Microsoft Teams Security Best Practices: Real Tips I Follow to Protect My Data

When I first started using Microsoft Teams for collaboration, I thought that everything was secure. But after handling sensitive data myself, I found that Teams offers robust security features, but it is essential to use and configure them properly. In this guide, I’ll share with you the Microsoft Teams security best practices I follow.

Here you will learn:

• Why Microsoft Teams Security Matters?
• My Top Microsoft Teams Security Best Practices
  • 1. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • 2. Control External Access & Guest Access
  • 3. Use Sensitivity Labels for Teams
  • 4. Limit File Sharing Permissions
  • 5. Turn on Safe Links in Defender for Office 365
  • 6. Use Conditional Access Policies
  • 7. Monitor and Audit Teams’ Activity
  • 8. Educate and Train Your Team Members
  • 9. Regularly Review Teams and Memberships
  • 10. Protect Admin Accounts with Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
• Final Thoughts
• FAQs on Microsoft Teams Security

Why Microsoft Teams Security Matters?

Teams has become the central hub for meetings, file sharing, chats, and project collaboration. But with that convenience comes risk. I’ve seen cases where users unknowingly shared sensitive files with external guests or clicked on malicious links in Teams chats. These risks can lead to:

• Data breaches
• Compliance violations (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.)
• Credential theft
• Reputation damage

In the next section, I will explain the most preferred checklist for Teams security.

Additional resource: Manage Microsoft Teams Privacy and Security Settings

My Top Microsoft Teams Security Best Practices

Here are the exact steps that I follow to keep my Teams workplace secure: 

#1. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

One of the first things I was turned on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), by opening Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Users > Active Users > Multi-factor authentication.

#2. Control External Access & Guest Access

I collaborate with clients outside my organization, but I don’t want them to have unrestricted access. That’s why external access and guest access best practices are needed:

• Limit guest access to only the necessary Teams.
• Review guest access regularly and remove inactive guests.
• Use Azure AD Conditional Access to add stricter policies for external users.

3. Use Sensitivity Labels for Teams

One feature I prefer is Sensitivity Labels. These labels help me classify Teams as Confidential, Internal, or Public.

Steps to set this up:

1. Open Microsoft Purview Compliance Center.
2. Create sensitivity labels.
3. Publish them to Teams users.

4. Limit File Sharing Permissions

I’ve seen people unknowingly share sensitive files publicly via Teams. That’s not ok for me. Following Microsoft Teams security best practices, I always:

• Configure OneDrive and SharePoint sharing settings to restrict sharing links to specific people.
• Disable Anyone with the link sharing unless required.

5. Turn on Safe Links in Defender for Office 365

Phishing attacks are on the rise; that’s why I’ve enabled Safe Links. It automatically scans URLs shared in Teams for malicious content. To enable it, I went to the Microsoft Defender Portal > Policies & Rules > Safe Links.

Also read: Assign Microsoft Teams Roles in the Admin Centre

6. Use Conditional Access Policies

Conditional Access helps me to add security based on who, what device, and where the user is accessing Teams. For the same, open Azure Active Directory > Conditional Access.

7. Monitor and Audit Teams’ Activity

I actively monitor Teams activity as part of Microsoft Teams Security best practices using:

• Audit Logs (Microsoft Purview)
• Defender for Cloud Apps (MCAS)
• Alerts

8. Educate and Train Your Team Members

Even with all these controls, human error is the weakest link. That’s why I periodically conduct training sessions for my team.

9. Regularly Review Teams and Memberships

Over time, Teams environments get cluttered with unused channels and inactive members. To address:

• Archive or delete unused Teams.
• Remove members who no longer need access.
• Review Admin Roles periodically.

10. Protect Admin Accounts with Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

If you’re an admin like me, you don’t want to leave your privileges active all the time. I use Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) to grant just-in-time access to admin roles with approval workflows and expiration timers.

Related guide: Microsoft Teams Migration Checklist

Final Thoughts

By following these Microsoft Teams security best practices, I’ve been able to protect my Teams sensitive data. I guarantee that after following this Checklist for Microsoft Teams Security, you can add another layer of security to your Teams workplace.

FAQs on Microsoft Teams Security

Q1. Is Microsoft Teams encrypted?

Yes, Teams uses TLS and MTLS encryption for data in transit and SharePoint/OneDrive encryption for data at rest.

Q2. Can I prevent Teams from sharing files externally?

Yes, you can restrict external sharing in SharePoint Admin Center or configure guest access settings in Teams Admin Center.

Q3. How do I monitor Teams security events?

Use Microsoft Purview Audit Logs or Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps for detailed event tracking.

Q4. What are the types of traffic encryption in Teams?

Here is the complete explanation of types of traffic and encryption in Teams:

Type of Traffic	Type of Encryption
Server to Server	TLS  (MTLS or Service-to-Service OAuth)
Client to Server	TLS
Flow of Media	TLS
Sharing Audio and Video	SRTP/TLS
Client-to-Client-enhanced encryption	SRTP/DTLS
Signaling	TLS