Microsoft 365 with iboss cloud Overview

The volume of data and applications available to users in the cloud will require more bandwidth than ever. To ensure users are productive in the office or on the road, fast connections to Microsoft 365 in the cloud are mandatory. The iboss cloud eases migrations to Microsoft 365 by providing Internet security directly in the cloud. This reduces bandwidth costs dramatically by eliminating the need to send data through appliances hosted at company data centers and increases user productivity by providing fast connections directly between users and Microsoft 365.

  • Cloud-based Internet security that follows users to ensure consistent protection while users work in the office, on the road or at home
  • Cloud-based Internet security allows users to access Microsoft 365 without having to send data back through central offices or data centers which host security appliances for protection
  • Eliminating the need to send data through company owned connections reduces costs substantially as bandwidth is removed from company paid connections
  • Eliminating the need to backhaul data to centrally hosted appliances increases connection speeds to Microsoft 365 as data exchanges directly between users and the cloud which increases productivity
  • Automatically synchronized with Microsoft so that all Microsoft domains, IP Addresses and Microsoft 365 signatures are automatically updated to ensure Microsoft 365 is never interrupted
  • CASB controls for Microsoft 365 within iboss cloud allow for the enforcement of Microsoft 365 tenant restrictions for compliance
  • Features within iboss cloud specifically designed for Microsoft 365 ensure Microsoft 365 connections are never interrupted while user Internet connections are protected for compliance, malware and Data Loss Prevention
  • The Microsoft 365 suite is included at no additional cost in all iboss cloud subscriptions

Microsoft 365 Migration Challenges

As your organization moves from on-prem email and applications to Microsoft 365 which runs in the cloud, new challenges are presented related to technology and costs:

  • Microsoft 365 runs in the cloud and requires fast connections and large amounts of bandwidth. Security proxy appliances that are in place can quickly become saturated, reducing network speeds and impacting user productivity.
  • Microsoft 365 can be accessed by users from anywhere. Backhauling or hairpinning user traffic while they are remote back through the organization’s network before going to Microsoft 365 results in a variety of unsustainable challenges:
    • The amount of bandwidth running through the organization’s network will quickly increase due to this additional traffic resulting in substantial bandwidth costs
    • The number of proxy appliances hosted at headquarters will drastically need to increase due to the extra load from mobile and remote users resulting in substantial costs
    • The user experience will be poor as data traverses back to headquarters before heading to Microsoft 365 causing extra hops and latency
    • This design principal goes against Microsoft’s recommendations which state that data should traverse directly from users to Microsoft 365 in order for Microsoft to optimize connectivity
  • IP login restrictions and Zero Trust become difficult to enforce if users are connected directly to Microsoft 365 while they are remote since their IP address does not originate from the organization’s network. This reduces an organization’s security posture.
  • Applying Internet security, which includes compliance, malware defense and data loss, becomes increasingly difficult as the security technology may interfere with connections to Microsoft 365 resulting in end-user frustration and IT overhead.

The iboss cloud is Built for Microsoft 365

The iboss cloud is designed for Microsoft 365 and solves the complex security challenges of migrating to Microsoft 365 easily. Using in the cloud security allows users to connect directly with Microsoft 365 which reduces bandwidth costs and increases speeds resulting in a great user experience and higher productivity. Native iboss cloud CASB support for Microsoft 365 tenant restrictions ensures compliance and security. In addition, the containerized architecture of iboss cloud allows for dedicated IP addresses that can be used to enforce Zero Trust and IP login restrictions regardless of user location.

Eliminate Data Backhaul and Hairpinning with in the Cloud Security

Since users are always connected to iboss cloud regardless of location, consistent security can be applied to their connections at all times including compliance, malware defense and data loss prevention. The iboss cloud follows users and protects data as it traverses to and from the cloud, including Microsoft 365, without the need to send data back through the organization’s network for security. Data will flow directly from an organization’s users to Microsoft 365 whether they are in the office, on the road or working from home. Elasticity and horizontal scaling allows the iboss cloud to process infinite amounts of data so that connections are always fast and reliable to ensure user productivity. Since iboss cloud is delivered as a SaaS offering, scaling is automatic and completely abstracted from users and administrators eliminating the IT overhead typically involved with securing increasing amounts of bandwidth.

