--- title: "Turning On Preset Security Policies in Microsoft 365 | StartCloud" description: "Module 3 of our free Microsoft 365 Security Essentials pathway: what the Standard and Strict presets include, who needs which, the licensing in plain English, and the exact steps to switch them on." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": [ "LocalBusiness", "ProfessionalService" ], "@id": "https://startcloud.au/#business", "name": "StartCloud", "legalName": "Start Technologies Pty Ltd", "alternateName": "StartCloud Australia", "identifier": { "@type": "PropertyValue", "propertyID": "ABN", "value": "17 676 121 449" }, "slogan": "Go Beyond", "description": "StartCloud is Perth's cybersecurity-first AI MSP: managed IT, Essential Eight security, Microsoft 365 and cloud, networking, and practical AI for Australian businesses with 5 to 50 staff.", "url": "https://startcloud.au", "logo": "https://startcloud.au/og-image.png", "image": "https://startcloud.au/og-image.png", 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"https://www.google.com/maps/place/StartCloud/@-31.8648767,115.8069889,739m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x2a32a5b5d9e864b5:0x9f02690968f0e50c!8m2!3d-31.8648813!4d115.8095638!16s%2Fg%2F11vzbgtytj" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "LearningResource", "name": "Turning On Preset Security Policies", "description": "Module 3 of the Microsoft 365 Security Essentials pathway: what the Standard and Strict preset security policies include, why presets beat hand-tuning for most SMBs, which licences include what, and how to turn them on in the Microsoft Defender portal.", "educationalLevel": "Beginner", "learningResourceType": "Module", "isPartOf": { "@type": "Course", "name": "Microsoft 365 Security Essentials", "url": "https://startcloud.au/learn", "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "StartCloud", "url": "https://startcloud.au" } }, "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "StartCloud", "url": "https://startcloud.au" }, "datePublished": "2026-07-23", "dateModified": "2026-07-23", "url": "https://startcloud.au/learn/microsoft-365-preset-security-policies" } ] --- [![StartCloud](/assets/StartCloud-Logo-ByZE1kzP.svg "StartCloud: Cybersecurity-First Managed IT Services Perth")](/ "StartCloud | Managed IT Services Perth") - Cybersecurity - AI Solutions - Cloud - Technology - Networking - Explore [Contact Us](/contact "Contact StartCloud, Perth IT Support") Open menu Module 3 of StartCloud's Microsoft 365 Security Essentials learning pathway, in six short units with a knowledge check: what preset security policies bundle (anti-spam, anti-malware, anti-phishing, Safe Links, Safe Attachments), why presets beat hand-tuning for most SMBs, which licences include what, and how to turn them on in the Microsoft Defender portal. Course contents [Pathway overview](/learn/microsoft-365-security-essentials) Pathway Microsoft 365 Security Essentials 0 of 6 units done in this module 1. [Turn on MFA ](/learn/microsoft-365-multi-factor-authentication) 2. [Protect admin accounts ](/learn/protect-admin-accounts-microsoft-365) 3. Preset security policies 1. One switch, a whole stack of protection 2 min 2. What is in the box: the baseline layers 2 min 3. Safe Links and Safe Attachments, explained 2 min 4. Standard or Strict, and who gets which 2 min 5. Turn it on, step by step 2 min 6. Knowledge check 2 min 4. [Stop email spoofing ](/learn/stop-email-spoofing-spf-dkim-dmarc) 5. [Sharing controls ](/learn/sharepoint-onedrive-sharing-controls) 6. [Conditional Access, properly ](/learn/conditional-access-done-properly) 7. [Data protection with Purview ](/learn/data-protection-microsoft-purview) 8. [Backups and retention ](/learn/microsoft-365-backups-and-retention) 9. [Starters and leavers ](/learn/microsoft-365-starters-and-leavers) 10. [Devices with Intune ](/learn/managing-devices-with-intune) # Turning On Preset Security Policies Module 3 · Everyday Unit 1 of 6 · about 2 min ## One switch, a whole stack of protection Open the email security settings in Microsoft 365 and you will find policy pages for anti-spam, anti-malware, anti-phishing, Safe Links, and Safe Attachments, each with dozens of dials. In theory you could tune every one of them yourself. In practice, almost nobody should, because half-finished tuning is how gaps creep in. Preset security policies are Microsoft's answer. They bundle nearly all of those protections into two ready-made profiles, Standard and Strict, with settings chosen by Microsoft based on what its filters see across billions of mailboxes. You pick who each profile applies to, and that is essentially the whole job. The clever bit is what happens afterwards. The settings inside a preset are locked and maintained by Microsoft, so when the threat landscape shifts or a best practice changes, your protection updates automatically. A custom policy you hand-built in 2023 is still sitting exactly where you left it in 2023. For most small and medium businesses, that alone settles the argument. The set-menu way to think about it Ordering the set menu at a good restaurant is not a cop-out, it is trusting a kitchen that cooks these dishes hundreds of times a night. Presets are the set menu of email security. You could order a la carte and season everything yourself, but the kitchen sees more phishing emails before breakfast than your business will in a decade. Mark done and continue ![StartCloud](/assets/StartCloud-Logo-ByZE1kzP.svg "StartCloud: Cybersecurity-First Managed IT Services Perth") Cybersecurity-led IT for Australian businesses. We manage security, compliance, and modern IT environments, so risk is governed, not guessed. Ground Floor West, 6 Gibberd Road, Balcatta WA 6021 [08 6285 0001](tel:+61862850001 "Call StartCloud on 08 6285 0001") Serving Perth businesses from Balcatta, Western Australia. ![Microsoft Solutions Partner - Modern Work](/assets/microsoft-solutions-partner-DqvNMv91.png "Microsoft Solutions Partner: Modern Work") ### Services - [Cybersecurity](/cybersecurity "Cybersecurity Services Perth | StartCloud") - [AI Solutions](/ai "AI & Automation Services Perth | StartCloud") - [Cloud](/cloud "Cloud Services Perth | StartCloud") - [Technology](/technology "IT Services and Support | StartCloud") - [Networking](/networking "Business Networking Perth | StartCloud") - [Packages](/packages "IT Support Packages Perth | StartCloud") ### Company - [About](/about "About StartCloud, Perth IT Support Team") - [Company Facts](/facts "StartCloud Company Facts | Perth Cybersecurity-First AI MSP") - [Resources](/resources "IT Resources & Guides | StartCloud Perth") - [Service Areas](/it-support-perth "IT Support Perth | StartCloud") - [Contact](/contact "Contact StartCloud, Perth IT Support") ### Locations - [All Service Areas](/locations "Perth IT Support Areas | StartCloud") - [IT Support Perth](/it-support-perth "IT Support Perth | StartCloud") - [Cybersecurity Perth](/cybersecurity-perth "Cybersecurity Perth | StartCloud") - [MSP Perth](/managed-service-provider-perth "Managed Service Provider Perth | StartCloud") - [Industries We Serve](/industries "IT Support by Industry Perth | StartCloud") © 2026 Start Technologies Pty Ltd trading as StartCloud. 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