Cloud & Microsoft 365: Securing Collaboration Without Compromise

10 March 2026

Cloud adoption offers flexibility, but without governance it can introduce complexity and risk.

Many organisations adopt Microsoft 365 incrementally. Licences are purchased as needed. Permissions evolve informally. Over time, visibility is lost.

What can go wrong

A professional services firm approached Maple following a suspected data exposure incident. They had migrated to Microsoft 365 internally several years earlier.

Our review identified:

• Over 30% of shared folders accessible to “all staff” without business justification.

• Former employees whose accounts had not been fully decommissioned.

• No enforced multi-factor authentication.

• Inconsistent data retention policies.

Although no major breach had occurred, the risk profile was significant. A compromised account could have provided access to sensitive client documentation.

A controlled rebuild

We designed a structured Microsoft 365 governance framework:

• Role-based access controls aligned to departmental responsibilities.

• Mandatory multi-factor authentication across all user accounts.

• Conditional access policies to restrict high-risk logins.

• Centralised device management via Microsoft Endpoint Manager.

• Data retention and classification policies to support compliance.

We also delivered tailored training sessions to ensure staff understood collaboration tools such as SharePoint and Teams.

The commercial impact was immediate:

• Reduced exposure to account compromise.

• Improved confidence during client security questionnaires.

• Streamlined collaboration across remote teams.

• Clearer cost visibility through licence optimisation.

How Maple can help

Many organisations recognise the benefits of Microsoft 365 but lack the internal time or expertise to properly govern the platform.

Maple works with organisations to assess existing Microsoft 365 environments, identify security gaps, and implement practical governance controls that align with how teams actually work. Our approach combines technical configuration, security best practices, and user training so improvements are sustainable long term.

Typical engagements include:

• Microsoft 365 security and configuration reviews

• Identity and access management improvements

• Multi-factor authentication and conditional access deployment

• Device and endpoint management implementation

• Data governance, retention, and compliance policy design

• Ongoing support and optimisation

If your organisation has grown into Microsoft 365 organically, a structured review can quickly highlight areas of unnecessary risk while improving collaboration and cost efficiency.