As more and more businesses consider working in the cloud and shifting to Office 365, security and privacy remains top of everybody’s mind. Customers need a ready-to-go productivity solution that is inherently secure and trustworthy and Microsoft has gone out of its way to deliver.
If you’re considering moving to Office 365 but are still uncertain on whether or not your data will be sufficiently protected, we discuss 10 reasons why you have nothing to fear in this two-part blog.
Restricted access to physical data centres
Microsoft restricts access to its physical data centres to authorised personnel only, this means you can rest assured that no prying eyes will come into contact with your precious data. They have even gone so far as to implement multiple layers of physical security such as biometric readers, motion sensors, 24 hour secured access, video camera surveillance and security breach alarms.
Encryption of data
Office 365 enables encryption of data both at rest and via the network as it is transmitted between a data centre and a user which ensures that no unwanted eyes can peek at your data.
No mining or accessing your data for advertising
One of the greatest fears for cloud users is that their data will be mined for advertising purposes especially since this is commonplace with many cloud platforms. With Office 365 you won’t have to worry about this because it will never happen. Microsoft takes a safe approach by making sure none of your data can get exposed.
Customer data only used to improve the service
The data from Office 365 customers will only ever be used to help improve the overall experience of the service but it will never be shared. When we speak of the data in this instance, it does not refer to your actual content so you can breathe a huge sigh of relief. Microsoft will not access your mailbox or OneDrive without your permission.
Your data is backed up regularly
Microsoft employs multiple layers of redundancy and backups of information at the datacentre level, so in a rare event where data may be lost or corrupted on Microsoft servers, it can be restored.
You won’t lose your data when your subscription is over
Once your subscription is over you don’t have to worry about losing your data because Microsoft wont delete all the data in your account at the end of your service term until you have had time to take advantage of the data portability that Office 365 offers.
Your customer data is hosted in your region
If bound by legal and regulatory requirements Microsoft will keep your data in the region specified when the subscription is first created.
Multi-factor authentication and hard passwords
Microsoft enforces “hard” or “strong” passwords to increase the security of your data. For those who require more protection, you can enable multi-function authentication. This provides an extra layer of security other than just the password.
Managing privacy settings to suit your needs
With Office 365 you will be able to adjust (turn on and off) privacy impacting features to meet your needs. Both administrators and regular users can control what is seen by whom in your organisation.
Contractually committed to these promises
Microsoft is the first major cloud provider to adopt the first international cloud privacy standard developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). This means it is contractually committed to the promises made above with the data processing terms in your volume licensing agreement. Even privacy authorities across Europe approve Microsoft’s cloud with an official stamp so you know your data is safe.
As more and more businesses consider working in the cloud and shifting to Office 365, security and privacy remains top of everybody’s mind. Customers need a ready-to-go productivity solution that is inherently secure and trustworthy and Microsoft has gone out of its way to deliver.
