Digital Shared Services is preparing to implement Defender for Office as part of the next phase of its Microsoft Exchange Online project. Defender for Office is a powerful email security software that will improve our ability to scan incoming emails for risks.

Beginning March 21, 2026 Defender for Office will replace the tool we currently use to send your daily quarantine email notifications, listing emails from senders that are a potential risk.

Very little will change for end users. The emails subject will still say SHM Email Notifications, and you will still have the option to Review, Release, or Block Sender.

However, Defender takes time to learn what senders to trust, so you may need to release emails a little more often in the early days following implementation than normal.

As well, the new quarantine email will only show the number of new quarantined emails since the previous message. Users will need to click the “Quarantine page” link to see all messages waiting for review.

A new Defender for Office QRG can be found here.

Submitted by: Digital Shared Services