Microsoft Purview is a set of services that helps businesses manage their data. It ensures compliance and improves endpoint management. But what exactly is Microsoft Purview, how does it work, and how can it benefit your endpoint management and data governance programs?

What is Microsoft Purview?

Microsoft Purview is a set of tools for data governance, compliance, and risk management. It works with Microsoft services like Microsoft 365, Azure, and other platforms.

Purview provides businesses with comprehensive visibility and control over their data assets, ensuring it is managed securely and remains compliant with regulatory standards. Purview covers everything from data discovery and classification to risk assessment, data loss prevention, and compliance auditing.

How Does Microsoft Purview Work?

At its core, Purview helps businesses discover, classify, and manage sensitive data across their entire ecosystem. The platform works by:

  • 1

    Data Discovery and Classification: It scans your business’ data—both structured and unstructured—across various systems and platforms. Using AI, it can automatically classify sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information (PII), financial data, and more.

  • 2

    Data Protection and Risk Management: After data is classified, Purview uses protection policies. These include encryption and access controls. This helps ensure that sensitive information is handled securely. It also continuously monitors for risks, helping IT teams identify potential vulnerabilities or compliance breaches.

  • 3

    Compliance Management: Purview has templates for global compliance standards like GDPR and HIPAA. It makes managing regulatory requirements easier. It generates compliance scorecards and reports, making it easier to track your business’ compliance status.

  • 4

    Unified Data Insights: Purview combines data governance and compliance tools into one dashboard. This gives you a clear view of your company’s data. This means you can easily track how data is being used, where it resides, and how it’s protected.

What Does Microsoft Purview Do?

Microsoft Purview plays several key roles in the governance and protection of your data:

  • Data Classification: Automatically tags and buckets sensitive data, ensuring it is appropriately managed.

  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Implements rules to prevent unauthorized sharing or leakage of critical data.

  • Risk Monitoring: Continuously tracks for risks and vulnerabilities, giving businesses the ability to act quickly on threats.

  • Compliance Audits: Helps businesses meet legal and regulatory requirements through detailed reporting and auditing tools.

  • Insider Risk Management: Identifies potential insider threats by monitoring for unusual data activity within the business.

How Does Microsoft Purview Benefit Your Endpoint Management Strategy?

Endpoint management has become more critical than ever for businesses concerned with security and end-user productivity. With employees accessing corporate data from various devices and locations, managing these endpoints securely is essential. Here’s how Microsoft Purview strengthens your endpoint management strategy:

  • Unified Data Security Across Endpoints: Microsoft Purview offers one platform to manage data security for all endpoints. This includes desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and cloud applications. This ensures that sensitive data remains protected no matter where or how it’s accessed.

  • Data Loss Prevention on Endpoints: Purview allows businesses to set up DLP policies that prevent data leakage from endpoints. For instance, if an employee tries to share confidential files via email or cloud storage, Purview can block the action or alert IT teams

  • Endpoint Compliance Enforcement: By integrating compliance policies into your endpoint management strategy, Purview helps ensure that all endpoints adhere to regulatory requirements. This is especially valuable for businesses operating in regulated industries like healthcare or finance.

  • Visibility into Endpoint Data Activity: Purview offers insights into how data is accessed and used across endpoints, giving administrators full visibility into data activity, and reinforces your data governance framework. This can help identify potential risks or unusual behavior, such as an employee attempting to download large amounts of sensitive data.

  • Encryption and Access Control: Purview allows encryption at the endpoint level. This keeps sensitive data encrypted while it is being sent and when it is stored. Access control policies also help limit who can view or edit certain data, providing additional security layers.

Commonly Asked Questions About Microsoft Purview

How to Open Microsoft Purview Message Encryption?

Microsoft Purview offers email encryption capabilities through its message encryption feature. To open an encrypted email, the recipient typically receives a secure link or attachment. Upon clicking the link or downloading the attachment, they will be prompted to authenticate their identity before gaining access to the encrypted message.

How to Access the Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal?

You can access the Microsoft Purview compliance portal by navigating to https://compliance.microsoft.com. From here, you can manage compliance policies, review audit logs, and monitor your group’s compliance score.

Is Microsoft Purview Included in E5?

Yes, Microsoft Purview is included in the Microsoft 365 E5 license. This enterprise-level license offers advanced security, compliance, and data governance features as part of the package. However, specific Purview features may also be available in other Microsoft 365 license tiers, so it’s worth reviewing your current license to see what’s included.

Conclusion

Microsoft Purview offers businesses a comprehensive solution for managing data governance, compliance, and risk, all while enhancing their endpoint management strategy. By providing a unified platform for data security across all devices and endpoints, Purview helps businesses protect sensitive data, maintain compliance, and mitigate risks.

Whether you’re looking to streamline compliance processes or secure endpoints in a hybrid work environment, Microsoft Purview can provide the tools and insights you need to succeed.

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Andrew Reade

ANDREW READE

Andrew is our Digital Marketing Manager and oversees web-based marketing strategies and content creation for the organization. As a marketing veteran, Andrew has worked with organizations of all sizes in a diverse group of industries, from Risk Management to Transportation. Joining the organization in 2021, Andrew is based in Mobile Mentor’s Nashville, TN office.