Driving Trust Through Certification: New TAC Feature Updates for IT Admins
Managing app security and compliance in Microsoft Teams just got easier! With recent updates in Teams Admin Center (TAC), IT admins can now quickly identify trusted apps and enforce organizational standards with confidence. These enhancements not only simplify governance but also underscore the value of Microsoft 365 Certification as a key trust driver. What Existed in TAC? Before the recent trust‑based enhancements, Teams Admin Center already provided foundational visibility into app trust through the Security & compliance tab in the app details experience. This surfaced key signals such as publisher information, permission scopes, data access, and links to security and compliance documentation, helping admins perform due diligence during app reviews. While these signals required manual review and cross‑checking, they established an important baseline for evaluating risk and compliance, reinforcing the role of TAC as the central place for governing apps in Microsoft Teams. What’s New in TAC? Trust Visibility Enhancements The new “Apps to Consider Allowing” tile highlights certified apps, publisher-attested apps, and those providing compliance evidence. This feature enables IT admins to quickly filter and identify apps that meet organizational standards. Security & Compliance Column and filters Amins can now view compliance attributes—such as SOC 2, FedRAMP, and penetration testing—directly in TAC. This helps admins speed up app reviews with trust-based filters and make informed choices without leaving the dashboard. Trust-based filters enable IT Administrators using Teams admin center to view and easily filter apps and agents by specific industry standards, certifications and compliance attributes such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and more. This will help to streamline app evaluation workflows, enabling broader access to trusted apps across the organization. Dedicated Collections Curated lists of certified apps and agents for easier discovery. Saves time by grouping trusted solutions in one place. Why It Matters For IT Admins: Streamlined governance, reduced risk, and faster compliance checks. For ISVs: Certification boosts visibility and credibility, helping apps stand out in a competitive marketplace. Call to Action Get certified to boost visibility and trust. Learn more about Microsoft 365 Certification →Microsoft 365 Certification
Why Microsoft 365 Certified Apps and Agents Matter for IT Admins As an IT Admin, you're constantly balancing innovation, security, and user productivity. With the growing ecosystem of apps/agents integrating into Microsoft 365, how do you ensure the ones your organization adopts are secure, compliant, and reliable? That’s where Microsoft 365 Certification comes in. What Is Microsoft 365 Certification? Microsoft 365 Certification is a rigorous program that evaluates third-party apps across key dimensions like security, compliance, data handling, and privacy. Certified apps/agents meet Microsoft’s highest standards and are verified through independent assessments and documentation reviews. Top Benefits for IT Admins 🔐 Enhanced Security & Compliance Certified apps/agents undergo thorough security testing, including vulnerability assessments and penetration testing. Many of the controls these apps / agents adhere to are based on established frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR. This ensures that certified apps align with recognized industry standards, providing confidence when deploying them in enterprise settings. 🛠️ Streamlined Governance With certification, IT Admins can confidently shortlist apps or agents in their tenant, knowing they meet Microsoft’s governance criteria. This reduces the overhead of manual vetting and accelerates app adoption. 📍 Discoverability in Microsoft 365 Ecosystem Certified agents are tagged with a “Microsoft 365 Certified” badge in AppSource, Teams Store and the Microsoft 365 admin center, making them easier to find and trust. 📊 Transparency & Documentation The Microsoft Admin Center and Teams Admin Center include a Security & Compliance section under Integrated Apps where admins can view certification details for apps. This feature is designed to improve transparency and speed up app evaluation. Here’s what is available: Certification Class Publisher Verified – Confirms developer authenticity. Publisher Attested – Indicates the app’s security and compliance posture based on self-assessment. Microsoft 365 Certified – Shows that the app has passed Microsoft’s rigorous audit against security and compliance controls. These details help IT teams understand the app’s risk posture before deployment. Evidence Sharing Developers can opt to share certification evidence (e.g., policy docs, system configs, penetration test reports) directly in MAC. This evidence is uploaded during the certification process in Partner Center and, if consented, becomes visible to admins in Microsoft Admin Center and Teams Admin Center. How to Find Certified Apps Visit the Business Apps – Microsoft AppSource to explore certified apps by category, publisher, or certification level. You can also filter apps directly in AppSource or within the Microsoft 365 admin center. Join the Conversation Have you deployed a Microsoft 365 Certified agent in your organization? Share your experience in the comments below or start a thread in the Microsoft Tech Community to help others make informed decisions.The new cloud-based policy management service for Office 365 ProPlus has been released!
