FAQs
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What does a Microsoft 365 security audit cover?
A full M365 audit covers identity and Conditional Access, sharing settings, Defender configuration, audit logging, admin roles, mailbox forwarding, retention and data loss prevention, and SharePoint and OneDrive permissions. The audit compares findings against Microsoft baselines, against what the customer is licensed for, and against the customer's actual risk profile.
Do we need Microsoft 365 E5 to be secure?
Not necessarily. Microsoft 365 Business Premium covers most SMB needs when its features are actually configured. The license decision is usually less important than whether the security capabilities the customer already owns are turned on and tuned. CinchOps audits surface the gap between licensed and deployed before anyone recommends a license change.
How long does an M365 audit take?
A typical Houston small or mid-sized business M365 audit runs one to two weeks from kickoff to written report. Read-only access to the tenant and a short interview with the IT lead is usually all that is needed. The audit is non-intrusive and users see no impact during the assessment phase.
Will the audit show us where we are wasting licensing?
Yes. The audit cross-references licensing against actual usage and surfaces unused premium SKUs, over-licensed users, and missing capabilities the customer is paying for but not using. Most Houston customers recover meaningful budget after an audit, sometimes enough to fund the next phase of security work.
Can the audit replace a vCISO engagement?
The audit is a point-in-time review of one platform. A vCISO engagement is ongoing strategic security leadership across the whole environment. The two complement each other well, but the audit is not a substitute for the kind of continuous program oversight a vCISO provides. Many customers do the audit first to scope the vCISO work.