What Is Microsoft Secure Score? A Practical Guide for Businesses

What is “Secure Score”?

If you've never heard of it before, Secure Score is Microsoft's way of measuring how effectively an organisation is using the security features available to you within your Microsoft 365 environment. It produces a numerical score based on the controls that have been implemented, the recommendations that have been addressed, and the overall security posture of your tenant.

Microsoft 365 contains a surprisingly powerful collection of security features. Multi-factor authentication, conditional access policies, identity protection controls, device management, email protection, data loss prevention and privileged access controls all exist within the Microsoft ecosystem. Depending on licensing, many businesses already own these features as part of their monthly subscription.

Rather than acting as a pass-or-fail test, Secure Score functions more like a regular health check. It examines your Microsoft 365 environment and identifies where security recommendations have not yet been implemented. In many cases, the recommendations are straightforward. Multi-factor authentication may not be enabled for all users. Administrator accounts may not have additional protections applied. Legacy authentication methods may still be active years after they should have been retired.

Perhaps the greatest misconception surrounding Secure Score is the belief that every organisation should aim for 100 percent. On paper, achieving a perfect score sounds sensible. In reality, the restrictions that would be put in place with complete compliance would restrict users from doing their daily tasks, so decisions need to be made about which policies are best to suit your business.

For many small and medium-sized businesses, a Secure Score somewhere in the range of 70 to 80 percent often represents a healthy balance between security and practicality. More importantly, it demonstrates that security controls have been reviewed, considered and implemented where appropriate.

Secure Score is not a guarantee against cyber incidents, nor is it a replacement for a broader cybersecurity strategy. It is, however, one of the simplest and most accessible ways to understand whether your Microsoft 365 environment is making full use of the security capabilities already at your disposal.