Is Your Microsoft 365 Really Being Managed — or Just Renewed Every Month?

Microsoft 365 has become one of the most important technology platforms in many small businesses. 

Employees rely on it for: 

• Email 

• Calendars 

• Teams 

• OneDrive 

• SharePoint 

• Word 

• Excel 

• PowerPoint 

• File sharing 

• Collaboration 

For many businesses, Microsoft 365 is where a large portion of daily work now happens. 

But there is a problem we see surprisingly often. 

The company thinks Microsoft 365 is being managed because the licenses are renewed every month. 

Those are not the same thing. 

Buying Microsoft 365 licenses keeps the service active. 

Managing Microsoft 365 means actively protecting, configuring, monitoring, and maintaining the environment. 

That difference can affect cybersecurity, productivity, employee access, licensing costs, and the ability to recover data when something goes wrong. 

Paying for Microsoft 365 Is Not the Same as Managing It 

A Microsoft 365 subscription gives your business access to Microsoft's cloud services. 

Someone still needs to make decisions about how those services are configured. 

That includes questions such as: 

• Who has administrator access? 

• Is MFA enabled correctly? 

• What happens when an employee leaves? 

• Can employees share documents outside the company? 

• Which applications can connect to Microsoft 365? 

• Are suspicious sign-ins being reviewed? 

• Is email forwarding restricted? 

• How is company data backed up? 

• Are inactive users still consuming licenses? 

If nobody is actively reviewing these areas, Microsoft 365 may be functioning without really being managed. 

Problem 1: MFA Is Not Properly Enforced 

Multi-Factor Authentication is one of the most important security controls available to Microsoft 365 users. 

But simply enabling MFA for some employees is not enough. 

Businesses should know: 

• Which users have MFA 

• Which users do not 

• Which authentication methods are allowed 

• Whether administrator accounts receive stronger protection 

• Whether legacy authentication is still allowed 

• Whether authentication policies are appropriate for the organization 

A single account without proper protection can become an entry point.

Problem 2: Too Many People Have Administrator Access 

Administrator access should be limited. 

Yet we often find environments where multiple users were granted administrator privileges years ago and nobody ever reviewed them again. 

Examples may include: 

• Former employees 

• Old IT providers 

• Vendors 

• Executives who do not need admin access 

• Employees who temporarily needed elevated permissions 

Administrator accounts can make major changes to the environment. 

That means they should receive stronger protection and regular review. 

 Global Administrator Accounts Deserve Special Attention 

Microsoft 365 Global Administrators have broad control over the tenant. 

Depending on configuration, they may be able to: 

• Create users 

• Reset passwords 

• Modify authentication 

• Change security settings 

• Manage applications 

• Change permissions 

• Access administrative functions 

Businesses should know exactly who holds Global Administrator privileges. 

There should be a legitimate reason for every account on that list. 

Problem 3: Former Employees Still Exist in Microsoft 365 

Employee offboarding should involve more than changing an email password. 

When someone leaves, the business may need to: 

• Block sign-in 

• Revoke sessions 

• Remove authentication methods 

• Transfer email 

• Transfer OneDrive data 

• Review mobile devices 

• Remove licenses 

• Remove group memberships 

• Review forwarding 

• Remove access to shared resources 

A former employee account left active creates unnecessary risk.

Blocking Sign-In Is Only Part of Offboarding 

A good Microsoft 365 offboarding process also considers what happens to the employee's data. 

For example: 

• Who needs access to their mailbox? 

• Who owns their OneDrive files? 

• Should incoming email be forwarded? 

• How long should the account be retained? 

• Which Teams or SharePoint resources did they use? 

The goal is to remove access without accidentally losing important business information. 

Problem 4: Email Forwarding Goes Unnoticed 

Email forwarding can be useful. 

It can also be abused. 

An attacker who compromises a mailbox may attempt to configure forwarding so copies of messages are sent elsewhere. 

Employees may also create forwarding rules for convenience without understanding the risk. 

Microsoft 365 management should include visibility into: 

• Mailbox forwarding 

• Inbox rules 

• External forwarding 

• Suspicious mail-flow changes 

A compromised mailbox may look perfectly normal to the employee while information is quietly being copied somewhere else.

Problem 5: External Sharing Is Too Open 

OneDrive and SharePoint make collaboration easy. 

Employees can quickly share documents with: 

• Customers 

• Vendors 

• Contractors 

• Business partners 

That convenience needs controls. 

