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Introduction
How financial leaders can safeguard collaboration in Microsoft 365
In today’s connected workplace, financial data moves faster than ever. Teams share audit files, forecasts, and board documents across Teams, SharePoint, and email — often without realizing how small lapses can create major compliance exposure.
For Chief Accounting Officers (CAOs) and finance executives, the challenge isn’t just collaboration — it’s collaboration with control. Below are five hidden compliance risks that quietly appear in everyday file sharing and how a Microsoft-native solution like Govern 365 helps mitigate them.
1. Unmanaged External Sharing
Every time a user sends a link to an external partner or auditor, a potential compliance hole opens.
Even “view-only” links can be forwarded, reshared, or accessed after the engagement ends — putting confidential data beyond your organization’s control.
Why it matters: Regulators expect financial organizations to demonstrate end-to-end data governance. “We didn’t know who had access” is no longer an acceptable answer.
✅ How to fix it: Govern 365 automatically tracks and governs all external file sharing inside Microsoft 365. You can set expiration policies, revoke access instantly, and maintain a verifiable audit trail for every external collaboration.
2. Shadow Copies in Email and Chat
Employees often download documents to make quick edits or forward attachments via Outlook or Teams chat. These duplicates bypass your security and compliance controls — creating untracked versions of sensitive data.
Why it matters: Shadow copies increase the risk of outdated or unauthorized data being circulated during audits or M&A due diligence.
✅ How to fix it: Govern 365 enforces in-place sharing with restricted download and watermarking controls, ensuring collaboration happens within the secure Microsoft 365 environment, not through offline copies.
3. Lack of Visibility into Access History
Most organizations rely on IT or Microsoft 365 logs to understand who accessed what — but few finance leaders can interpret that data easily. Without visibility, you can’t prove compliance or detect anomalies in time.
Why it matters: During audits or litigation, regulators may require evidence of data lineage and access history.
✅ How to fix it: Govern 365 provides finance teams with clear dashboards and audit trails that map exactly who accessed, edited, or shared each document — no technical digging required.
Govern 365 has streamlined our workflow, allowing secure collaboration and fast sharing of sensitive files with external partners. Its flexibility, clear pricing, and integration with SharePoint make it an ideal solution for our business needs.
Alex Friend
Head of Business Intelligence & IT
4. Inconsistent Retention and Deletion Policies
When projects end, sensitive files often remain in shared drives indefinitely. Over-retention exposes confidential data long after it’s needed, while premature deletion can violate record-keeping rules.
Why it matters: Financial regulations such as SOX and SEC 17a-4 demand precise data retention practices.
✅ How to fix it: Govern 365 automates retention and deletion policies based on your compliance framework — ensuring that every document is kept (and removed) at the right time, automatically.
5. Overreliance on Manual Governance
Wealth management thrives on trust. In an era where one data leak can destroy a firm overnight, protecting sensitive client and deal data is no longer optional-it’s survival.
Why it matters: Manual governance is reactive — compliance should be proactive and automatic.
✅ How to fix it: Govern 365 embeds governance policies directly into your Microsoft 365 workflows, automating compliance enforcement at every step. No extra tools, no external platforms — just secure collaboration, built in.
Download VDR Whitepaper
Stop spending on purchasing expensive Virtual Data Room (VDR) solutions. Use Govern 365 to quickly create Microsoft 365 data rooms or SharePoint online data rooms.
Final Thoughts
Compliance doesn’t fail in big moments — it fails in small, everyday actions. The most secure organizations are those that make compliance invisible — built into every click, share, and document lifecycle.
With Govern 365, financial leaders can collaborate confidently, knowing that every file shared, every link created, and every access granted is fully governed within Microsoft 365.
Ready to see how Govern 365 helps you close these compliance gaps?
