4 Ways Microsoft EMS Enables Secure Collaboration

Akins IT • April 13, 2017
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We’re sure you already know that sharing and collaboration are no longer done only in an office setting. As technology has evolved, so has the way that we conduct business -- and we’ve realized that we need more security in that collaboration process. 

It’s not uncommon now to have mobile access to your entire desktop and all of your company’s files, whether on your personal or business device. So what’s keeping your business collaborations safe?


Microsoft’s Enterprise Mobility Suite has become the standard bearer in a business world now focused on mobile and cloud-based technologies. Here are 4 ways that this incredible system enables secure collaboration when the world-at-large is your office.


  1. Protecting your “front door”


EMS starts with identity protection at the entrance to your business’ apps and data. Its use of Azure Active Directory Identity Protection gives you “risk-based conditional access to your applications and company’s data. The system also has the option for what Microsoft calls “multi-factor authentication,” taking multiple verification steps before you can gain access via your mobile device. And of course, your company has the proactive capability to monitor and selectively restrict the people who are granted access to your company’s systems anywhere at any time.


2.  Protecting your data from user mistakes


Microsoft gives you the ability to see user and data activity. So when someone messes up -- especially with critical company data -- you can immediately find out and take quick action to correct for it. With Microsoft Cloud App Security you have not only visibility to monitor what happens but also controls over cloud apps including but not limited to Box, Salesforce, ServiceNow and, of course, Office 365.


3.  Providing secure file sharing


Microsoft uses Azure Information Protection to ensure secure file sharing anywhere you and your business may be operating. Its use of Intune Mobile App Management allows you to manage Office mobile apps without requiring device enrollment management and to prevent data loss on mobile devices. Basically no one will be able to lay a hand on your data that doesn’t have your permission. The combination of these multiple technologies is truly the most advanced evolution of file security.


4.  Detecting an attack in real time -- before it causes damage


By using Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics in conjunction with Azure Active Directory and Cloud App Security, EMS helps identify attackers both inside and outside your organization by applying behavioral analytics and anomaly detection technology. Basically, your system will know when something is going wrong the moment that it happens, keeping your business safer than ever before.

As your trusted technology partner, Akins IT wants to make sure that your business security measures are both as up-to-date and as secure as possible. If mobile devices access your company’s network, you can rest easier knowing we believe Microsoft EMS “checks all the boxes” to secure and protect your environment for the latest business collaboration.


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October 20, 2025 — Early today, Amazon Web Services experienced a major incident centered in its US‑EAST‑1 (N. Virginia) region. AWS reports the event began around 12:11 a.m. PT and tied back to DNS resolution affecting DynamoDB , with mitigation within a couple of hours and recovery continuing thereafter. As the outage rippled, popular services like Snapchat, Venmo, Ring, Roblox, Fortnite , and even some Amazon properties saw disruptions before recovering. If your apps or data are anchored to a single cloud, a morning like this can turn into a help‑desk fire drill. A multi‑cloud or cloud‑smart approach helps you ride through these moments with minimal end‑user impact. What happened (and why it matters) Single‑region fragility: US‑EAST‑1 is massive—and when it sneezes, the internet catches a cold. Incidents here have a history of wide blast radius. Shared dependencies: DNS issues to core services (like DynamoDB endpoints) can cascade across workloads that never directly “touch” that service. Multi‑cloud: practical resilience, not buzzwords For mid‑sized orgs, schools, and local government, multi‑cloud doesn’t have to mean “every app in every cloud.” It means thoughtful redundancy where it counts : Multi‑region or multi‑provider failover for critical apps Run active/standby across AWS and Azure (or another provider), or at least across two AWS regions with automated failover. Start with citizen‑facing portals, SIS/LMS access, emergency comms, and payment gateways. Portable platforms Use Kubernetes and containers, keep state externalized, and standardize infra with Terraform/Ansible so you can redeploy fast when a region (or a provider) wobbles. (Today’s DNS hiccup is exactly the kind of scenario this protects against.) Resilient data layers Replicate data asynchronously across clouds/regions; choose databases with cross‑region failover and test RPO/RTO quarterly. If you rely on a managed database tied to one region, design an escape hatch. Traffic and identity that float Use global traffic managers/DNS to shift users automatically; keep identity (MFA/SSO) highly available and not hard‑wired to a single provider’s control plane. Run the playbook Document health checks, automated cutover, and comms templates. Then practice —tabletops and live failovers. Many services today recovered within hours, but only teams with rehearsed playbooks avoided user‑visible downtime. The bottom line Cloud concentration risk is real. Outages will happen—what matters is whether your constituents, students, and staff feel it. A pragmatic multi‑cloud stance limits the blast radius and keeps your mission‑critical services online when one provider has a bad day. Need a resilience check? Akins IT can help you prioritize which systems should be multi‑cloud, design the right level of redundancy, and validate your failover plan—without overspending. Let’s start with a quick, 30‑minute review of your most critical services and RPO/RTO targets. (No slideware, just actionable next steps.)
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