The Office cloud policy service allows administrators to define policies for Office 365 ProPlus and assign these policies to users via Azure Active Directory security groups. Get started today by visiting and signing into the Office cloud policy service.Microsoft 365 E5 Security is now available as an add-on to Microsoft 365 Business Premium
The threat landscape continues to evolve creating ongoing challenges for small and medium businesses (SMBs) that are faced with increased regulations and cyberinsurance requirements. Today, Microsoft 365 Business Premium delivers core security solutions to SMBs that help safeguard data, defend against cyberthreats, and manage access and devices. With the growing volume of attacks and increased sophistication of threats, there are SMBs that want enhanced cybersecurity protection for their business. We are pleased to announce that Business Premium customers are now able to purchase Microsoft 365 E5 Security as an add-on to further enhance their security. E5 Security brings new security value on top of Business Premium with Microsoft Entra ID Plan 2, Microsoft Defender for Identity, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. (ENHANCED) Identity and access controls Business Premium includes Microsoft Entra ID P1, which provides single sign-on, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and conditional access to help SMBs manage user identities and enable access to applications and resources from trusted users, devices, and locations. Microsoft Entra ID P2 offers advanced security and governance features including Microsoft Entra ID Protection and Microsoft Entra ID Governance. Microsoft Entra ID protection offers risk-based conditional access that helps block identity attacks in real time using behavioral analytics and signals from both user risk and sign-in risk. It also enables SMBs to detect, investigate, and remediate potential identity-based risks using sophisticated machine learning and anomaly detection capabilities. With detailed reports and alerts, your business is notified of suspicious user activities and sign-in attempts, including scenarios like a password-spray where attackers try to gain unauthorized access to company employee accounts by trying a small number of commonly used passwords across many different accounts. ID Governance capabilities are also included to help automate workflows and processes that give users access to resources. For example, IT admins historically manage the onboarding process manually and generate repetitive user access requests for Managers to review which is time consuming and inefficient. With ID Governance capabilities, pre-configured workflows facilitate the automation of employee onboarding, user access, and lifecycle management throughout their employment, streamlining the process and reducing onboarding time. (NEW) Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Microsoft Defender XDR delivers a unified and efficient approach to incident-level visibility across the attack lifecycle. Together XDR and exposure management (XSPM) consolidate multiple siloed security solutions to provide best-of-breed capabilities across identities, endpoints, apps, and email. (NEW) Identity threat detection and response (ITDR) Identities are one of the most common attack vectors making identity-specific threat detection and response a critical element to secure your business. Microsoft Defender for Identity includes dedicated sensors and connectors for common identity elements that offer visibility into your unique identity landscape and provide detailed posture recommendations, robust detections and response actions. These powerful detections are then automatically enriched and correlated with data from other domains across Defender XDR for true incident-level visibility. (ENHANCED) Device security Microsoft Defender for Business (MDB) already brings enterprise-grade device protection capabilities to Business Premium customers across Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android devices. It includes vulnerability management, next-generation antivirus protection, AI-powered endpoint detection and response with automatic attack disruption, and automated investigation and remediation. With streaming APIs, customers and partners can build Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services with Defender for Business. For customers who need advanced hunting, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 adds advanced hunting, and 6 months of data retention on the device, along with endpoint security for IoT devices. (ENHANCED) Email and Collaboration security Microsoft Defender for Office 365 P1 in Business Premium includes SafeLinks with time of click URL filtering, safe attachments with real-time attachment scanning in sandbox, and phishing and malware defense across email, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. It also has AI-powered LLM-based threat protection with 99.995% attacker intent detection accuracy. With Defender for Office 365 P2, you gain access to cyber-attack simulation training, which provides SMBs with a safe and controlled environment to simulate real-world cyber-attacks, helping to train employees in recognizing phishing attempts. Additionally automated response capabilities and post-breach investigations help reduce the time and resources required to identify and remediate potential security breaches. Detailed reports are also available that capture information on employees’ URL clicks, internal and external email distribution, and more. (NEW) Software-as-a-service (SaaS) security Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a comprehensive, AI-powered software-as-a-service (SaaS) security solution that enables IT teams to identify and manage shadow IT and ensure that only approved applications are used. It protects against sophisticated SaaS-based attacks, OAuth attacks, and risky interactions with GenAI apps by combing SaaS app discovery, security posture management, app-to-app protection, and integrated threat protection. IT teams can gain full visibility into their SaaS app landscape, understand the risks and set up controls to manage the apps. SaaS security posture management quickly identifies app misconfigurations and provides remediation actions to reduce the attack surface. E5 Security delivers added protection to meet the growing needs of SMBs in a package that is cost-effective. Purchasing E5 Security has 57% savings when compared to the cost of separately purchasing the individual products that are included. FAQ When will E5 Security be available for purchase? E5 Security is available for purchase as an add-on to Business Premium starting today, 3/6. How can I purchase E5 Security? You can purchase E5 Security as an add-on to Business Premium through Microsoft Security for SMBs website or through your Partner. Does Microsoft 365 Business Premium plus Microsoft 365 E5 Security allow mixed licensing for endpoint security solutions? Microsoft Defender for Business does not support mixed licensing so a tenant with Defender for Business (included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium) along with Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 (included in Microsoft 365 Security) will default to Defender for Business. For example, if you have 80 users licensed for Microsoft 365 Business Premium and you’ve added Microsoft 365 E5 Security for 30 of those users, the experience for all users will default to Defender for Business. If you would like to change that to the Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 experience, you should license all users for Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 (either through standalone or Microsoft 365 E5 Security) and then contact Microsoft Support to request the switch for your tenant. You can learn more here. What are the differences between Microsoft Defender for Business and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2? MDB includes many of the same features as MDE P2, including enterprise-grade device protection for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android devices, vulnerability management, next-generation antivirus protection, AI-powered endpoint detection and response with automatic attack disruption, and automated investigation and remediation. MDE P2 adds endpoint security for IoT devices, threat hunting, and 6 months of data retention on the device. A detailed comparison is available here. As a Partner, how do I build Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services with MDB? For partners or customers looking to build their own security operations center (SOC) with MDR, Defender for Business supports the streaming of device events (device file, registry, network, logon events and more) to Azure Event Hub, Azure Storage, and Microsoft Sentinel to support advanced hunting and attack detection. If you are using the streaming API for the first time, you can find step-by-step instructions in the Microsoft 365 Streaming API Guide on configuring the Microsoft 365 Streaming API to stream events to your Azure Event Hubs or to your Azure Storage Account. To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions for SMBs you can visit our website. Partners can access training resources, customer decks and deployment checklists from our Business Premium Partner Playbook and find additional resources for Microsoft Security for Partners.Highlighting the importance of securing your business during National Small Business Week
It is a common misconception that cyberattacks only threaten large corporations. In reality, 1 in 3 small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) have experienced a cyberattack (1), ranging from phishing schemes to ransomware attacks. The average cost of a cyberattack is over $250K up to $7M (2), which can be a significant financial loss for a small business. This National Small Business Week, we want to highlight product innovations, customer stories, and resources. To help you understand the importance of cybersecurity and discover ways to protect your small and medium business. Microsoft 365 Business Premium helps you run your business, securely. Many small businesses do not have a dedicated IT team to manage their security needs. As a result, they need a simple and affordable solution. Microsoft 365 Business Premium combines essential security and productivity capabilities in a solution that is easy to use and cost-effective. It provides layered protection across user identities, devices, email and collaboration apps, and data security. To meet the growing needs of small businesses, we announced AI-powered phishing protection in Defender for Office 365. This helps detect and filter business email compromise (BEC) with 99.5% accuracy. We integrate with some of the top managed detection and response (MDR) providers such as Huntress, Blackpoint Cyber, Chorus Cyber, and ConnectWise MDR. For partners, we introduced the SMB-Verified Solution Status within the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA). The status highlights purpose-built technology solutions for SMBs and MSPs. As