{"id":4429,"date":"2021-05-26T10:34:35","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T15:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/?p=4429"},"modified":"2021-05-26T10:34:35","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T15:34:35","slug":"the-next-step-toward-going-serverless-moving-to-azure-ad-and-securing-your-microsoft-365-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/the-next-step-toward-going-serverless-moving-to-azure-ad-and-securing-your-microsoft-365-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Next Step Toward Going Serverless: Moving to Azure AD and Securing Your Microsoft 365 Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ABecause of the mechanics of their breathing, some (but not all) sharks must keep swimming at all times or suffer oxygen deprivation, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica<\/a>. If they stop moving, they’ll die. In that way, being a shark can be similar to leading a business. As the recent emphasis on\u00a0digital transformation<\/a>\u00a0and the adoption of new technologies like\u00a0the cloud<\/a>\u00a0illustrates, continuing to progress \u2013 particularly in the realm of IT \u2013 is vital for companies that want to stay competitive in the digital era.<\/p>\n

Last month, I\u00a0wrote about<\/a>\u00a0one way many of our clients have been maintaining that forward momentum and transforming their operations: They’re\u00a0going serverless<\/a>\u00a0by leveraging SharePoint and OneDrive for cloud-based file storage and sharing. This not only makes it easier for\u00a0remote workers<\/a>\u00a0to stay productive but also helps businesses get more out of their\u00a0Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscriptions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you’ve already successfully moved shared and personal files to SharePoint and OneDrive, however, you might be wondering what’s next for your business. When our clients reach this point, we recommend deploying Azure Active Directory (AD) and taking additional steps to secure your Microsoft 365 environment as your next move.<\/p>\n

What Is Azure Active Directory?<\/h2>\n

Azure AD<\/a>\u00a0is a cloud-based platform that’s included with some Microsoft 365 subscriptions and is also available for purchase as an add-on. We can\u00a0review your licensing<\/a>\u00a0and assist you in determining the best choice for your business. In a nutshell, the solution helps organizations with access and identity management to ensure end users can securely log in to both external (e.g., the Azure portal, Microsoft 365 and other Software as a Service apps) and internal resources (such as your company’s network), according to\u00a0Microsoft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

IT administrators can leverage Azure AD to create and manage groups as well as individual end user accounts, set conditional access policies and implement\u00a0multi-factor authentication<\/a>\u00a0(MFA) to minimize data breach risk and\u00a0significantly improve their\u00a0cybersecurity<\/a> posture. The platform’s capabilities can include the following:<\/p>\n