Ask most businesses if their Microsoft 365 is secure and they’ll say yes. They have backup, endpoint protection and email filtering, and Microsoft looks after the rest.
The reality is different. Most Microsoft 365 attacks start with a stolen password, a malicious Office file, a user approving the wrong app, or a tenant setting nobody has reviewed. Microsoft can patch its platform all day long, but it can’t fix how your client’s tenant is configured.
That comes down to security posture, and for most MSPs, that’s where the real risk sits.
A secure platform isn’t a secure tenant
Every Microsoft 365 tenant is set up differently. Settings change as staff come and go, new apps get connected and admins make quick fixes that never get undone. Over time, small gaps start to appear.
None of these gaps cause obvious disruption. Everything keeps working, which is exactly why they get missed and why attackers go looking for them.
The six gaps worth checking first
| Posture gap | What can happen | How Acronis fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Weak MFA enforcement | One account without MFA puts the whole tenant at risk | Checks MFA is enforced, flags gaps and switches it back on automatically |
| Legacy authentication left on | Older sign in methods get around your stronger controls | Confirms it’s blocked and restores it if anything changes |
| Weak admin protection | One admin account can expose everything | Checks admin MFA and restores weakened policies |
| Risky app consent | Malicious apps quietly access mail and files | Spots open settings and locks app consent down |
| Admin approval turned off | Risky apps get approved without review | Restores a secure approval process |
| Settings drift over time | Risk quietly builds as users, apps and settings change | Checks against your baseline and fixes safe changes automatically |
Other common risk areas include too many privileged roles, open user consent, and sharing, forwarding or audit settings that haven’t been reviewed.
Why a one off audit isn’t enough
Plenty of MSPs run a security review when they onboard a client. That’s a good start, but it’s only a snapshot.
The day after the review, someone adds a new app. The week after, a new admin gets created. A month later, a policy gets loosened to fix a login issue and never gets tightened again. This is configuration drift, and it’s how a well set up tenant slowly becomes an exposed one.
Posture isn’t something you fix once. It needs checking all the time.
Two ways to get on top of it
1. Manage the tenant directly. Work through Microsoft Secure Score and aim for 80 or above. This gives you a clear benchmark and a practical list of settings to fix.
2. Automate it with Acronis Security Posture Management. Manage posture for all your clients straight from the Acronis console. It checks each tenant against a secure baseline, spots drift and fixes safe changes automatically, so gaps don’t quietly reopen.
Many MSPs will use both: Secure Score as the benchmark, and Acronis to keep clients there without extra manual work.
What this means for your MSP business
How Leader Cloud can help
Our Cloud team works with MSPs every day on Microsoft 365 and Acronis. We can help you understand where your clients stand today, which gaps to close first, and how to turn posture management into a service your clients will happily pay for.
Suggested CTA: Book a call with our team to find out where your clients’ Microsoft 365 posture stands.
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