Microsoft 365 Security Assessment and Tenant Hardening
Microsoft 365 security keeps slipping behind daily operations.
You know your tenant needs to become more secure. But between support, new requirements and running projects, the implementation keeps slipping. I support your IT team in reviewing the security posture, prioritising risks and implementing agreed measures.
What is tenant hardening?
Tenant hardening means systematically securing an existing Microsoft 365 tenant: sign-in and admin rights, guest access, sharing, app permissions, email protection and devices. It starts with an assessment that ranks risks by impact and effort. The measures are then implemented and tested step by step so that operations keep running.
What I often find in grown tenants
- Users may grant applications access to their mailbox and files on their own, without anyone reviewing it.
- App registrations with far-reaching permissions and client secrets that never expire.
- Automatic forwarding of mailboxes to external addresses is allowed.
- Guest accounts from finished projects still have access to Teams and SharePoint.
- Anyone-with-the-link sharing is the default and is not monitored.
- The audit log is running but is neither reviewed nor retained long enough.
What I take on
- Assessment of the agreed areas: identities, access, devices or collaboration.
- Prioritisation by risk, operational effort and dependencies.
- Implementation of the approved measures within the agreed scope.
- Documentation of configuration, testing and remaining tasks.
Process and duration
The assessment is finished in 7 working days, counted from the moment read access is set up. The hardening that follows takes about two weeks on average.
Assessment: 7 working days
Review with read access; result as a one-page risk overview and a prioritised action plan with effort per item.
Hardening day 1–3: plan
The most important measures are selected; order and schedule are agreed with your IT team.
Hardening day 4–10: implementation
Configuration and testing of every measure before it is enforced.
Hardening day 11–14: handover
Documentation of all changes and a handover meeting with your IT team.
What your IT team receives
You receive a traceable working basis and documentation of the measures actually implemented. Recommendations, approvals, implementation and test results remain clearly separated. Your IT team can then continue to run the environment in a targeted way.
Why implementation stalls
A list of recommendations does not solve your IT team's capacity problem. That is why we first clarify which tasks I take on and who reviews the changes in operations. Your existing IT service provider can stay involved.
Credentials
- Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert
- Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert
- Microsoft Certified: Information Security Administrator Associate (SC-401)
- 21+ years of IT experience, 50+ Microsoft 365 projects
All certifications can be verified publicly in the Microsoft Learn profile.
Frequently asked questions
Which permissions do you need for the assessment?
Read access is enough for the assessment, for example the Entra role Global Reader. Nothing in the tenant is changed in this phase. Write permissions are only granted for the approved hardening measures.
How long does a Microsoft 365 security assessment take?
The assessment is finished in 7 working days, counted from the moment read access is set up. Hardening the most important points afterwards takes about two weeks on average.
Can our IT service provider stay involved?
Yes. At the start we clarify which tasks I take on and who reviews changes in operations. The documentation is written so that your IT team or provider can continue running the environment afterwards.
More about me: Profile Philipp Schmidt · easym365.de