Microsoft 365 security baselines are recommended sets of security settings that harden a firm’s Microsoft 365 environment, turning on protections like multi-factor authentication, sensible access policies and threat protection that are not all enabled by default. For a steel detailing firm, applying them closes common gaps and makes the email and file-sharing platform the team relies on genuinely secure. It is usually done as part of managed IT at about £45 to £100 per user per month. Here is what they are and why they matter.
Most detailing firms run on Microsoft 365 but use it more or less as it came, which leaves protections switched off. Security baselines fix that. Here is what applying them does for your firm.
What a baseline is
A security baseline is a curated set of recommended settings that configure Microsoft 365 securely: enforcing multi-factor authentication, tightening how accounts and devices connect, enabling threat protection for email, and closing risky defaults. Rather than guessing which of the many settings to change, a baseline gives you a sound, proven configuration to apply.
Why defaults are not enough
Out of the box, Microsoft 365 leaves several important protections off so as not to inconvenience users, which means a fresh tenant is less secure than it could be. For a firm holding valuable project data and sharing files with outside parties, relying on the defaults leaves gaps an attacker can use, so deliberately hardening the environment matters.
What it protects
Applying a baseline protects the accounts, email and files at the heart of your business: making account takeover much harder, filtering more malicious email, and controlling how and from where people and outside collaborators connect. For a detailing firm, that means the platform you share drawings and run the office on is properly defended.
Doing it without disruption
Baselines should be applied thoughtfully, so security improves without getting in the way of work, for example rolling out multi-factor authentication smoothly and setting policies that fit how the team actually operates. Done well by someone who knows Microsoft 365, the team barely notices the change except that things are safer.
Keeping it current
Security is not set-and-forget, so baselines need reviewing as Microsoft adds features and threats evolve. A managed approach keeps your configuration current and aligned with good practice over time, so the protections stay effective rather than drifting out of date, which is what ongoing security really means.
What to ask a provider
A specialist for steel detailers should be able to answer:
- Have you supported Tekla detailing practices and CAD firms, including their licensing, before?
- How do you keep our Tekla licences, workstations and model server running to a fabrication deadline?
- How do you let us share drawings and models securely with fabricators and contractors?
- What is your response time when Tekla is down and the whole team is stopped?
- Is the price clear and per user, with security included rather than charged separately?
Where to start
If you are not sure where your practice stands, a short review is the quickest way to find out: check that your Tekla licences are hosted reliably and not on a single neglected server, that your workstations and file server are sized for your models, that drawings are shared securely with MFA, and that your backups are tested. Those few checks show where a CAD-aware managed setup would pay off.
The bottom line
For a steel detailing firm, good IT is the difference between hitting a fabrication deadline and missing it. Tekla opens first time for every detailer, the model server stays fast even on the heaviest jobs, drawings reach fabricators securely, and the work is backed up so nothing is ever lost. The technology stays out of the way and the team gets on with detailing.
That reliability comes from a setup built around how detailers actually work, high-RAM workstations, properly hosted licences and models, and tested backups, rather than generic office IT. For a small practice whose whole output depends on a few CAD seats and one file server, a predictable per-user cost for that dependability is far cheaper than a day with the whole team locked out of Tekla.
Why steel detailers choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including engineering and design firms, and we understand how a steel detailing practice works: Tekla Structures, AutoCAD, Autodesk and Graitec licensing, high-RAM CAD workstations, large-model file servers, secure SharePoint project sharing with fabricators, and Datto backup for irreplaceable models. We support firms across Essex, Hertfordshire and London. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we have been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Want your firm protected against the attacks that hit small businesses? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT.