Microsoft 365 dominates the business email space, which makes it a target for cybercriminals. Fortunately, you don’t have to accept that breaches are simply a part of doing business in the digital age. With the right strategies, you can mitigate almost all attacks. Leveraging the best encryption integrations for Microsoft 365 will help you close the gap.
Microsoft’s Native Security Capabilities Are Not Enough
Outlook, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint have decent built-in security functionality. However, sophisticated cyberattacks can easily penetrate its defenses. You could call E5 — the most expensive tier with advanced security and compliance capabilities — robust.
However, the cybersecurity landscape constantly evolves, so these core defenses are no longer enough. For reference, nearly 25% of Microsoft 365 users are classified as high-risk as of 2025 despite paying hundreds annually for E5 security licenses.
While no tool can stop 100% of breaches, you may rely too heavily on Microsoft to maintain your cybersecurity posture. Even basic attacks can succeed if hackers exploit the right vulnerability.
In February 2025, a botnet of over 130,000 devices targeted Microsoft 365 accounts by exploiting a basic authentication feature. Its high-volume brute-force attacks were recorded in noninteractive sign-in logs, enabling it to remain virtually undetected. Experts say it should serve as a wake-up call for enterprises heavily reliant on native security capabilities.
Risk minimization involves securing every possible attack vector. Supplemental security features — namely access management and encryption — are essential for mitigating phishing and data breaches.
4 Enterprise-Level Security Strategies for Microsoft 365
Here are five enterprise-level cybersecurity strategies for defending against Microsoft 365 security threats.
- Switch From Monitor-Only Mode to Quarantine
Is your domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance (DMARC) in monitor-only mode? When it is set to p=none, it provides virtually no protection. Enforcement is vital for mitigating ever-evolving threats, so you should use p=quarantine or p=reject instead.
Quarantining messages that fail authentication will help protect employees from phishing attempts. Although you may lose some genuine emails with reject mode, it offers the most protection. This strategy is effective since human error is a common cause of breaches.
- Establish and Enforce Multifactor Authentication
Multifactor authentication prevents unauthorized access even if cybercriminals have legitimate credentials. If your enterprise does not use it, it should. Stop employees from creating workarounds by developing strict enforcement mechanisms.
- Assign Granular Role-Based Access Privileges
While you may consider giving administrators extensive privileges normal, unrestricted access can lead to unauthorized actions, resulting in breaches, especially when hijacked by hackers. According to the principle of least privilege, accounts should have the absolute minimum permissions necessary to complete their work.
Granular, role-based access control is essential for a zero-trust identity and access management approach.
- Encrypt Documents, Attachments and Messages
Sometimes, you have to share sensitive files, which can be especially risky if you send them to external parties. Encryption is the best method for preventing breaches. Even if hackers steal every scrap of information you have, they won’t be able to do anything with it. A fully integrated add-on is the best way to streamline the process.
5 Best Encryption Integrations for Microsoft 365 Users
With the best encryption integrations for Microsoft 365, you can defend against the threats Microsoft’s security layers missed.
- DataMotion
DataMotion is the best encryption integration for Microsoft 365. Use it to send and receive forms, messages and documents without leaving the Microsoft environment. It is fully integrated, so there are no separate downloads or logins. The Send Secure button encrypts emails in one click. You can also utilize smart secure forms and secure file sharing.
You can use permissions, tracking and message retraction to protect sensitive email data. These features are embedded directly into your existing workflows, making cybersecurity user-friendly and frictionless. DataMotion is backed by the HITRUST common security framework, simplifying risk management and compliance.
- Egress
Cloud security provider Egress uses end-to-end encryption to defend against phishing and outbound email breaches. It performs metadata, linguistic, domain, and recipient analysis, inspecting everything from attachments to headers. To streamline the process, it leverages natural language processing and machine learning.
These tools mitigate social engineering and automatically prevent information exfiltration over email. Egress claims it stops 38% more phishing attempts than Microsoft 365 alone, which is ideal since 84% of firms have experienced one of these attacks.
- Proofpoint
Proofpoint is another integrated email and cloud security solution that leverages artificial intelligence. Over 200,000 Microsoft 365 users trust it to prevent supplier fraud, business email compromise (BEC), ransomware and phishing. Around 83% of the Fortune 100 rely on it.
It analyzes 3.4 trillion emails annually, allowing it to block 1.5 million BEC attacks monthly. It automatically detects and encrypts the sensitive data leaving your organization, eliminating human error. Of course, you can also manually configure encryption settings. Also, it enhances archiving by increasing information loss risk visibility and incident response speed.
- Virtru
The Virtru add-on for Microsoft 365 enables granular access control, allowing you to maintain data ownership even after it leaves your company. You can easily secure the files, emails and attachments you share via Outlook without using a separate account or portal. For instance, you can set expiration dates, turn off forwarding or revoke messages.
Secure file sharing protects the files you send via OneDrive and SharePoint. You can control access with user-specific access, revocation, and expiration permissions. It helps you maintain regulatory compliance without the cost or complexity of a legacy solution. Even though these features are in-depth, workplace-wide deployment takes mere minutes.
- Mimecast
AI-powered Mimecast is a fully integrated email security add-on that defends against cyberattacks targeting Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive and Microsoft Teams. You can deploy it in minutes without impacting your existing workflows. Its advanced security features and user-friendly interface are why 42,000 firms worldwide use it.
The secure messaging feature encrypts emails and attachments for specific recipients or keywords. Also, it sends employees real-time alerts about suspicious content. The DMARC analyzer mitigates spoofing attacks with 360-degree monitoring. Forensic reports allow you to track Internet Protocol addresses, source locations and email deliverability details.
Future-Proof Your Security With Strategic Integrations
Your enterprise shares lots of sensitive, proprietary, and valuable information using Microsoft 365. Why leave things up to chance? The best encryption integrations for Microsoft 365 can keep it safe. They help you manage the cost and complexity of compliance at scale.
Devin Partida is an industrial tech writer and the Editor-in-Chief of ReHack.com, a digital magazine for all things technology, big data, cryptocurrency, and more. To read more from Devin, please check out the site.
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