Microsoft Teams and SharePoint Online are two popular collaboration tools used by organizations to share information and collaborate on projects. However, with the large number of users and documents being shared, it can be challenging for IT administrators to keep track of changes to sharing settings. In this article, we will discuss how to audit changes to sharing settings in MS Teams and SharePoint Online.
Why is auditing changes to sharing settings important?
Auditing changes to sharing settings is important for several reasons:
- Compliance: Many organizations are subject to regulatory compliance requirements that mandate tracking changes to sensitive data. Auditing changes to sharing settings can help ensure compliance with these regulations.
- Security: Sharing settings are critical to maintaining the security of sensitive data. Auditing changes to sharing settings can help detect unauthorized access and prevent data breaches.
- Control: Auditing changes to sharing settings can help IT administrators maintain control over how data is shared within their organization.
Steps to audit changes to sharing settings in MS Teams and SharePoint Online:
- Enable auditing: The first step to auditing changes to sharing settings is to enable auditing in both MS Teams and SharePoint Online. In MS Teams, go to the Microsoft Teams admin center and navigate to the Audit log search section. In SharePoint Online, go to the SharePoint admin center and navigate to the Audit log search section. From there, enable auditing for the relevant activities related to sharing settings.
- Review audit logs: Once auditing is enabled, review the audit logs regularly to identify any changes to sharing settings. In MS Teams, audit logs can be accessed through the Audit log search section in the Microsoft Teams admin center. In SharePoint Online, audit logs can be accessed through the Audit log search section in the SharePoint admin center.
- Monitor and analyze changes: Analyze the audit logs to identify any changes to sharing settings. Pay close attention to changes made to permissions, external sharing settings, and guest access. Use filtering options to narrow down the search results and identify changes made by specific users or within a specific timeframe.
- Take action: Once changes are identified, take appropriate action to investigate and remediate any unauthorized changes. This may include revoking access, modifying sharing settings, or contacting the relevant user to confirm the change.
Best practices for auditing changes to sharing settings:
In addition to the above steps, there are several best practices that organizations can follow to ensure effective auditing of changes to sharing settings:
- Regularly review audit logs: Regularly review audit logs to identify any changes to sharing settings as soon as possible.
- Train users: Provide training to users on best practices for sharing data and the importance of maintaining secure sharing settings.
- Implement access controls: Implement access controls to restrict access to sensitive data to only authorized users.
- Enforce policies: Enforce policies around data sharing and access to ensure that users are following best practices.
- Use automation: Use automation to monitor and audit changes to sharing settings. This can help reduce the burden on IT administrators and ensure that auditing is performed consistently.
- Conduct regular security assessments: Conduct regular security assessments to identify vulnerabilities and ensure that sharing settings are secure.
Conclusion:
Auditing changes to sharing settings is an important aspect of maintaining the security and compliance of MS Teams and SharePoint Online. By following the steps outlined in this article and implementing best practices, organizations can ensure that they have a comprehensive audit trail of changes to sharing settings and can take appropriate action to remediate any unauthorized changes. It is also important to regularly review and update auditing processes and best practices to stay ahead of evolving security threats.