How to Prepare for a Basic Microsoft 365 Security Assessment

A Microsoft 365 security assessment is easier and more useful when the environment is organized before the review begins. Preparation helps identify users, admin roles, access risks, email settings, devices, logs, and documentation gaps.

Practical goal

The goal is to turn common technology risks into clear, repeatable steps that a small business can understand, maintain, and improve over time.

Why Preparation Matters

A basic Microsoft 365 security assessment helps small businesses understand how their tenant is configured, where access may be too broad, and which settings should be reviewed first.

Preparation does not mean fixing everything first. It means collecting enough information to make the review accurate. The assessment should show the current state, not a polished version of the environment.

Review Users and Licenses

User accounts are one of the first areas to review. The assessment should identify active users, shared accounts, inactive users, licensed accounts, unlicensed accounts, guest users, and accounts that may no longer have a valid business purpose.

Small businesses often find old accounts that were never disabled, former contractors who still exist as guests, or users with licenses they no longer need.

Recommended action

• Export or review the current user list.
• Identify users who are no longer with the organization.
• Review guest users and external accounts.
• Review assigned licenses for inactive or unnecessary accounts.

Review Admin Roles

Admin roles should receive special attention during a Microsoft 365 security assessment. Accounts with elevated access can make tenant wide changes, reset passwords, manage users, modify policies, and access sensitive administrative areas.

One common issue is having too many global administrators. Another issue is using an admin account for normal daily work.

Recommended action

• Identify all global administrators.
• Review other admin roles assigned in the tenant.
• Confirm whether admin accounts are separate from daily user accounts.
• Confirm that every admin account uses multifactor authentication.

Confirm Multifactor Authentication Coverage

Multifactor authentication is one of the strongest basic protections for Microsoft 365. A password alone is not enough protection for business email, cloud files, and admin access.

Before an assessment, the business should check whether multifactor authentication is enabled, whether users are registered, and whether any accounts are excluded.

Recommended action

• Review multifactor authentication registration status.
• Identify users who have not completed registration.
• Review any accounts excluded from multifactor authentication.
• Document the account recovery process.

Review Email Security Settings

Email is a common entry point for phishing, malware, credential theft, and payment fraud. A Microsoft 365 security assessment should review phishing controls, spam handling, malware protection, quarantine review, and suspicious forwarding behavior.

The goal is not only to check settings. The business should also understand how staff report suspicious messages and who reviews email security issues when they happen.

Recommended action

• Review anti phishing and anti spam policies.
• Review quarantine handling and release procedures.
• Check for suspicious inbox or forwarding rules.
• Document how suspicious messages are reported.

Understand Devices, Logs, and Offboarding

Microsoft 365 may be accessed from company laptops, personal phones, tablets, home computers, and shared devices. The assessment should clarify which devices are allowed, which devices are known, and whether device access rules match the business expectation.

The assessment should also review whether the organization knows where to check sign in activity, admin activity, mailbox activity, and security alerts. Offboarding should be reviewed because former users may still have access if accounts, groups, files, and applications were not handled consistently.

Recommended action

• Prepare a list of company owned devices.
• Identify who reviews Microsoft 365 alerts.
• Review recent admin role changes.
• Prepare the current offboarding checklist if one exists.

Quick Checklist

Start with the items that reduce the most common risk and make the environment easier to manage.

Final Thoughts

A Microsoft 365 security assessment should give a small business a clearer view of its environment. Preparation helps make that review more accurate, practical, and useful.

The goal is not to make the environment look perfect before the assessment. The goal is to understand what exists, what is protected, what needs review, and which improvements should happen first.