IT Managed Service Providers Encourage Regular Reviews for Guest Accounts 

Platforms like Microsoft 365 make outside collaboration easier for you and your collaborators’ teams. This is because clients and vendors can now share resources with businesses through the platform. Moreover, access may also be granted to contractors in temporary projects. The problem, however, is frequently found at the end of a collaboration project, says IT managed service providers. This is because most guest accounts remain active for months after the job is done. And an access that is forgotten is a potential point of entry for cyber threats.  

IT Managed Service Providers Encourage Regular Reviews for Guest Accounts

Guest Access Serves a Real Purpose 

IT managed service providers stress that the issue does not come from providing access to the outside collaborators. In fact, it is a good workaround between the need to provide access for business collaboration without the need to create employee accounts. As such, teams can share certain resources with specific people who have been approved. However, in cases such as this, each guest should have a clear purpose. This means access should reflect the business they are conducting because permissions cannot be too open or reveal too much information. 

Old Accounts Can Become Security Gaps 

Business relationships change throughout the year as vendors change; projects end, and contracts end. Unfortunately, Microsoft 365 permissions do not change automatically, unless specifically paid attention to them. This means inactive guests can remain connected to shared resources. The danger comes not just from unauthorized opening of the access, but more should their company experience security incidents. Ergo, removing outdated access reduces this potential exposure. 

Managed Service Providers Can Review What Guests Can Actually See 

Your trusted managed service providers should not just know the guest’s names. More importantly, you and your team should understand what each guest can access. This is imperative as information in these shared folders can increase over time. Additionally, Teams and SharePoint sites can also expand gradually. Although new permissions to grant access to new documents is good, having periodic reviews also helps to maintain appropriate access. 

Set Owners for External Access 

All guest relationships should have an internal owner. This means that the person recognizes the importance of accessing the information. Your managed service providers can have them confirm permissions during scheduled reviews. Without ownership, old accounts become easier to overlook, especially since not all business relationships are known to IT teams. So, having clear responsibility makes access to decisions more accurate. 

Set Expiration Around Temporary Projects 

Aside from providing access to outside collaborators, it is important to add expiration date on access given. This prevents unauthorized access after the expected project timeline ends. If needed, extensions can be extended upon approval of business leaders. Moreover, an access review should be conducted after the project is completed. Even long-term partners still need periodic confirmation as business needs can change without obvious warning. So, having scheduled checks keeps permissions aligned with current relationships. 

Make Offboarding Include Outside Users 

Normally, offboarding focuses on departing employees. However, external user access should also be removed promptly as well. Just like exiting employees, this deserves similar attention when relationships end. Managed service providers explain that guest accounts should also have a standard offboarding procedure in place. This must include a review of shared links and connected resources in order to create a more complete security process. 

Professional Oversight Keeps Access Manageable 

Guest access can grow quickly across Microsoft 365. Managed service providers can give valuable visibility to these accounts. Here at EB Solution, for example, our IT professionals can review network and settings to identify unnecessary permissions. Additionally, they can also set up consistent encryption guidelines. By having regular monitoring, permissions are prevented from being forgotten, thus helping with security. In the same vein, it also facilitates better collaboration. 

External collaboration helps businesses move faster. However, it must not leave any permanent security holes. Having guest reviews ensures purposeful and controlled access. Here at EB Solution, we help businesses secure Microsoft 365 access.  

Call us today to enhance secured collaboration!