your security needs grow, Microsoft 365 E5 Security is available as an add-on: As cyberthreats continue to grow, and as cyber insurance and regulatory requirements evolve, many small businesses are now looking for enterprise-level security. To support the growing security needs, Microsoft now offers Microsoft 365 E5 Security as an add-on for Business Premium. E5 Security brings enterprise-grade protection on top of Business Premium. It gives organizations access to Microsoft’s most sophisticated security technologies. The Microsoft 365 E5 Security suite is cost-effective, saving organizations up to 57% compared to buying each product individually. Microsoft 365 E5 Security adds additional enterprise-grade XDR capabilities to what is already available in Business Premium. Such as: Identity, access, and protection controls: Business Premium includes Microsoft Entra ID P1, providing single sign-on, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and device and IP location based conditional access helping SMBs manage user identities and enable access from anywhere. Entra ID P2, as part of Microsoft 365 E5 Security, has Entra ID Protection offering risk-based conditional access that helps block identity attacks in real time using behavioral analytics and signals from both user risk and sign-in risk. Entra ID P2 also includes ID Governance capabilities to help automate workflows and processes that give users access to resources. With Privileged Identity Management (PIM) companies can provide users with only the minimum privileges needed to accomplish the tasks they're authorized to perform. Microsoft 365 E5 Security has Microsoft Defender for Identity which identifies, detects, and investigates threats for on-premises identities. Email and Collaboration security: Business Premium includes Microsoft Defender for Office 365 P1, which provides anti-phishing and anti-malware defenses, including Safe Links and Safe Attachments for real-time scanning of URLs and files sent via email, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint. Microsoft 365 E5 Security includes Microsoft Defender for Office 365 P2, which enhances the protections in P1. Providing automated investigation and response capabilities, as well as cyber-attack simulation training for both email and Microsoft Teams. Defender for Office 365 now offers end-to-end protection in Microsoft Teams. Organizations can report suspicious Teams messages, leverage advanced threat hunting capabilities within Teams, and gain more control over external organizational communications. Device Security Business Premium includes Microsoft Defender for Business (MDB) which brings AI-powered endpoint detection and response with automatic attack disruption, automated investigation and remediation, across Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android devices. E5 Security includes Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 adds advanced hunting, access to threat experts, and 6 months of data retention on the device. E5 Security also includes Microsoft Defender for IoT, which helps protect connected devices such as network printers and cameras. Software-as-a- service (SaaS) security: Microsoft 365 E5 Security introduces Defender for Cloud Apps, which helps prevent breaches caused by SaaS app misconfigurations—a common attack vector. Defender for Cloud Apps enables automated and continuous monitoring of SaaS apps to reduce security vulnerabilities and increase compliance by detecting misconfigurations and providing remediation steps for risky configurations. Lean more about Microsoft 365 E5 Security. See Customers in Action: “It’s valuable that Microsoft 365 Business Premium provides all the native controls for us to implement security benchmarks in audits and dramatically reduce the attack surface area”- JJ Milner, Cloud Architect and Managing Director, Global Micro Solutions Acumen Group partnered with Global Micro Solutions, a Microsoft partner, to help implement Business Premium due to increasingly complex mobile device management and security requirements as they scaled. “As part of our Microsoft E5 license which provides security features such as data loss prevention (DLP) and information labeling, we get just about every app under the sun and the more we delve into it, the more we can use it”- Danielle Brautigan, General and Finance Manager, McGees Property McGees Property switched to Microsoft 365, moving from on-premises servers and services to the cloud after being hit by a ransomware attack. The attack locked McGee’s employees out of their files for more than four weeks, forcing them to work from personal email accounts. Resources: At Microsoft, we have created multiple resources to help highlight the importance of cybersecurity and how to get started with Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Are you a customer? Visit our website to learn more about Microsoft Security solutions for SMBs. Are you a partner? Check out our partner playbooks to get started on your SMB managed services journey,– Microsoft 365 Business Premium Partner Playbook and Microsoft 365 E5 Security deck. References: [1, 2] 7 cybersecurity trends and tips for small and medium businesses to stay protected, Scott Woodgate. October 31, 2024Microsoft 365 Business Premium Partner Updates- New product license benefits and Partner Playbook
To help IT partners in your journey to learn, deploy and sell Microsoft 365 Business Premium and build the right managed service offers for your customers, we recently announced new partner enablement benefits and training.
