Bill Baer /bɛːr/

In March 2017 we introduced device-based policies for SharePoint and OneDrive, that enable administrators to configure Tenant-level policies. Device-based access policies for SharePoint and OneDrive help administrators ensure corporate data is not leaked onto unmanaged devices such as non-domain joined or non-compliant devices by limiting access to the content to the browser, preventing files from being taken offline, printed, or synchronized with OneDrive. On September 1st, 2017 we continued to evolve our conditional access investments to address the ever-changing security landscape and business needs by introducing new levels of granularity with conditional access that allow administrators to scope device-based policies at the site collection level.

Balancing security and usability are core to ensuring people can collaborate effectively without interrupting the necessary flow of information across organizations. With SharePoint Online we’ve been at work developing security and sharing controls that are scoped at the site collection level. This allows Tenant administrators to configure more restrictive controls at the site collection level, than those that are configured at the Tenant level providing a balance between the need to protect corporate information and the requirement to collaborate effectively across and outside of the corporate boundary.

In March 2017 we introduced device-based policies for SharePoint and OneDrive, that enable administrators to configure Tenant-level policies. Device-based policies for SharePoint and OneDrive help administrators ensure corporate data is not leaked onto unmanaged devices such as non-domain joined or non-compliant devices by limiting access to the content to the browser, preventing files from being taken offline or synchronized with OneDrive. On September 1st, 2017 we’ve continued to evolve our conditional access investments to address the ever-changing security landscape and business needs by introducing new levels of granularity with conditional access that allow administrators to scope device-based policies at the site collection level.

The risks to information exposure have increased in today’s collaboration landscape because users don’t always work on desktop computers. Access controls now need to account for users connecting their mobile devices to non-secure networks or using their own unmanaged devices. These new access controls start with conditional access policies. Conditional access allows you to keep your corporate data safe while providing your users a secure environment in which they can work from any device.

The days of the corporate boundary beginning at the firewall are over, today’s corporate boundary is the end user. Connectivity is ubiquitous and with an endless number of devices available, people have an increasing number of options for staying connected at anytime, anywhere. As a first step to providing administrators security and control in a mobile and connected world are conditional access policies. Conditional access provides the control and protection businesses need to keep their corporate data secure, while giving their people an experience that allows them to do their best work from any device.

The collaboration landscape has changed, people expect to work across both boundaries and devices, to bring content with them versus bringing themselves to content. Location, location, location is the best choice when buying or selling a home, but introduces new challenges when it comes to securing that content. Ubiquitous connectivity and the proliferation of devices means responding to new security challenges. SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business are uniquely positioned to help you address these challenges… Over the past several weeks we’ve introduced a variety of policies, to include location-based policies, that provide contextual controls at the user, location, device, and app levels and we’re excited to share you can now explore new device-based policies in First Release.