Level Up Your Atlassian Security with the New Guard Features

When it comes to securing your Atlassian environment, the newly branded Atlassian Guard, formerly known as Atlassian Access, provides a centralised, streamlined solution to protect your data and manage user access. Atlassian Guard offers tools to secure sensitive information, enforce security policies, and detect potential threats in real-time across your entire Atlassian ecosystem. Here’s a closer look at how Atlassian Guard Standard can benefit your organisation, with a preview of what to expect from the upcoming Premium version.

Key Benefits of Atlassian Guard Standard

1. Centralised User Management
   Managing user access can get complex, especially if your team is spread across multiple Atlassian products. With Atlassian Guard, you gain full control over user accounts, permissions, and groups, all in one place. Features like Single Sign-On (SSO) simplify authentication, ensuring that the right people have the right access without the hassle of multiple logins.
2. Customisable Security Policies
   Enforce your organisation’s security policies with tools that support two-factor authentication (2FA), password complexity requirements, and session timeouts. With Guard, you can tailor these policies to meet specific needs, receive real-time alerts for any violations, and act swiftly to keep your data secure.
3. Data Classification and Protection
   Not all data is created equal, and Atlassian Guard understands that. Classify sensitive data and apply relevant protection levels to manage data access and retention. Data classification also helps prevent unauthorised access, keeping critical information in safe hands.
4. Real-Time Threat Detection
   Guard’s threat detection tools monitor your environment for suspicious activities, like unusual login attempts. AI-powered analytics enhance these capabilities, giving you insights into potential vulnerabilities and enabling prompt response to any detected threats.
5. Comprehensive Compliance Reporting
   Maintaining compliance with standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 is easier with Guard’s reporting features. Generate detailed reports that track security activities, helping you audit and demonstrate accountability to internal and external stakeholders.

Navigating Guard in the Admin Console

In your Organisation Admin Console, the Security tab provides a dashboard for your security posture. Recommendations are flagged with green check marks if completed, giving a clear visual overview of what’s secure and what may need attention. This baseline security guide is essential for protecting your organisation, and other features await in the left sidebar, all included in Atlassian Guard Standard.

A Highlight Feature: Data Security Policies

One standout feature of Atlassian Guard is Data Security Policies, which let you manage user permissions for specific projects or spaces across any site. This feature enables you to control data export, app access, and even limit anonymous access, ensuring you have fine-grained control over data flow. An audit log captures any policy changes, letting you track who made what changes and when.

Best Practices for Optimising Security with Atlassian Guard

To make the most of Atlassian Guard, consider implementing these steps:

• Configure User Access: Regularly update and review user permissions, assigning roles based on responsibilities.
• Enforce Security Policies: Customise policies to enforce strong security, such as 2FA and complex passwords, and monitor compliance.
• Classify and Protect Sensitive Data: Implement data retention and lifecycle policies to safeguard classified data.
• Stay Proactive with Threat Monitoring: Utilise Guard’s AI-driven analytics to stay ahead of potential security issues.
• Generate Compliance Reports: Use Guard’s reporting tools to support audits, track security efforts, and identify areas for improvement.

Looking Ahead: What to Expect from Atlassian Guard Premium

While we’re excited about the capabilities of Atlassian Guard Standard, the Premium version promises additional tools and expanded protection features designed for enterprise-grade security. We’re eagerly anticipating its release and will provide a deep dive once we have access to test its full benefits.

Enhance Your Security Posture with Expert Support

As an Atlassian Platinum Partner, Elegance Group is here to support you in leveraging Atlassian Guard to its full potential. We provide tailored licensing, consulting and managed services, ensuring your organisation can meet security challenges with confidence. For expert guidance on configuring Guard or any other Atlassian solutions, book a meeting with our team and take the first step towards a more secure, streamlined Atlassian environment.