Businesses should understand: 

• Who can share externally 

• Whether anonymous links are allowed 

• Whether links expire 

• Who can access shared folders 

• Whether old external access is reviewed 

• Whether sensitive information is being shared appropriately 

External sharing should be convenient without becoming uncontrolled. 

Problem 6: Employees Can Approve Applications Without Enough Oversight 

Many cloud applications want to connect to Microsoft 365. 

An employee may click: 

“Sign in with Microsoft.” 

Then approve permissions. 

Those permissions might allow an application to access: 

• Email 

• Calendar 

• Contacts 

• Files 

• Profile information 

Some integrations are legitimate and useful. 

Others may request more access than they need. 

Businesses should periodically review third-party applications connected to Microsoft 365 and remove those that are no longer necessary.

AI Makes Application Permissions Even More Important 

AI applications are increasingly connecting directly to Microsoft 365. 

Meeting assistants, productivity tools, browser extensions, and AI platforms may request access to: 

• Outlook 

• Teams 

• OneDrive 

• SharePoint 

• Calendars 

• Meetings 

That can create major productivity benefits. 

It can also expose a large amount of company information if permissions are not reviewed carefully. 

AI application access should become part of Microsoft 365 management.

Problem 7: Nobody Reviews Suspicious Sign-Ins 

Microsoft 365 generates useful identity and security information. 

But somebody needs to look at it. 

Depending on licensing and configuration, suspicious behavior may include: 

• Unexpected locations 

• New devices 

• Impossible travel 

• Unusual authentication activity 

• Risky sign-ins 

• Repeated failed login attempts 

Simply collecting logs does not protect the business if nobody reviews or responds to them.

Problem 8: Licensing Has Become Messy 

Microsoft 365 licensing often grows organically. 

A business hires someone. 

A license gets added. 

The employee leaves. 

Another employee needs a different application. 

Before long, nobody is quite sure: 

• Which licenses are assigned 

• Why users have them 

• Which features are actually being used 

• Whether former employees still consume licenses 

• Whether the licensing matches the company's security needs 

Regular licensing review can help control cost while making sure employees have the right features.

The Cheapest License Is Not Always the Right License 

Microsoft 365 plans include different capabilities. 

The cheapest option may provide the applications employees need but not necessarily the security or management capabilities the business requires. 

Licensing decisions should consider: 

• Business applications 

• Device management 

• Identity security 

• Email security 

• Compliance requirements 

• Conditional Access 

• Endpoint management 

The right plan depends on how the organization operates.

Problem 9: Microsoft 365 Data Is Assumed to Be Automatically Backed Up Forever 

This is another common misconception. 

Because Microsoft 365 runs in the cloud, some businesses assume: 

“Microsoft has our data, so we don't need to worry about backup.” 

Microsoft provides extensive availability, retention, and recovery capabilities. 

But businesses should still understand how they would recover information after: 

• Accidental deletion 

• Malicious deletion 

• Employee mistakes 

• Account compromise 

• Ransomware 

• Retention expiration 

The important question is not simply: 

“Is the data in Microsoft 365?” 

It is: 

“If this information disappeared today, could we recover it in the timeframe we need?”

Microsoft 365 Backup Should Be Part of the Overall Recovery Strategy 

Businesses should determine what recovery expectations apply to: 

• Exchange Online 

• OneDrive 

• SharePoint 

• Teams 

For important cloud data, the recovery plan should be documented and understood before an incident happens. 

Microsoft 365 should be included in the same business-continuity conversation as servers, applications, and local data.

Problem 10: Microsoft 365 Is Managed Reactively 

This may be the biggest problem of all. 

An employee cannot log in. 

Someone resets the password. 

An employee leaves. 

Someone disables the mailbox. 

A license is needed. 

Someone buys it. 

That keeps things working. 

But it is reactive administration. 

Active Microsoft 365 management asks bigger questions: 

• Is authentication getting stronger? 

• Are administrator accounts appropriate? 

• Are security policies current? 

• Are old accounts being removed? 

• Are suspicious sign-ins reviewed? 

• Are applications being monitored? 

• Is external sharing controlled? 

• Is the environment documented? 

• Does the licensing still fit the business? 

That is the difference between maintaining access and actually managing the platform.

What Proper Microsoft 365 Management Should Include 

Every business is different, but ongoing management may include: 

User Management 

Creating, changing, and removing user access consistently. 

Multi-Factor Authentication 

Making sure employees use appropriate authentication methods. 

