Security & Microsoft 365 · Practical guide

Create a security logging plan that produces useful alerts

A useful logging plan starts with questions you need to answer during an incident, then identifies the events, retention and response process required. Collecting more data is not automatically better. Prioritise critical identities and services, ensure records can be correlated, and test that an alert reaches someone who can act. Include the failure of the logging pipeline itself, so silence is not mistaken for an absence of incidents.

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When this guide is useful

IT teams collecting logs but lacking confidence that important events will be noticed and investigated

  • Logs exist in many products but cannot be searched together during an investigation.
  • Alerts go to a shared mailbox with no response owner.
  • Retention expires before suspicious activity is reported.
  • No one notices when an agent, connector or export stops delivering events.
Practical guidance · 01

Write investigation questions before choosing a platform

Choose a few concrete scenarios: an administrator role changes unexpectedly, a sensitive export occurs, an employee account is used after departure, or a recovery setting is altered. For each, write down what evidence would distinguish legitimate activity from a concern. Identify the business owner who can explain normal behaviour.

Create a source matrix showing the system, event type, collection method, retention, owner and gaps. Microsoft's Entra documentation distinguishes audit changes from sign-in and provisioning activity. This illustrates why one dashboard should not be assumed to contain every record needed to explain an identity event across the wider business.

Practical guidance · 02

Make the events usable and protect the collection path

The joint event-logging guidance published by Australia's cyber security authority highlights consistent timestamps, structured records and timely central collection. Apply those ideas to a small initial set of high-value sources. Verify that the actor, target, operation and result survive the journey into your analysis tool.

Protect access to the logs and their configuration. Logs may include personal information, system details or operational secrets, so define who can search them and why. Exclude credentials and unnecessary message contents from custom application logs. Balance investigation needs, cost and retention requirements through a documented decision rather than storing everything indefinitely.

Practical guidance · 03

Turn events into a response someone can execute

For each alert, specify the trigger, likely benign causes, initial checks and escalation route. Give the responder a way to find the related user, service and change record. A label such as suspicious activity is not enough if the person receiving it cannot establish scope or reach an authorised administrator.

Set severity around likely business impact and the urgency of action. Avoid training staff to ignore alerts by sending every minor anomaly as critical. Review repeated false positives with the system owner and improve the rule or context; do not suppress a whole category simply to reduce the notification count.

Practical guidance · 04

Test both detection and loss of visibility

Run controlled, authorised tests such as a documented test-group change or a failed sign-in sequence appropriate to the environment. Record whether the source produced the event, the collector received it, the rule matched and the responder acknowledged it. A dashboard screenshot alone is not an end-to-end test.

Also simulate a stopped export or stale connector through an approved test. Monitor the age of the most recent expected event and collection errors. After application upgrades or licensing changes, verify that required fields and retention remain available. Schedule short reviews around actual incidents and investigations so the plan improves with evidence.

From diagnosis to delivery

How Britixo can help

Britixo can help define the events your organisation needs, connect supported log sources and establish a manageable alert and response workflow. Work can include a source inventory, custom application logging review, integration configuration and practical detection tests. We can align that work with your existing security tools and internal team, with coverage and escalation responsibilities stated in the agreement. Contact Britixo with the systems you operate and the questions you currently struggle to answer. Continuous monitoring, incident response and retention costs are separate decisions to confirm, rather than assumptions attached to a dashboard.

Talk through your requirements

Common questions

Do we need a SIEM before improving logging?

Not always. Start by establishing required evidence and response ownership. A central platform may then be justified by the number of sources, investigation needs and available operating capacity.

How long should logs be retained?

Choose retention based on investigation needs, applicable obligations, data sensitivity and cost. Check product and licence limits, and document the decision for each important source.

Can we rely on alerts from individual products?

They can be useful, but verify coverage and correlation. An incident spanning identity, email and a business application may require records from several products.

Sources and further reading

Use the original documentation to check current product terms, eligibility and technical details.

Published by Britixo on 29 October 2026. How these guides are prepared. Product availability and delivery scope are confirmed for your requirements.

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