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Insider risk management for A5 identity

Insider risk management is a critical component of a comprehensive security strategy for educational institutions. With the increasing use of cloud services and remote learning, schools and universities face unique challenges in protecting sensitive data and maintaining compliance. This article outlines how Microsoft 365 A5 provides advanced tools to help education IT teams identify, manage, and mitigate insider risks, ensuring a safer digital environment for students, faculty, and staff.

Requirements

  • Microsoft 365 A5 license

Roles and responsibilities

  • IT Admin
  • Identity Admin
  • OneDrive Admin
  • SharePoint Admin
  • EXO Admin
  • Security Admin
  • Compliance Admin

Microsoft risk management in education

Microsoft risk management in education is primarily delivered through Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management, included in the Microsoft 365 A5 license. It helps institutions detect, investigate, and respond to risky user activities that could lead to data leaks, policy violations, or insider threats.

Key capabilities:

  • Risk policy templates: Prebuilt for scenarios like data theft by departing users, policy violations, and data leaks.
  • HR connector integration: Triggers risk policies based on resignation or termination data.
  • Adaptive protection: Dynamically adjusts data loss prevention (DLP) enforcement based on user risk levels.
  • Privacy controls: Replaces personal data of user identities with artificial identifiers (or pseudonyms) during investigations.
  • Automated remediation: Includes user education, policy reminders, or escalation to security teams.

Education-specific benefits:

  • Protects sensitive student and faculty data (for example, FERPA, HIPAA).
  • Helps meet compliance requirements like GDPR.
  • Integrates with Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Entra Conditional Access for layered protection.

Learn more:

Microsoft privileged access management

Privileged access management (PAM), delivered through Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM), is essential for controlling elevated access to critical systems in educational environments.

What it does:

  • Just-in-time access: Roles are activated only when needed.
  • Approval workflows: Requires justification and approval for role activation.
  • Time-bound access: Limits how long elevated access is granted.
  • MFA enforcement: Requires multifactor authentication before role activation.
  • Access reviews: Periodic audits to ensure only the right people retain access.

EDU-specific use cases:

  • IT admins: Temporary access to Azure or Intune for device management.
  • Faculty researchers: Time-limited access to secure research environments.
  • Student workers: Scoped access during scheduled shifts.
  • External collaborators: Secure, auditable access for guest lecturers or partners.

Licensing:

  • Requires Microsoft Entra ID Plan 2, included in Microsoft 365 A5 for Education.