Is Microsoft Secure Score Actually a Security Assessment?

If your Microsoft Secure Score says 90%, would you assume your Microsoft 365 environment is well secured?

It would be an understandable conclusion.

But Microsoft Secure Score and a comprehensive Microsoft 365 security assessment are two very different things.

We've assessed an environment with a Microsoft Secure Score of approximately 90% where more than 60% of the security controls we evaluated were Not Implemented. Even more concerning, 55% of our Top 20 critical controls were Not Implemented.

The lesson isn't that Microsoft Secure Score is bad. It's a useful tool.

The problem is treating a score as something it isn't.

Microsoft Secure Score is not a comprehensive security assessment.

What Is Microsoft Secure Score?

Microsoft Secure Score provides recommendations for improving security across your Microsoft environment.

As you implement qualifying recommendations, your score generally increases. This creates an easy-to-understand metric that can help organizations identify opportunities for improvement and track progress over time.

But Secure Score evaluates your environment through Microsoft's scoring methodology. It isn't intended to provide the same depth, context, or independent framework alignment as a comprehensive security assessment.

There's another important consideration: Secure Score can give credit for certain improvement actions through status changes even when the recommended configuration itself hasn't been implemented.

Depending on how the improvement action is managed, an organization may mark an action as addressed through alternatives such as third-party mitigation or risk acceptance.

There may be completely legitimate reasons for doing that.

But it also means the number displayed at the top of the dashboard needs context.

A high Secure Score does not automatically mean a highly secure Microsoft 365 tenant.

We Saw a 90% Secure Score—and Significant Security Gaps

This distinction became particularly clear during one of our Microsoft 365 Security Assessments.

The environment had a Secure Score of approximately: 90%

At first glance, that sounds excellent.

Our assessment told a different story.

More than 60% of the controls we evaluated were Not Implemented.

And when we narrowed our attention to the controls we considered most important:

55% of our Top 20 critical controls were Not Implemented.

That doesn't mean Microsoft's score was "wrong."

It means it was measuring something different from what our assessment was designed to measure.

And that's exactly why organizations shouldn't use Secure Score as their only measure of Microsoft 365 security health.

A Score Is a Signal, Not the Goal

Secure Score can absolutely be part of your security program.

Use it to:

• Identify Microsoft-recommended improvements

• Track certain configuration changes

• Surface potential weaknesses

• Encourage continuous improvement

• Provide another data point about your security posture

But don't fall into the trap of optimizing the number simply because it's easy to measure.

A tenant with an 80% score isn't necessarily insecure.

A tenant with a 90% score isn't necessarily secure.

And moving from 80% to 90% doesn't necessarily mean you've addressed the risks that matter most to your organization.

The goal isn't a high Secure Score. The goal is a secure Microsoft 365 environment.

What Does a Microsoft 365 Security Assessment Do Differently?

A comprehensive assessment asks a much broader question than:

"How many Microsoft recommendations have we completed?"

We want to know:

"Where are the meaningful security gaps in this Microsoft 365 environment, how much risk do they create, and what should we fix first?"

That's a fundamentally different objective.

Redeemer Cyber's Microsoft 365 Security Assessment evaluates approximately 180 security controls drawn from established benchmarks and our own security guidance, including:

• CIS Microsoft 365 Foundations Benchmark

• CIS Microsoft Dynamics 365 Power Platform Benchmark

• Redeemer Cyber security controls

The assessment also covers many of the same fundamental security concepts you'll encounter in Secure Score, including critical protections such as MFA.

But checking whether a control is implemented is only part of the process.

Not Every Finding Has the Same Risk

This is one of the biggest differences between a score and an assessment.

Imagine we identify 50 security findings.

Which one should you fix first?

A raw percentage can't adequately answer that question.

Some findings may represent relatively minor hardening opportunities. Others could materially increase the likelihood or impact of account compromise, business email compromise, privilege escalation, data exposure, or another serious security incident.

That's why our assessment includes a prioritized remediation roadmap.

We consider factors such as:

• Severity of the vulnerability

• Potential business impact

• Current threat activity

• Likelihood of exploitation

• Privileged access implications

• Identity and authentication risk

• Available licensing

• Technical dependencies

• Implementation complexity

We also account for developments in the threat landscape when prioritizing remediation.

The result isn't simply:

"Here's your score."

It's:

"Here's what we found. Here's what matters most. Here's what we recommend fixing first."

Compliance Is Important, but Context Matters

Benchmark alignment gives us a strong, repeatable foundation for evaluating Microsoft 365.

But even benchmark compliance isn't the entire objective.

Two organizations can fail the same control and face very different levels of risk.

A 20-person professional services company and a 500-person regulated organization may have different data, licensing, threat exposure, business requirements, and regulatory obligations.

That's where expert analysis becomes important.

The benchmark establishes the standard.

The assessment adds context.

So, Should You Ignore Secure Score?

No.

Microsoft Secure Score is a useful security signal, and organizations should pay attention to it.

If your score is low, there are probably opportunities worth investigating. If your score improves because you've implemented meaningful security controls, that's a good thing.

But it shouldn't be treated as a comprehensive health sensor for the security of your Microsoft 365 environment.

And a high score shouldn't create a false sense of security.

Our experience assessing an environment with a roughly 90% Secure Score while more than 60% of evaluated controls remained Not Implemented demonstrates why.

Secure Score told part of the story.

The assessment revealed the rest.

Focus on Security, Not the Score

Security metrics are valuable when they help you make better decisions.

They become less valuable when improving the metric becomes the objective itself.

So don't ask only:

"What's our Microsoft Secure Score?"

Ask:

"What security controls are missing?"

"Which gaps create the most risk?"

"What should we remediate first?"

"How do we know we're evaluating the entire Microsoft 365 environment?"

Those are the questions a comprehensive security assessment should answer.

Ready to Find Out What's Behind Your Secure Score?

Redeemer Cyber's Microsoft 365 Security Assessment evaluates approximately 180 controls, identifies security gaps, and provides a prioritized roadmap for remediation.

Whether your Secure Score is 50%, 70%, or 90%, the number alone doesn't tell you everything you need to know.

Focus on the security—not the score.

Schedule a Microsoft 365 Security Assessment with Redeemer Cyber today.