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Choose a Microsoft 365 add-in by matching its required access to a specific business task, checking how its publisher handles data, and confirming it fits your tenant and clients. A verified publisher badge is useful for confirming identity, but it is not a security certification. Review the add-in’s permissions and authentication, look for separate assurance such as Microsoft 365 Publisher Attestation or Certification, then deploy to a small group before expanding access.

Start with the task and the data it actually needs

Write down what the add-in should help employees do, who will use it, and what information that task requires. This gives you a practical test for its permission request: each requested capability should have a clear reason connected to the work.

An Office Add-in’s manifest describes its configuration and permissions, but it is not the whole application. It points to a hosted web application containing the add-in’s code and logic, and that web application can change independently of manifest updates. Review the declared permissions and the publisher’s ongoing data-handling commitments, not just the install screen. Microsoft’s permissions overview explains the relationship between permissions and the add-in application.

Many add-ins can read or write the active document or mail item. That can be appropriate for the feature, but it means the access request deserves scrutiny, especially for an unfamiliar publisher. Microsoft advises caution with unknown add-ins.

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Evaluate the add-in before approval

Check permissions against the feature

Read the Office permissions and any OAuth scopes the add-in requests. Ask whether each scope is necessary for the stated task and whether the requested access extends beyond the documents, mail, or account data employees need to use the feature. A polished consent screen is not evidence that a scope is proportionate.

Read the privacy and data-handling terms

Find the privacy policy and terms of use, then look for specifics: what information leaves Microsoft 365, which vendor services receive it, how it is protected, and how long it is retained. Microsoft describes platform protections such as encrypted communications, but those protections do not answer what the vendor does with data after receiving it. If the policy does not clearly address the data your task exposes, treat that uncertainty as an approval issue rather than assuming the add-in handles it safely. Microsoft’s add-in guidance covers permissions and the information surfaced to users.

Separate publisher identity from security assurance

A verified publisher indicator helps establish who published an application; it does not certify the application’s security or quality. Microsoft states: “Verified publisher status is only one of the several criteria to consider while evaluating the security and OAuth consent requests of an application.” The status does not establish that an app meets a certification, standard, or best practice. Read Microsoft’s publisher verification overview.

Where the add-in’s access or business impact warrants more assurance, check whether the publisher has completed Microsoft 365 Publisher Attestation or holds Microsoft 365 Certification. Attestation is an ISV self-assessment whose information is published for customers. Certification includes a yearly independent audit, penetration testing, and review of data handling, privacy, and security practices. These are distinct assurance programs; do not treat a verified publisher badge as a substitute. Microsoft describes the programs and their scope.

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Inspect sign-in and OAuth consent

Confirm how users authenticate and whether the consent request makes sense for the feature. Microsoft’s SSO guidance notes that the publisher controls the logo, wording, and permission scopes shown in the consent window. Judge the actual scopes and the identity of the application, not the visual polish of the prompt. Microsoft’s consent guidance explains the consent experience and application permissions.

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Confirm the operational fit for your Microsoft 365 environment

Before approving an add-in, check that it works with the Microsoft 365 clients employees use and that your tenant can deploy it the way you intend. Centralized deployment has prerequisites, including eligible licensing and active Exchange Online mailboxes for users; Microsoft also lists unsupported environments and add-in types. Check the current centralized deployment requirements rather than assuming every tenant, client, or add-in is supported.

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For centralized control, administrators can assign add-ins to users or groups through the integrated apps portal. Group assignment can make access easier to manage as teams change. If your policy requires admin approval before employees can download add-ins, administrators can disable user access to Microsoft Marketplace add-in downloads and rely on centrally approved deployment. The relevant controls and availability may depend on your tenant and licensing; consult Microsoft’s current integrated apps and admin guidance.

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Use a staged approval and rollout process

  1. Define the need. Record the task, intended users, and minimum data access required before comparing candidates.
  2. Review the listing and terms. Locate the declared Office permissions, privacy policy, terms of use, publisher identity, and any attestation or certification details. For Outlook mailbox add-ins, Microsoft says requested permissions, terms, and the privacy policy are surfaced before installation. See Microsoft’s add-in management guidance.
  3. Examine consent and authentication. Check OAuth scopes and sign-in requirements. Treat publisher verification as one identity signal, not a replacement for evaluating access and security evidence.
  4. Check compatibility and deployment prerequisites. Confirm client, tenant, mailbox, and licensing conditions, plus whether centralized assignment is supported for the add-in.
  5. Assign access centrally where appropriate. Use the integrated apps portal and a limited user or group assignment. If required by policy, disable user Marketplace downloads so installation remains under administrator control.
  6. Pilot with business stakeholders and IT. Evaluate whether the add-in performs the intended work and whether its data handling meets the need. Microsoft recommends starting with stakeholders and IT, reviewing the outcome, and expanding in stages.
  7. Expand and maintain ownership. Broaden the assignment only after the pilot review. Give an owner responsibility for revisiting permissions and vendor changes and for removing access when it is no longer justified. Admins can change assignments or disable and remove centrally deployed add-ins. Microsoft’s deployment documentation describes these administrative controls.

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