Securing Microsoft 365 Tenants: 6 Steps with NIST CSF and CIS Controls

As businesses increasingly rely on Microsoft 365 to power their operations, securing and monitoring these environments is more important than ever. Frameworks like NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and CIS Controls offer proven best practices for protecting your digital assets, but ensuring your Microsoft 365 tenant aligns with these benchmarks can feel daunting.

In this guide, Medha Cloud shares practical strategies and tools to harden your Microsoft 365 environment, monitor it effectively, and automate security tasks for maximum efficiency.

Why Align Microsoft 365 Security with NIST CSF and CIS Controls?

NIST CSF and CIS Controls provide a structured approach to cybersecurity. While Microsoft 365 comes with built-in tools like Secure Score, they may not fully align with these frameworks. By following NIST and CIS, you can:

1. Ensure a robust cybersecurity posture.
2. Meet compliance requirements in regulated industries.
3. Proactively reduce risks and vulnerabilities.

Step 1: Start with Microsoft’s Built-in Tools

Microsoft 365 provides some excellent tools for improving your tenant’s security posture.

1. Microsoft Secure Score

Secure Score helps assess your current security settings and provides actionable recommendations. While it doesn’t directly map to NIST or CIS, it overlaps in critical areas such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), conditional access, and data loss prevention (DLP).

• Go to the Microsoft 365 Security Center and review your Secure Score.
• Implement the suggested improvements, prioritizing those with the highest impact.

2. Security Defaults in Entra ID

Enable Security Defaults in Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) to establish foundational security measures like MFA and blocking legacy authentication.

Step 2: Leverage Microsoft Compliance Manager

Why Use Compliance Manager?

Compliance Manager, available in the Microsoft 365 Compliance Center, includes pre-built templates for frameworks like NIST CSF and CIS Controls.

How It Works:

1. Select an assessment (e.g., NIST CSF).
2. Review recommendations tailored to your environment.
3. Use the step-by-step guides to implement changes.

By integrating Compliance Manager with automated workflows via Power Automate, you can reduce manual effort and stay compliant.

Step 3: Automate Security Monitoring and Remediation

Automation is key to staying ahead of security challenges, especially for multi-tenant environments. Here are tools and approaches to consider:

Multi-Tenant Tools for Automation

If you manage multiple Microsoft 365 tenants, tools like Maester, CoreView, or M365 Manager Plus are invaluable. They simplify monitoring, reporting, and remediation across tenants.

• CoreView: Provides deep insights and can be customized to align with compliance frameworks.
• Maester: Best for comparing configurations across tenants.
• M365 Manager Plus: Generates compliance-specific reports and automates remediation workflows.

PowerShell and Microsoft Graph API

Use PowerShell scripts and the Microsoft Graph API to automate:

• Configuration audits.
• Benchmark checks against NIST/CIS Controls.
• Corrective actions like enabling MFA or updating policies.

Step 4: Integrate SCuBA for Federal Security Standards

The SCuBA Toolkit by CISA is a collection of PowerShell modules and guidelines for securing cloud services like Microsoft 365. While still evolving, it’s an excellent resource for achieving alignment with NIST and CIS.

How to Use SCuBA:

• Download the toolkit and review its modules.
• Customize scripts for your tenant’s needs.
• Automate tasks like verifying configurations and generating compliance reports.

Step 5: Advanced Monitoring with Microsoft Sentinel

For robust monitoring and incident response:

1. Deploy Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft’s cloud-native SIEM solution.
2. Use pre-built detection rules and create playbooks to automate responses to threats.
3. Integrate with external SIEM tools like Splunk for broader visibility.

Sentinel’s advanced analytics can help identify risks in real-time, enabling faster mitigation.

Step 6: Strengthen Baseline Security Configurations

Align your tenant’s settings with CIS Controls or NIST CSF by enforcing:

Conditional Access Policies

Set up policies in Entra ID to enforce MFA, block risky sign-ins, and restrict access to sensitive data.

Intune Compliance Policies

Use Intune to enforce device compliance, ensuring that only secure devices access your environment.

How Medha Cloud Can Help Securing Microsoft 365 Tenants

At Medha Cloud, we specialize in helping businesses secure their Microsoft 365 environments. Whether you’re managing a single tenant or overseeing a complex multi-tenant setup, we can help you:

• Align your configurations with NIST CSF and CIS Controls.
• Automate monitoring and remediation.
• Implement advanced security tools like Microsoft Sentinel.

Our team of experts will work with you to create a tailored solution, ensuring that your Microsoft 365 environment is secure, compliant, and optimized for your business needs.

Conclusion

Aligning your Microsoft 365 tenant with NIST CSF and CIS Controls doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By combining Microsoft’s built-in tools, advanced automation, and expert guidance from Medha Cloud, you can build a secure, compliant, and resilient environment.

Ready to take your Microsoft 365 security to the next level? Contact Medha Cloud today!

Reach us at:

• India: +91 93536 44646
• US: +1 646 775 2855
• Website: www.medhacloud.com
• Email: info@medhacloud.com