Exploring Security Features in SharePoint 2013 Hosting – What You Need to Know

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Nowadays, when it comes to sharing and collaborating on digital content within enterprises, SharePoint 2013 hosting is a popular choice for many companies. It offers a great platform to store, share and manage projects and documents collaboratively. However, with all the benefits that come with using SharePoint 2013 hosting, security concerns cannot be overlooked.

Today we’ll explore some of the security features in SharePoint 2013 hosting that you need to know about to keep your organization’s data secure.

1. Authentication Options: With SharePoint 2013 hosting you have several authentication options available including Windows Authentication (NTLM or Kerberos), SAML-based claims authentication or forms based authentication. Windows Authentication is widely used since it provides seamless integration with Active Directory and reduces administrative overhead.

2. Secure Store Service: The Secure Store Service enables administrators to store credentials such as usernames and passwords in an encrypted format for use by various services within an enterprise. This service provides more granular control over who has access to sensitive information stored within the system.

3. Authorization Management: SharePoint 2013 hosting offers fine-grained permissions management which allows administrators to specify exactly what users have access to which content within the system. In addition, administrators can also create custom permission levels that fit specific organizational requirements.

4. SSL Encryption: SSL encryption is one of the most effective ways of securing communication between clients and servers by encrypting data before transmission across networks such as the internet. With SharePoint 2013 hosting, you can enable SSL at various levels including web application level, site collection level or down to individual list or document libraries providing additional layers of protection against unauthorized access.

5. Two-Factor Authentication: Microsoft introduced two-factor authentication (2FA) support in SharePoint 2013 allowing users logging in from external locations to input both their username/password and a second form of identification such as token/phone code/ biometrics etc.

6. Data Loss Prevention (DLP): DLP is a proactive approach to data security that involves setting policies to prevent the intentional or accidental sharing of sensitive information. SharePoint 2013 hosting has built-in DLP capabilities that you can use to protect your intellectual property and company secrets.

7. Auditing and Reporting: Finally, just as important as having good security measures in place is being able to audit those measures so that in case of any breaches, administrators can track the source, identify which data may have been compromised, and take corrective action. With SharePoint 2013 hosting, this can be accomplished through robust auditing and reporting tools.

In conclusion, with its numerous features catering specifically for enterprise users, SharePoint 2013 hosting provides an excellent platform for secure collaboration. By implementing some or all of the security features discussed above, enterprises are assured their data will remain safe from unauthorized access while still maintaining its usefulness within the company.