How to integrate Sophos with Microsoft 365

When you're told that Microsoft 365 already comes with its own security tools, it's easy to think you don't need anything else. But if you've ever had to review a threat report, you know things aren't that simple. Attacks don't just come through email: they hide in shared links, files uploaded to OneDrive, or seemingly harmless conversations in Teams.

This is where Sophos comes in. This tool not only connects with Microsoft 365—it enhances it, complements it, and, above all, protects it like a true digital immune system. In this article, we’ll explain how you can integrate Sophos with your Microsoft 365 environment so you can work confidently, knowing that behind every email and every file, there's an extra layer of defense watching over you.

Why integrate Sophos with Microsoft 365?

Integrating Sophos Central with Microsoft 365 isn’t just about activating another feature in the console. This connection provides an added layer of threat intelligence, advanced analytics, and detailed control over what’s happening within your productivity ecosystem.

Benefits:

1. Real-time threat visibility: Sophos scans emails, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams, detecting malicious files or suspicious behavior.

2. Automated response: You can configure policies that take immediate action against threats, such as isolating devices or revoking access.

3. Centralized reporting: All suspicious activity, phishing attempts, or infections are reported directly in Sophos Central.

4. Integration via official API: Sophos uses Microsoft Graph integration capabilities to securely and compliantly access the necessary data.

Email protection even after delivery to the inbox

One of Sophos’s key advantages over other solutions is its focus on continuous email protection—even after messages have reached the inbox.

This is crucial, because many threats evolve over time: a seemingly safe URL might later redirect to a malicious site, or a clean website might be compromised hours after being linked.

With API-based integration:

1. Sophos continuously monitors Microsoft 365 mailboxes, even post-delivery.

2. It can automatically remove phishing emails if a URL changes status and is detected as malicious.

3. It provides a post-delivery quarantine summary where you can review all messages that were automatically removed.

Fast and Hassle-Free Deployment

The best part? You don't need to redirect email or modify MX records. The integration is done directly via API, with Mailflow rules that apply within minutes:

1. No rerouting or bottlenecks.

2. All email is processed faster, without compromising security.

3. Management is smoother since you don't have to switch between consoles—everything is controlled from Sophos Central.

Faster Response, Greater Visibility

Sophos also lets you centralize all threat intelligence in its XDR Data Lake, connecting email security with endpoints, networks, cloud workloads, and more:

1. Identify unknown threat indicators in real time.

2. Remove suspicious files from multiple environments simultaneously.

3. Expand visibility across your entire Microsoft 365 infrastructure and beyond.

Read more: Advantages of Sophos for Businesses: 5 Reasons to Choose It

Prerequisites Before Integration

Before starting the integration process, it's essential to properly prepare your environment. Here’s a checklist you need to complete:

Access and Permissions:

1. Global Administrator account in the Microsoft 365 tenant.

2. Access to Sophos Central Admin with the appropriate role.

Licensing:

1. Active license for Sophos Intercept X Advanced with XDR or MDR.

2. A Microsoft 365 tenant with Exchange Online (required).

Technical Requirements:

1. Allow outbound connections to Microsoft Graph endpoints.

2. Ensure users have mailboxes in Exchange Online.

3. Confirm that email is managed exclusively by Microsoft 365 (not hybrid or hosted by third parties).

Recommendation:

How Do Integrations Between Sophos and Microsoft 365 Work? (And How to Set Them Up in Minutes)

Connecting Sophos with Microsoft 365 isn't as complicated as it might seem. In fact, you can do it in just a few steps right from your Sophos Central console:

1. Go to the Threat Analysis Center.

2. Click on Integrations > Marketplace.

3. Search for Microsoft 365 and select the integration to begin setup.

And that’s it. Sophos will begin reading key information from your Microsoft environment to help detect threats in real time. For detailed instructions on configuring each integration, refer to the following pages:

1. Microsoft 365 Management Activity
   
   
2. Microsoft 365 Response Actions
   
   
3. MS Graph Security API (legacy)
   
   
4. MS Graph Security API V2

What Does This Integration Actually Do?

Sophos connects to Microsoft 365 using two main APIs:

1. Microsoft Graph Security API

2. Management Activity API

These connections allow Sophos to continuously monitor your environment and detect suspicious behavior before it turns into a serious problem.

