LeapXpertMicrosoft Teams provides a fast and convenient way for workers to communicate with each other. However, companies should note Microsoft Teams’ compliance and archiving principles before using this form of communication. Doing so reduces compliance-related risks and the potential fines that could arise.
The Principles of Microsoft Teams Data Security & Compliance
Microsoft Teams is a powerful collaboration tool. However, like all enterprise software, it comes with compliance and data security challenges. Review these principles to determine whether you need to take further action to ensure compliance.
1. Microsoft Teams Is a Well-Packaged Service
One crucial factor to note about Teams is that it’s a group of services packaged by Microsoft. Because of this, compliance routes through the company, not the product. These are some of the many services that make up the Teams package:
- Outlook email inbox and shared calendar
- SharePoint files
- Connectors
- Planner
- Stream
- PowerBI
- Tabs
- Bots
2. Microsoft Office 365 Has Three Retention Policy Levels
Data retention and instant messaging archive solutions are two of the core functions tech companies must address for compliance. Microsoft makes this possible and customizable by offering the following three coverage levels:
- A customizable policy that covers or excludes specific locations and groups
- A comprehensive approach that covers data in Microsoft Teams across entire locations
- An organization-wide policy that covers almost all data generated by or stored in Office 365
3. You Can Customize Teams To Support Compliance Requirements
HIPAA is one of the most common compliance concerns that Teams tackles. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act takes a slightly different approach to compliance. While other regulations address retention and accessibility, this focuses more on limiting unauthorized access and protecting patient privacy.
To ensure adherence to the HIPAA security rule, Microsoft used the Trusted Cloud principles for tackling compliance, privacy, and security. These are some of the fundamental elements worth looking at:
- Detection of and protection against potential threats and data breaches
- Protection against unauthorized access or disclosures
- Confirmation of the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of electronic data
- Certification of compliance
A vital factor to note is that Microsoft Teams provides features to help businesses meet HIPAA compliance, but it is not automatic. Also, while Microsoft has done its due diligence, it does not guarantee or take responsibility for compliance.
Why Knowing Microsoft Teams and Archiving Principles Is Important
Microsoft instant messaging for business has opened a wealth of collaborative opportunities for organizations worldwide. Before companies can enjoy the full potential of instant messaging and texts, it’s crucial to determine the correct business text archiving policy. Here’s why knowing Microsoft’s archiving principles is also essential.
First, Microsoft Teams compliance archiving effectively ensures that your organization’s data is protected. Archiving helps you keep track of conversations and files and makes it easier to meet compliance requirements. Knowing how to adjust the different retention policies affecting this data is crucial to ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of over-retention. After all, data storage is rarely free.
Second, Microsoft Teams also offers robust security features to help protect your data. For example, Microsoft Teams uses Azure Active Directory for authentication, providing an extra security layer. However, these will not work and provide full protection if you don’t first familiarize yourself with the security principles, include them in work processes, and train your workers.
Finally, it’s important to remember that Microsoft Teams is just one part of your overall compliance strategy. Consider other compliance requirements, such as email and file storage. This ensures you cover all your bases.
How To Ensure Employees Prioritize Compliance
When it comes to compliance, you can take a reactive or proactive approach. The latter is always preferred since you can avoid penalties and damages by being compliant. Review these general tips to see how you can get employees on-board with avoiding penalties and damages as best as possible:
- Make sure everyone understands the importance of compliance.
- Educate your employees on the different aspects of compliance.
- Encourage a culture of transparency and accountability when it comes to compliance.
- Provide adequate resources and support to help employees comply with regulations.
- Lead by example and make sure you comply with all rules yourself.
How LeapXpert Can Assist With Microsoft Teams Compliance
At LeapXpert, we primarily focus on helping businesses bridge the communication gap with customers. However, we also help companies tackle internal communications via the same methods and through other mediums, such as Microsoft Teams. Whatever the messaging service you choose, we likely have an archiving and compliance solution.
Find out what our team can do for your business and how we can potentially safeguard it from compliance threats. Book a demo to test your Microsoft Teams archiving and compliance solution.
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