This guide summarizes Microsoft’s recommendations for enabling employees at small and medium-sized businesses to securely work from anywhere- whether from home, in the office or on the go, using the features included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a comprehensive suite of collaboration products and enterprise-grade security tools curated specifically for businesses with 1 to 300 employees. It includes Office productivity apps and services plus advanced security capabilities to help defend businesses against cyberthreats, protect company data, and secure devices. Although other licensing plans include some of these advanced security and management capabilities, for organizations with less than 300 employees, Microsoft 365 Business Premium is generally the most cost-effective package.
Because SMBs have different security needs and attitudes, the checklist includes general recommendations scenarios; however, you should evaluate each recommendation and adjust based on your customers’ unique circumstances and requirements.
Many businesses will want to enable security and balance ease of use with security. Other businesses may want to maximize security protections and have higher concern for risk (for example, to adhere to regulatory requirements such as HIPAA or GLBA). This business is also willing to apply more effort and resources into maintaining security and control of the work environment.
These guidelines are intended to provide a starting point for a serious discussion around the security and compliance options available, rather than prescriptive guidance. One of the first and most important things that IT leaders and business leaders can do is talk through the possibilities.
