Microsoft 365: Create a Branded Portal

Key insights

• Microsoft Entra
  The video demonstrates using the Microsoft Entra admin center to brand the Microsoft 365 sign-in page. It walks through registration and where to upload logos, illustrations, background images, and sign-in text.
• Phishing protection
  Custom branding makes real sign-in pages easier to recognize and helps users spot impersonation attempts. This simple visual cue reduces successful phishing attacks.
• SharePoint Brand Center
  The clip highlights the SharePoint Brand Center as a central place to manage logos, fonts, and colors across Microsoft 365. Admins should enable it from the Microsoft 365 admin center to keep branding consistent.
• Sign-in experience
  Key elements to customize include banner logos, background images, the sign-in form, footer text, and visual templates. The presenter suggests clear messaging, good contrast, and testing images (including AI-generated options) for clarity.
• Licensing and requirements
  Most business subscriptions include basic branding, but some advanced features may require Microsoft Entra ID P1/P2 or higher-tier Microsoft 365 plans. Check tenant settings before starting configuration.
• Security and governance
  Branding supports a professional, trustworthy user experience and contributes to security posture and Secure Score. The video targets IT admins, MSPs, and security-focused organizations and recommends central control and user testing for best results.

Jonathan Edwards released a YouTube video that walks IT teams through customizing the Microsoft 365 sign-in experience, and this article summarizes the guidance objectively for editorial readers. In the clip, he shows how adding recognizable visuals and messaging to the login page can make it easier for users to spot impersonation attempts and reduce successful phishing. Below, the video’s main points, trade-offs, and practical challenges are unpacked so administrators and security teams can evaluate next steps.

Video at a glance

The video targets IT admins, managed service providers, and security-conscious businesses, offering a step-by-step walk-through of tenant-level customization. Jonathan Edwards emphasizes why the sign-in page matters beyond aesthetics and explains how a branded portal can act as a small but helpful security layer. He also demonstrates tools and templates available in the admin console to speed setup and maintain consistency.

How branding works in Microsoft 365

The presenter walks viewers through the Microsoft Entra admin center where sign-in page elements like the banner logo, background illustration, and text can be configured to reflect corporate identity. He highlights the newer SharePoint Brand Center for managing fonts, logo assets, and color palettes centrally so appearances remain consistent across services. Additionally, the video shows simple design tips and mentions using AI-generated images or visual templates to create suitable backgrounds quickly.

Edwards notes the process often requires a one-time registration and correct licensing to unlock all features, and he points out that many business subscriptions include core branding controls without extra cost. He also stresses that branding applies to the sign-in and access panel pages, which means users see the same cues in multiple authentication flows. Consequently, admins should plan where and how brand elements will appear to avoid mixed experiences.

Security benefits and trade-offs

According to the video, a clearly branded sign-in page increases user confidence and helps them detect fraudulent pages that lack company cues, which can reduce successful social engineering. Edwards frames branding as a complementary control rather than a sole defense, and he pairs the visual approach with basic user awareness to maximize benefit. He also links the practice to improved security posture metrics, highlighting how it can contribute modestly to risk reduction when combined with other controls.

However, the presenter also addresses trade-offs and caveats: relying too heavily on visuals risks complacency, because sophisticated attackers can mimic logos and styles. He warns about maintenance overhead, since brand updates, image sizes, and regional variations require ongoing management to avoid stale or inconsistent experiences. Therefore, teams must balance visual trust signals with behavioral and technical defenses like multifactor authentication and monitoring.

Practical steps and common pitfalls

Edwards provides practical setup steps in the demo, including selecting appropriate file formats, keeping banner and background image sizes optimized, and verifying the tenant’s content delivery settings for fast loading. He recommends testing changes on a pilot group before rolling them out tenant-wide to catch display issues and confirm that accessibility requirements remain satisfied. Moreover, he suggests documenting the branding process so new admins can reproduce settings consistently across tenants or client environments.

Common pitfalls covered in the video include using overly large images that slow sign-in, neglecting organizational asset libraries, and misconfigured CDN settings that break image delivery. Licensing and tenant differences can also block features unless administrators verify their subscription level or enable dependent services, which creates additional work for MSPs managing many customers. Consequently, Edwards advises building a checklist and keeping source assets in a controlled location to reduce configuration errors.

Considerations for admins and MSPs

For service providers and in-house teams, the video recommends a pragmatic rollout that aligns branding with security and operational constraints, especially where multiple brands or legal units exist. He outlines the need to coordinate with brand managers and security officers so visuals match legal disclaimers and do not disclose sensitive tenant details on public pages. In addition, Edwards notes that email signature consistency often requires third-party tools, which administrators should evaluate separately from sign-in branding.

Finally, the presenter highlights that branding is most effective when paired with user education and monitoring, and he urges organizations to view it as one layer in a broader defense-in-depth strategy. He encourages routine reviews of branding assets and ongoing user testing to ensure recognition remains high. As a result, admins gain a modest but meaningful reduction in impersonation risk when they combine visual cues with technical protections.

Conclusion

Jonathan Edwards’ video offers a clear, actionable guide for making the Microsoft 365 sign-in experience more recognizable and slightly harder for attackers to mimic, while also acknowledging limits and trade-offs. Importantly, he frames branding as a supportive control that improves user trust and should be paired with multifactor authentication, monitoring, and user training. Teams that plan carefully, test widely, and maintain assets will gain the most value from these branding features without introducing new operational problems.

Keywords

Microsoft 365 portal branding, Office 365 custom branding, SharePoint Online branding, Microsoft 365 tenant branding, Customize Microsoft 365 portal, Brand SharePoint home site, Corporate portal branding Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 branding best practices