{"id":1933,"date":"2023-01-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/education\/blog\/2023\/01\/26\/protect-against-cybersecurity-risks-with-microsoft-365-a5-security\/"},"modified":"2024-11-15T16:12:56","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T00:12:56","slug":"protect-against-cybersecurity-risks-with-microsoft-365-a5-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/education\/blog\/2023\/01\/protect-against-cybersecurity-risks-with-microsoft-365-a5-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Protect against cybersecurity risks with Microsoft 365 A5 security"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Microsoft 365 A5 security suite helps districts and schools provide safe and secure learning experiences backed by world class protection and consolidated into one cost-effective solution. Together, the A5 security suite is crucial in helping to preserve student data, manage compliance policies, and detect and respond to cybersecurity threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore 10 Microsoft 365 A5 tools and features that can help secure your district and keep it protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Detect advanced threats with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When vulnerabilities are identified and pursued before they become a threat, student learning can remain uninterrupted, and all facets of an institution can continue to operate. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint<\/a> is a security platform designed to protect enterprise networks from advanced threats using a combination of technology built into Windows 11 and Microsoft’s cloud service. It uses endpoint behavioral sensors, cloud security analytics, and threat intelligence to detect and respond to advanced threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Prevent phishing attacks with Microsoft Defender<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Phishing attacks can happen to anyone within a school or district. Microsoft 365 Defender<\/a> provides multi-tiered phishing prevention that helps protect users from increasingly complex phishing attacks. Within Defender, default settings protect users from the start and IT staff can fine tune settings such as Spoof, Impersonation, and Advanced Phishing Thresholds. Schools can also refine and improve their protection through simulating attacks on individuals or groups within Active Directory or through Breach and Attack Simulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Configure Anti-Phishing settings
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3. Protect users from malware with Microsoft Defender<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Malware is a huge concern for schools. In fact, over 80% of reported malware attacks<\/a> in the past 30 days occurred in education. Microsoft Defender<\/a> contains a security feature that helps schools protect against malware, including viruses, ransomware, and spyware. It runs continuously in real-time to monitor for malicious activity and performs daily scans to check for any threats that may have slipped through. If Microsoft Defender detects something suspicious, it will try to block it and alert the user. Users can also manually initiate a scan for malware at any time from the Microsoft Defender dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Configure Anti-malware settings<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Address risks with Microsoft Purview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether threats are intentional or inadvertent, it\u2019s vital for schools to utilize every tool and resource available to identify potential risks and close gaps before a breach occurs. Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management<\/a> helps organizations identify and address potentially risky activity by leveraging a range of service and third-party indicators. It uses logs from Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Graph<\/a> to define policies for identifying risk indicators. It also provides the ability to take action to mitigate identified risks, open investigation cases, and take legal action if necessary, using eDiscovery (Premium)<\/a>. This tool helps schools respond to legal matters or internal investigations by identifying and collecting relevant data from the Microsoft 365 platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Manage mobile and laptop devices with Intune for Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Intune for Education<\/a> is the Microsoft 365 A5 solution for device management. In an era of Zero Trust security models, schools that reduce the number of external tools and apps students and staff use help eliminate potential insecurities and breach points. Intune for Education provides IT staff with a single platform that can manage a mix of laptops, tablets, and smartphones in multiple operating systems such as Windows, MacOS, iOS, Linux, or ChromeOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Manage your endpoint devices<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT administrators can distribute apps to students and educators without physically handling their devices. These apps become available to users the next time they log in and follow them to any device. This ensures students only have access to the instructional apps they need for learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Manage your endpoint apps<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n