What Do You Get with the Management Activity API?

Thanks to this API, Sophos can access Microsoft 365 audit logs, which are available regardless of your license type. This enables Sophos to view and analyze actions such as:

1. File and folder access, downloads, edits, and deletions

2. Sharing activities

3. Changes in tenant configurations

4. Logins and administrative actions

All this information is used to create custom detection rules that help identify attacks like:

1. Inbox rule manipulation (common in BEC attacks)

2. Session hijacking and token theft

3. Malicious app consent

4. Man-in-the-Middle attacks

Sophos’s engineering team keeps these rules up to date, adapting them to new and evolving threats and attack techniques.

Where Can You View These Detections?

Having Microsoft 365 audit logs stored in the Sophos Data Lake completely transforms how you investigate incidents. Now, analysts can review all activity related to a user from a single location, without having to jump between platforms.

A strange login at 3 a.m.? Suspicious movements right when an account was compromised? With this data at hand, it's much easier to connect the dots, confirm unauthorized access, or detect anomalous behavior patterns within the Microsoft 365 environment.

Everything is logged, centralized, and instantly searchable—making investigations faster, more comprehensive, and above all, far more effective.

Read more: Complete Guide to Sophos XDR for Protecting Your Business

Response Actions in Microsoft 365 from Sophos Central: Take Real-Time Control

The integration between Sophos Central and Microsoft 365 isn’t just about detecting threats—it also empowers you to act immediately. From the Sophos console, you can execute key actions to help contain incidents directly within your M365 environment, without wasting time.

In the Cases section of the Threat Analysis Center, you’ll see alerts generated from activity recorded in M365 and can make real-time decisions such as:

1. Block or allow a user’s login: Ideal for stopping unauthorized access as soon as suspicious activity is detected.

2. Sign out all active sessions: This isolates a compromised account and prevents the attacker from moving further within the system.

3. Disable inbox rules: Extremely useful when an attacker tries to redirect emails or delete evidence from the user’s mailbox.

These automated responses are key to containing threats within minutes—before they escalate into major headaches.

What About Microsoft’s Own Detections? That’s Where the Microsoft Graph Security API Comes In

Read more: Sophos Endpoint: How Does It Protect Your Devices and Data?

Which Microsoft Detections Are Available Based on Your M365 Plan?

Here’s something important to know: the security events Sophos can receive from Microsoft Graph depend on the type of Microsoft 365 license you have. Not all plans include the same detections or providers.

This applies to both your main per-user plan and any additional security bundles or add-ons you’ve added to your M365 tenant.

So, how can you know what’s included?

The best option is always to speak with your Microsoft licensing specialist. They can tell you exactly which events, alerts, or integrations are available under your current license.

But to give you a starting point, here are some general recommendations:

1. If you have Microsoft 365 E5 or the E5 Security add-on, you're covered. These include all advanced detection events that Sophos uses to generate cases and investigations within its console.

2. If you're looking for identity-related detections, such as Entra ID Protection alerts, you need Entra ID P2, which is included in E5 plans.

3. For other modules like Defender for Endpoint, Cloud Apps, or Microsoft Sentinel, you’ll need to check whether they’re part of your plan or require specific additional licenses.

Pro Tip

Before configuring the integration or scaling your protection, validate what level of coverage you currently have—and whether it's worth upgrading your license to access more advanced detections. A small change in your plan can make a huge difference in visibility and response capabilities.

Conclusion: Your Microsoft 365 Security Can (and Should) Go Further

Integrating Sophos with Microsoft 365 isn’t just an upgrade—it’s an evolution in your cybersecurity strategy. From real-time threat detection to automated response actions and cross-analysis with other data sources, this integration gives you a level of control, visibility, and protection that standard tools simply don’t offer.

And best of all—you don’t have to do it alone.

At TecnetOne, we’re certified Sophos partners with experience helping organizations implement this integration efficiently, securely, and tailored to their specific needs. We support you from initial planning and configuration to policy optimization, automation, and continuous monitoring.

Interested in adding an extra layer of protection to your Microsoft 365 environment—without the complexity?