New guidelines for government on how to configure and use Microsoft Office 365 services securely, produced by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in collaboration with Microsoft and Dublin cyber security specialists Ekco, have been published.
Secure Configuration Framework for Microsoft Office 365 provides an overview of the steps that should be taken to set up the Office 365 suite optimally, including how to establish the basic foundational security controls and key considerations around bringing your own devices (BYOD) controls.
Office 365, which includes cloud-based services such as Exchange Online, Outlook, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams and applications like Word and Excel, is used by many Irish organisations.
Research by Microsoft found that nearly half of Irish SMEs have experienced multiple cyber attacks over the past three years, highlighting the urgent need for companies to meet best practices in cyber security.
Speaking at the launch of the framework at Microsoft’s headquarters in Dublin today, Richard Browne, director of the NCSC, said: “The importance of cyber security in ensuring that Ireland can benefit fully from the ongoing digital transformation cannot be underestimated, and every action taken to strengthen that security plays a positive role.
In Association with
"Today’s launch is a testament to the importance of both the public and private sector working together, and also the steps that can be taken by government departments, SMEs, and other Office 365 users in instigating an acceptable security standard in their use of the product.
"The controls and maturity levels described in this document are guidance, influenced by and aligning with the Public Sector Cyber Security Baseline Standards, and form a broad framework for a set of measures which can be revised over time."
Kieran McCorry, national technology officer for Microsoft Ireland, said: “Working to ensure business resilience has never been more important.
"This framework will serve as a crucial document to ensure that an organisation’s digital foundation is secure and protected against an ever-increasing threat landscape and I want to thank our partners at the NCSC and Ekco for their work and commitment to this collaborative effort.
"Cybersecurity is no longer ‘a nice to have’ – it is a prerequisite to success and to futureproofing businesses, our economy, and our society.”
The framework was co-written by Ekco, the managed cloud service provider that offers advice, consultancy and technical solutions to 3,000+ clients in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands.
Steve MacNicholas, managing director for Ekco Ireland, said: “Technology tools like Office 365 can help companies of all sizes increase productivity, streamline processes, and accelerate growth.
"However, it’s critical that these tools are correctly configured and secured. Our focus at Ekco is to guide businesses to define their security needs and develop solutions that protect their valuable data.”
Microsoft's Azure cloud platform experienced a network outage last month, causing services such as Teams and Outlook to go down briefly for the company's 15m corporate customers and over 500m active users.
Photo: (l-r) Steve MacNicholas; Anne Sheehan, Country Manager for Microsoft Ireland; and Dr Richard Browne at the launch of the new Secure Configuration Framework for Microsoft Office 365 at Microsoft Place, Dublin (Pic: Maura Hickey)
