Hello Reader, Your Microsoft 365 management tip is here! 🎉

We’re a couple of weeks into January, and hopefully, you’re getting back into the flow of things. I know it’s been a struggle for our family to get back into the swing of things. As we’re getting into the new year, we’re also starting to see more updates from Microsoft and have some upcoming conferences. So, what do we have in this iteration of our newsletter?

💡Microsoft 365 Management Tip:

First, our Microsoft 365 management tip. Today’s tip from our experts is Don’t forget about Microsoft 365 Data Loss Prevention (DLP). I’ve been having this conversation with a few clients lately as they talk about protecting their data. DLP for Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive from the “3” level plans and up, as well as Business Premium. So, if you have it, why not use it? I’ve spoken with people who look at data security as locking down how to access it; it is in a file share and requires Citrix, VPN, etc., to access it. I understand that getting to your data might be secure.

But… what about once people get to that data? How easy would it be for an attacker to use SharePoint or OneDrive to Exfiltrate that data? Do you know if your users with access to that data are sending it externally via email? Or what are your users uploading to their personal OneDrive sites? Or what are they putting in SharePoint sites and then sharing externally from those locations? These are all things you want to think about (and I see many people not thinking about). So, if you have Office 365 E3 or Business Premium and higher, why not consider implementing Data Loss Prevention as you head into 2024 and help protect your sensitive information from being shared with the wrong people?

📅 Some upcoming dates and conferences you might be interested in!

In the next few months, a few Microsoft 365-focused events are coming that you may be interested in. Some I’m speaking at, some I’m not.

• ​Microsoft 365 Community Day Miami - February 2: I’ll be speaking at this one and would love to see you. If you’re in Florida, hopefully, it isn’t a bad drive, and if not? Who doesn’t want to visit Miami in the middle of winter 🙂
• ​Microsoft 365 Conference Orlando - May 1 & 2: Unfortunately, I wasn’t accepted to speak at this one, but maybe I’ll still make an appearance since it’s only 2 hours away. So, if you’ll be there, let me know and maybe we can meet.
• ​Top 7 Microsoft 365 Backup & Recovery Challenges (and How To Overcome Them) - January 24: Part of the M365 Backup and Recovery summit virtual summit (it’s online and Free), I’ll be presenting this session related to Backup and Recovery in Microsoft 365. Just head over to the link and register if you want to join me.

🗞️ Microsoft 365 news from the last couple of weeks

• ​New promotional offer for SharePoint Premium - Microsoft announced SharePoint Premium back at Ignite and now they have a promotion offer if you’re interested. Some interesting features are part of SharePoint Premium, from some AI-related features around content processing to an eSignature offer. The article also has a nice feature list if you want to check out the offer from Microsoft.
• ​The Microsoft 365 Digital Defense Report - This link isn’t the full report but ten essential insights from the report (it also includes a link to the full report). The full report is lengthy but does contain information and numbers that can help you understand more about how Microsoft is securing Microsoft 365, what types of attacks they have seen over the last year, and things you can (and should) be doing to help secure your Microsoft 365 and Azure environments.

That’s all for now; I hope you have a great day Reader!

Helping you become a Microsoft 365 Expert!

Ben Stegink