Administrator Security 

Limiting privileged access and strengthening administrator authentication. 

Microsoft Entra ID 

Managing identities, sign-ins, access, and authentication policies. 

Conditional Access 

Using identity, user, device, location, or other conditions to make better access decisions when appropriate. 

Email Security

Managing protections against phishing, malware, spoofing, and Business Email Compromise. 

Sharing Controls 

Managing OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and external sharing. 

Application Permissions 

Reviewing third-party and connected applications. 

Employee Onboarding and Offboarding 

Creating and removing access in a documented process. 

Licensing 

Making sure employees have appropriate licensing without unnecessary waste. 

Backup and Recovery 

Understanding how important Microsoft 365 data will be restored. 

Microsoft 365 Security Should Be Layered 

Microsoft 365 security is not one setting. 

Businesses may need multiple protections working together: 

• MFA 

• Phishing-resistant authentication 

• Conditional Access 

• Email security 

• Endpoint protection 

• Employee training 

• Administrator protection 

• Application controls 

• Backup 

• Monitoring 

No single control eliminates every risk. 

The goal is to make it harder for one stolen password or one employee mistake to become a major business incident.

When Did Someone Last Review Your Microsoft 365 Environment? 

This is a useful question for business owners to ask. 

Not: 

“When was the last support ticket?” 

Instead: 

“When was the last time someone actually reviewed our Microsoft 365 configuration?” 

That review might look at: 

• Users 

• Administrators 

• Authentication 

• Security policies 

• Forwarding 

• Connected applications 

• Sharing 

• Licensing 

• Backup 

• Former employee access 

If nobody can remember the last review, that is worth addressing.

Questions to Ask Your Current IT Provider 

Ask these questions: 

• Is MFA enforced for every employee? 

• Which MFA methods are being used? 

• Who are our Global Administrators? 

• Are administrator accounts reviewed? 

• How do you handle employee offboarding? 

• Do you review mailbox forwarding? 

• Do you review connected Microsoft 365 applications? 

• How is external sharing controlled? 

• Are suspicious sign-ins monitored? 

• Do you review Microsoft 365 licensing? 

• How is Microsoft 365 backed up? 

• What happens if a user's mailbox is compromised? 

• Are Conditional Access policies being used? 

• How often is our Microsoft 365 environment reviewed? 

The answers should be understandable. 

You should not need to be a Microsoft engineer to understand whether someone is actively managing your environment. 

Microsoft 365 Management Becomes More Important as the Business Grows 

A five-person business can often operate with relatively simple technology. 

Then the company grows. 

Employees are added. 

Remote workers appear. 

Files move to SharePoint. 

Teams becomes important. 

More cloud applications get connected. 

Customer information increases. 

The Microsoft 365 environment becomes more complex. 

What worked with five employees may not be appropriate with 25, 50, or 100. 

That is why Microsoft 365 management should evolve with the business.

How Network Computer Pros Manages Microsoft 365 for Businesses 

Network Computer Pros helps small and mid-sized businesses manage Microsoft 365 as part of their broader IT and cybersecurity environment. 

That can include: 

• Microsoft 365 administration 

• User management 

• Employee onboarding and offboarding 

• Multi-Factor Authentication 

• Microsoft Entra ID 

• Conditional Access 

• Administrator account management 

• Email security 

• Microsoft 365 security settings 

• Licensing 

• Application permissions 

• Backup and recovery 

• Help desk support 

We look at Microsoft 365 as more than a collection of software licenses. 

For many businesses, it has become the center of communication, collaboration, identity, and company data. 

It should be managed accordingly. 

Network Computer Pros supports businesses throughout South Florida and Middle Tennessee, including Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton, Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and surrounding communities. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Microsoft 365 Management

Microsoft 365 Has Become Too Important to Put on Autopilot 

Microsoft 365 may contain your: 

• Email 

• Customer conversations 

• Company files 

• Calendars 

• Teams meetings 

• Financial documents 

• Employee data 

• Shared business knowledge 

For many businesses, losing access to Microsoft 365 would immediately disrupt operations. 

That is why simply paying the monthly Microsoft invoice is not enough. 

The better question is: 

Who is actively managing our Microsoft 365 environment, and what exactly are they doing? 

If the answer is unclear, it may be time for a review. 

Network Computer Pros can help evaluate your current Microsoft 365 environment, including users, security, authentication, administration, backup, licensing, and connected applications. 

Schedule a quick Microsoft 365 and IT consultation to see whether your environment is really being managed.