Microsoft 365 Security Hardening Checklist
A default Microsoft 365 tenant leaves dozens of doors unlocked. This checklist walks through 80 CIS-based controls across 13 security domains, from MFA and Conditional Access to email security, SharePoint, Teams, and Secure Score, each prioritized so you fix the highest-impact gaps first.
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What's inside
80 controls across 13 categories
Every control is plain-language, prioritized by severity, and paired with how to verify it and how to fix it. Organized into 13 sections.
Real sample controls
A look at the highest-severity controls
These are taken directly from the checklist, no paraphrasing.
- M365-01CRITICALMFA
Require multi-factor authentication for every user, not just admins.
- M365-02CRITICALMFA
Enforce MFA on all Global Administrator accounts.
- M365-03CRITICALMFA
Block legacy (Basic) authentication protocols with Conditional Access.
- M365-07CRITICALConditional Access
Run an active Conditional Access policy that requires MFA for all users.
M365 Security Hardening Checklist
- 80 prioritized controls
- Verify & fix steps for each control
- 13 categories across 13 sections
- Instant download · lifetime access
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Built by practitioners
Controls drawn from CIS benchmarks, framework requirements, and real assessment findings.
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Built by practitioners, not a content mill
Built by Jason Dobbs, a technology leader and cybersecurity strategist with more than two decades of experience hardening Microsoft 365, Azure, and AWS for small and mid-sized businesses across regulated industries, healthcare, finance, law, real estate, energy, and the public sector. These controls are drawn from real assessments and the security questions cyber insurers actually ask.
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Exactly 80 controls, no inflated counts. One-time purchase · digital product · non-refundable once accessed.
“Before we worked with Strondex, SOC 2 felt like a moving target. Jason simplified the entire process. His team performed a thorough assessment, developed clear action plans, helped us implement the controls, and made sure we had the evidence the audit required. They were responsive at every step. We completed our SOC 2 audit successfully and came away with a much stronger understanding of security governance.”
“We engaged Strondex to prepare for a PCI DSS assessment and expected guidance. What we received was a true partnership. Jason and his team helped us close longstanding compliance gaps, improve our documentation, validate technical controls, and prepare our staff for the auditor’s questions. By the time the audit arrived, everything was organized and ready. We passed with ease and earned positive feedback from the assessor on the maturity of our security program.”
Frequently asked questions
Is this M365 hardening checklist based on CIS benchmarks?
Yes. The 80 controls are built on CIS Microsoft 365 benchmark guidance and organized into 13 practical security domains so you can work through them tenant by tenant.
Do I need Microsoft 365 E5 to apply these controls?
Most controls apply to standard Business and E3 tenants. A handful of advanced controls (such as certain Defender and compliance features) call out the licensing they require so you know what is in scope.
Will hardening break my users’ workflows?
Each control includes verification and remediation guidance so you can roll changes out safely. The checklist flags severity so you can sequence high-impact, low-disruption changes first.
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