Security Architecture

Zero Trust Starts With Microsoft 365 Identity.

Microsoft 365's default configuration is not a secure configuration. Default settings prioritize ease of use. We harden your environment against real-world threats using the full Microsoft security stack — Entra ID, Defender, Purview, and Intune — configured to the standards your compliance requirements and threat model actually demand.

What We Configure

Full Stack Coverage

We configure the full Microsoft 365 security stack — identity, device, data, and threat protection — aligned to Zero Trust principles and your compliance framework requirements.

Entra ID Hardening

Microsoft Entra ID is the control plane for your entire M365 tenant. We configure directory settings, application registration controls, guest access policies, and identity governance to the standard your environment requires.

Conditional Access Policy Design

Named locations, sign-in risk policies, compliant device requirements, MFA enforcement, and session controls — a complete Conditional Access policy architecture that balances security with user experience.

Microsoft Defender for M365

Defender for Office 365 (Plan 1 and Plan 2), Defender for Endpoint, and Defender for Identity configuration — attack simulation, threat hunting policies, and incident response playbooks.

Microsoft Purview Information Protection

Sensitivity labels, automatic labeling policies, DLP rules aligned to your data classification scheme, and information barriers for regulated environments.

Microsoft Intune — MDM & MAM

Device compliance policies, configuration profiles, app protection policies (MAM), and conditional access enforcement for enrolled and BYOD devices across your organization.

Microsoft Secure Score Improvement

Structured Secure Score improvement program — prioritized recommendations aligned to your risk tolerance, with implementation and measurement over a defined engagement period.

Compliance Alignment

Built Around Your Compliance Requirements

Every configuration we deploy maps to the specific controls your compliance frameworks require — not generic best practices.

CIS Microsoft 365 Foundations BenchmarkHIPAA Technical SafeguardsCMMC 2.0 Level 2NIST SP 800-171NIST SP 800-53Microsoft Zero Trust Framework

Accelerated by TenantForge

We use TenantForge to run a comprehensive security posture assessment at the start of every security engagement — Secure Score analysis, Conditional Access gap review, Defender deployment status, and identity governance health. What takes days manually takes minutes with TenantForge.

FAQ

Common Questions

What is the difference between M365 security and just enabling MFA?
MFA is one control out of hundreds that constitute a secure M365 configuration. A complete security posture includes Conditional Access policies, Defender deployment, Purview configuration, Intune device compliance, Entra ID identity governance, and monitoring. MFA alone, without the broader architecture, leaves significant gaps that sophisticated threat actors routinely exploit.
We have Microsoft E3 licenses. Can we still implement strong security?
Yes, though some capabilities require E5 or add-on licensing. Microsoft 365 E3 includes Entra ID P1, Intune, and Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 — sufficient for a strong security baseline. We assess your license tier and design the most effective security posture within your current footprint, with a clear picture of what additional investment unlocks.
What is Conditional Access and why does it matter?
Conditional Access is Microsoft Entra ID's policy engine — it controls when users can access M365 resources, from what devices, from what locations, and under what conditions. Without proper Conditional Access policies, users can authenticate from compromised or unmanaged devices, from anonymous IP addresses, and without MFA. Proper Conditional Access is the single highest-leverage security control in M365.
How do you handle security hardening without breaking end users' workflows?
We assess the current user population, device inventory, and application dependencies before making any policy changes. We implement controls in phases, test in report-only mode before enforcement, and have rollback procedures for every change. Security hardening done correctly is not disruptive — it is planned, tested, and communicated.
Do you help with Microsoft Secure Score?
Yes. Microsoft Secure Score is a useful but imperfect benchmark — some recommendations carry high point value with minimal real-world security impact, while others have low scores but significant protection value. We prioritize Secure Score improvements based on actual risk reduction, not just point accumulation, and we document every configuration change with the security rationale.

Know Your M365 Security Posture.

Start with a free M365 assessment. We'll identify where your environment stands and build a prioritized roadmap.

No commitment required · 5-day turnaround