A few weeks ago, in one of the largest breaches in history over 87 gigabytes of personal data, including more than 21 million passwords and 772 million email addresses, were posted online.
It’s becoming clearer than ever that it simply isn’t enough to protect devices that are in your office. That’s likely why improving security is frequently cited as a priority for boards of directors.
With the sophistication of threats and the digital footprint of the average employee, an approach to security that focuses solely on you keeping bad guys off the network misses the boat. If you’re tasked with responsibility for the organization’s technology, you should have a plan to secure mobile devices, PCs, email, applications, and documents, regardless of where it is located.
That’s where Microsoft Enterprise Mobility and Security Suite (EM+S) comes into play.
What is Microsoft Enterprise Mobility and Security Suite (EM+S)?
Microsoft Enterprise Mobility and Security Suite (EM+S) is a collection of tools that secure your data no matter where it is stored, or how it is accessed. Typically, companies working with Nortec Communications will want EM+S after they implement Office 365 because it’s affordable, integrates well with Office 365 and is exceedingly robust in the security that it offers.
Check out these three pillars of protection that EM+S offers:
1. Identity and Access Control
This is your front-door protection. Using tools like single secure sign-on, multifactor authentication, and risk-based conditional access, you can customize who, what, where, when and how applications and information are accessed.
2. Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Using built-in tools like Intune, MDM instantly delivers control over your company’s data, regardless of what device or app is used to access it. It also provides for device security, remote wipe capabilities in the event of theft or loss and inventory controls. It can work with company assets or personally-owned devices.
3. Information Protection
This allows you to classify, track, and control data across devices. For instance, if you mark a spreadsheet as “sensitive”, you can make sure it is not forwarded, printed, or moved outside of your organization.
For each pillar, you establish rules that govern what a person can access and how they interact with information. You can secure your organization by regulating data, beefing up exterior security, controlling access, and managing devices and apps used to access your information.
Tips for Deploying EM+S
We put together our top tips for implementing EM+S, based on our experience migrating clients to Microsoft cloud applications, including EM+S. These tips will help you define a strategy, minimize end-user disruptions, and correctly establish security controls.
Here is what you need to know to get started:
Know what to expect: EM+S is not a plug and play solution, and you likely won’t implement everything at once.
Start with one pillar: We typically recommend beginning with Identity and Access or MDM. Other solutions can be layered on once the first pillar is fully implemented.
Define security objectives: Evaluate the pain points your organization needs to resolve and prioritize which will be solved first through EM+S.
Research features: You need to know which aspects provide the best security for your organization, how each solution functions on its own, and how it works with other solutions in the security suite.
Focus on what you need: Depending on your objectives, you’ll only need certain features within EM+S. Securing a tablet shared by employees in a retail setting and safeguarding data on employee-owned work devices can both be done through EM+S, but the process is different.
See the bigger picture: Set a strategy for implementing the features that solve your security pain points. Features in EM+S are highly connected. Design with scalability in mind so that the first solution you deploy works seamlessly with what you roll out next.
Why We Love EM+S
Here are the reasons we recommend EM+S to clients:
1. Constant security
Computers and devices no longer stay in the office 24/7 and EM+S is a way to wrap security around a mobile workforce. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies become easier to implement securely.
2. Cloud Security Alliance
The majority of the security controls outlined in the Cloud Security Alliance’s Cloud Controls Matrix can be accomplished through EM+S
3. Application and Vendor Consolidation
Features in EM+S are available from other vendors, but not in a single, comprehensive package. Replicating the system would require contracting multiple vendors and result in a less secure product.
4. Protect Lost or Stolen Devices
When a device goes missing, you can immediately lock it using MDM or change the access levels of the user.
5. Improve Security Posture
Data protection in EM+S is defense in depth for your organization and helps you achieve long-term strategic security goals.
Getting the most out of the cloud transforms your workforce. Employees will take advantage of new tools to communicate, collaborating across different channels, platforms, and devices. EM+S is the most comprehensive way to secure the information they share, regardless of where or how they work.
Ready to get started? Contact Nortec today. Let’s review your cloud security strategy.