Eliminate Increasing Bandwidth Costs Related to an Microsoft 365 Migration

As bandwidth consumption increases with the use of the vast array of Microsoft 365 capabilities, including Sharepoint, this bandwidth is offloaded from the organization’s network and processed directly by iboss cloud. Users can consume as much bandwidth as needed without adding additional strains or costs to the organization’s budget. This also results in financial predictability as bandwidth continues to increase over time.

Ensure Internet Security Never Interferes with Microsoft 365

With so much business already relying on Microsoft, a move to Microsoft 365 may bring fears of business interruption. The iboss cloud has all of the features and settings to ensure that Microsoft 365 runs smoothly while Internet security is being applied to users at all times. Simple settings take care of properly handling all Microsoft 365 connections so that they are never interrupted and flow as fast as possible between users and Microsoft. In addition, all domains, IP Addresses and signatures are automatically synchronized between iboss cloud and Microsoft which eliminates the burden of maintaining and updating Microsoft 365 domain entries that are typically required in other solutions.

Gain Financial Predictability by Eliminating the Need to Purchase More Security Appliances

As bandwidth exponentially increases with the use of cloud applications and Microsoft 365, the number of gateway security proxies will have to increase as well. This also results in additional network complexity costs as increasing bandwidth leads to network load balancers and IT staff that can manage them. The iboss cloud runs in the cloud and eliminates costs and network complexity by automatically scaling in the cloud as demands increase. The auto-scaling capability of iboss cloud abstracts this burden from IT administrators and eliminates infrastructure line items from the budget, re-purposing those dollars in other areas.

Increase User Productivity

As users work in Microsoft 365, the need to access files in Sharepoint, email and other applications requires fast connections. Slow connections result not only in user frustration, but lost productivity which is a large organizational cost. The cost is not only financial due to increasing labor rates, but also puts the organization at a disadvantage to those organizations who can compete faster with the Microsoft 365 suite.

Enforce Microsoft 365 Tenant Restrictions

Microsoft 365 tenant restrictions ensure users are connected to the appropriate Microsoft 365 domain to prevent inadvertent data loss and other compliance issues. The iboss cloud natively includes the ability to enforce Microsoft 365 tenant restrictions with a few simple clicks. The iboss cloud will enforce the Microsoft 365 tenant restrictions at all times, regardless of whether the user is in the office or on the road.

Enforce Zero Trust and IP login Restrictions

Enforcing IP login restrictions is easily accomplished with iboss cloud. This is due to iboss cloud’s containerized architecture which natively includes dedicated non-changing IP Addresses that can be used to restrict access to Microsoft 365 and Okta login portals. This includes the ability to enforce IP login restrictions when users are outside of the office, including while they work on the road or from home.

How It Works

Taking advantage of the vast Microsoft 365 capabilities within iboss cloud is easy. To get started:

  1. Get an active iboss cloud account
  2. Connect users to the iboss cloud using one of the many cloud connectors. This connects users to iboss cloud regardless of location.
  3. If users are connected to the main office with a VPN, use VPN split tunneling to send all Internet bound traffic directly to the cloud via iboss cloud instead of backhauling this traffic back through the organization’s network
  4. Enable the Microsoft 365 features

Feature Highlights

Microsoft 365 Native Integration Features

Simply enable Microsoft 365 support within iboss cloud, and compatibility with Microsoft 365 is automatically handled. The iboss cloud synchronizes with Microsoft 365 to ensure data mappings and signatures are up to date to optimize the flow of traffic between users and Microsoft 365. There is no administrative overhead and synchronization is automatic and transparent to users and IT staff.

Microsoft 365 Tenant Restrictions

Enforcing Microsoft 365 tenant restrictions is easily accomplished within iboss cloud. To accomplish this, enable tenant restrictions within the iboss cloud single pane of glass admin interface. Then configure which domains Microsoft 365 should be restricted to and enter the Microsoft Multi-Tenant Context code provided by Microsoft. The iboss cloud will automatically handle enforcing the tenant restrictions for the group of users. The iboss cloud also has the unique ability to enforce different tenant restrictions to different groups of users for more advanced Microsoft 365 deployments.

Pricing

Microsoft 365 Features and Integration Contact Us

Microsoft 365 features and integration is included at no additional cost with every iboss cloud subscription.

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