance portal with easy-to-use templates, checkbox configurations and more.
4. Industry-leading threat hunting tools that minimize response time. With this technology on your side, you can lower your security incident response time by as much as 90 percent.
5. Campaign analysis capabilities. Easily analyze email campaigns and quickly pinpoint vulnerable end users and configuration issues.
At the end of the day, hackers won’t stop creating malware or coming up with new strategies to get their hands on private data. If you rely on the Office 365 suite, you can bolster your ability to protect your data and apps from constantly evolving threats with Microsoft’s integrated security software.
If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft Defender for Office 365, the Office 365 suite, or how to protect your data from cyberattacks, our team of tech experts is here to assist you. Connect with us today by calling 877-599-3999 or emailing sales@stratospherenetworks.com.
