6 Ways To Prevent Oversharing in Microsoft 365
Oversharing in Microsoft 365 can quietly expose organisations to security and compliance risks. M365 solution specialist, Conall O'Kane, outlines 6 practical strategies to help teams collaborate securely and explores how tools like Orchestry can simplify access management and governance even further.
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Oversharing in Microsoft 365 is a growing concern for organisations striving to balance collaboration with control. Whether it’s a document shared too broadly, a guest user retaining access long after a project ends, or sensitive content exposed through inherited permissions, these everyday scenarios can quietly introduce your organisation to real risks.
This article is part two in our series on oversharing in Microsoft 365. In part one, we unpacked the hidden risks of oversharing in Microsoft 365. Now, we turn our focus to the practical strategies for preventing it. From governance policies to user education and automation, this article outlines the 6 key actions your organisation can take to help prevent oversharing across Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
To support these efforts, tools like Orchestry offer built-in governance features, templates, and reporting capabilities that make it easier to manage access and maintain control without slowing down productivity.
1. Establish Clear Governance Policies
Start with a strong foundation and define who can create Teams, SharePoint sites and share content externally. Match these policies with business roles and data sensitivity levels to ensure access decisions are consistent and intentional. Governance policies should be well documented, communicated and enforced through both technical controls and user guidance.
How Orchestry Helps: Orchestry provides a centralised dashboard to manage permissions across all Teams and SharePoint sites, eliminating the need to manually check dozens of locations. It also enforces governance through workspace templates, naming conventions, and automated lifecycle rules, making sure new collaboration spaces follow your policies from day one.
2. Review & Adjust Default Sharing Settings
Microsoft 365’s default settings often favour openness. Take some time to review tenant-wide configurations to limit anonymous sharing, restrict external access, and control link permissions. Consider using sensitivity labels to guide users toward appropriate sharing behaviours based on the type of content they’re working with.
How Orchestry Helps: Orchestry allows you to set default sharing link types (e.g. “People with Existing Access”) and apply sensitivity labels at the workspace level, reducing the risk of accidental exposure.
3. Implement Access Reviews & Expiry Policies
Access should never be ‘set and forget’; ongoing monitoring is essential for detecting oversharing. Schedule regular reviews of guest access and shared content, especially for external collaborators. Consider using expiration dates for sharing links to ensure temporary access doesn’t become permanent.
How Orchestry Helps: Orchestry’s Workspace Review feature automatically surfaces risky sharing links and provides actionable recommendations, such as applying sensitivity labels or removing outdated access.
4. Use Naming Conventions & Templates
Standardising how Teams and SharePoint sites are named and created helps users understand the purpose and ownership of each workspace. Templates can also enforce consistent settings, permissions, and metadata, reducing the risk of accidental oversharing.
How Orchestry Helps: Orchestry’s intelligent workspace templates include built-in naming rules, ownership structures, and permission defaults, streamlining setup and reducing governance gaps.
5. Educate Users on Secure Sharing Practices
Technology alone isn’t enough; users need to understand the impact of their sharing decisions. Run awareness campaigns or short training sessions to highlight best practices, such as:
Choosing the right audience
Using secure links
Reviewing permissions before sharing
How Orchestry Helps: Orchestry’s user-friendly interface and guided workspace creation process help reinforce secure sharing behaviours, even for non-technical users.
6. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
While not directly related to oversharing prevention, enabling two-factor authentication adds another critical layer of protection. It ensures that only authorised users can access sensitive content, reducing the risk of unauthorised access due to compromised credentials.
How Orchestry Helps: While 2FA is managed at the tenant level, Orchestry complements this by ensuring that only the right users are granted access in the first place — supporting a layered security approach.
Preventing oversharing isn’t about restricting collaboration; it’s about enabling it securely. By combining governance, education, and smart automation, organisations can reduce risk, improve compliance, and maintain confidence in their Microsoft 365 environment.
For organisations looking to simplify governance and gain greater visibility across Teams and SharePoint, platforms like Orchestry offer centralised dashboards, intelligent templates, and lifecycle management tools that make secure collaboration easier to implement and manage.
If you would like to learn more about how Orchestry can help simplify governance and empower your organisation, get in touch to speak to a member of our team.
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