Idle-Session in SharePoint Online and OneDrive is now available to the public!

SharePoint and OneDrive include a set of controls that help keep data safe when users try to access their data from anywhere. These controls help customise the level of access granted to users while making sure the organisational security requirements are still met. They also help balance security and user productivity as well as prevention for over exposure and leakage of sensitive data. Session times are an important part of authentication for Office 365, they are also an important component in balancing security and the number of times users get prompted for credentials. Idle session timeout allows an Office 365 Administrator to set a threshold  at which a user is warned and then subsequently signed out of SharePoint or One Drive after inactivity.

When the Idle-Session timeout threshold is reached a prompt will appear telling the user that the session will be terminated within 10 seconds unless activity starts again. This method prevents over exposure of sensitive information in the event a user leaves a shared system unattended.

Frequently asked questions

Is the idle session timeout feature enabled by default?

No, this setting is disabled by default however for instructions on how to enable this please visit this link.

Does the policy effect existing sessions that are signed in when enabled?

No, this feature will only affect new sign ins after the feature is enabled.

How long will it be before the policy takes affect after being enabled?

Microsoft predict that it will take up to 15 minutes roughly to be enabled across the tenant.

 

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