With M365 security monitoring working properly, you don't have to worry about whether your environment is protected. Vahti gives you a clear view of the risks and tells you what to do about them. As a growing SME, you're constantly facing new threats - your accounts are likely to be hit by hundreds of sign-in attempts a month.
In this article, we'll compare five M365 security solutions and the key features to look for. The list will help you assess whether your current solution is sufficient or whether you need better visibility into the security of your environment.
We selected these solutions based on our hands-on experience with the needs of SMEs. We evaluated each solution's ability to identify threats, prioritise risks and facilitate remediation. Here are the criteria we used:
Vahti is Finnish security software that monitors your Microsoft 365 environment and identifies risks before they become problems. The solution brings security information together in one clear view, so you can see the actual state of your environment at a glance.
Vahti automatically prioritises risks in order of criticality. You get clear remediation instructions that allow you to act on your own without an IT consultant. Deployment takes just minutes when you connect Vahti to your M365 environment via Microsoft's official APIs.
Pros:
Considerations:
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is Microsoft's own solution to combat email threats. It scans incoming messages, attachments and links for malware and phishing attacks. The solution is part of the M365 licensing packages and integrates directly with Exchange Online.
Defender uses Microsoft's global threat database to quickly identify new threats. You'll receive alerts for suspicious messages and can set policies to automatically block dangerous content.
Pros:
Considerations:
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) manages user identities and access rights in an M365 environment. You can define who has access to what and under what conditions. Conditional Access allows you to create sign-in rules based on location, device and risk.
Entra ID includes reports on risky sign-ins and user accounts. Premium versions bring additional features such as automatic risk assessments and identity protection.
Pros:
Considerations:
Microsoft Purview brings together data protection, information governance and compliance tools. You can classify sensitive data, set retention periods and prevent data from being shared with the wrong parties. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies automatically identify sensitive content.
Purview also includes audit logs to see who did what and when. Compliance Manager helps you assess compliance status against various standards.
Pros:
Considerations:
Azure Monitor collects log data from your M365 environment and other Azure resources. You can create alerts based on specific events and visualise the data in dashboards. Log Analytics allows you to query log data.
The solution suits organisations that have technical expertise and need to build custom monitoring views. Integration with other Azure services is seamless.
Pros:
Considerations:
| Solution | Risk prioritisation | Clear instructions in plain language | Rapid deployment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vahti | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microsoft Defender | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Microsoft Entra ID | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Microsoft Purview | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Azure Monitor | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Automation reduces the need for manual work and ensures that threats are detected quickly. SMEs rarely have the resources to monitor logs around the clock, so an automated system is a practical necessity.
According to the Cybersecurity Centre's guidelines, enabling audit logging is one of the most important security measures. Logs help establish what happened during a potential data breach, when it happened and how.
Automated risk prioritisation saves time because you do not have to work through hundreds of alerts every day. Vahti does this for you, showing only those risks that require action.
Risk prioritisation means that you see the most critical threats first. When resources are limited, it's essential to focus on the risks that have the greatest impact on your business.
Prioritisation is typically based on the severity of the risk, the likelihood of exploitation and the potential consequences. Vahti automatically assesses these factors and ranks the risks in a clear order.
Without prioritisation, you may spend time on less critical findings while more serious threats go unnoticed. A risk-based approach makes security work more efficient.
Vahti combines automation, risk prioritisation and plain language in a way that other solutions don't offer. Microsoft's own tools are technical and scattered across different management views. Vahti brings security together in one clear view.
It makes security understandable. You don't need to be an expert to interpret reports or know what to do. Vahti guides you step-by-step through the remediation process, so you can do it yourself or pass the task on.
For clear visibility into the security of your M365 environment, try Vahti for free and see for yourself how much easier security management can be.
M365 security monitoring includes sign-in monitoring, access management, file sharing monitoring and reviews of application permissions. Vahti combines these into a single view and automatically prioritises risks.
You should monitor your M365 environment on an ongoing basis. Threats don't take breaks, so an automated solution is a practical necessity. Vahti monitors your environment 24/7 and alerts you to anomalies.
MFA is an important starting point, but it's not enough on its own. Attackers have developed methods to circumvent MFA, such as AiTM attacks. Vahti identifies these threats as well and helps you protect yourself holistically.
It takes a few minutes to deploy Vahti. You connect Vahti to your M365 environment, scanning starts automatically and you get your first results quickly. Configuring Microsoft's own tools takes significantly more time.
Log collection captures events, but doesn't tell you what they mean or what to do. Vahti analyses the logs, identifies anomalies and provides action recommendations in plain language.