What is Microsoft Purview and their capabilities?

Microsoft Purview – Brief Overview

Microsoft Purview Capabilities can be grouped into three main areas: Data Governance, Data Protection, and Risk & Compliance Management.

1. Data Governance & Cataloging

• Data Map – Automatically scans and classifies data across on-premises, multi-cloud, and SaaS sources.

• Data Catalog – Helps discover, understand, and manage data assets with business glossaries and lineage tracking.

• Data Sharing – Enables secure data sharing inside and outside the organization.

2. Data Protection & Information Security

• Information Protection – Apply sensitivity labels to classify and protect emails, files, and documents.

• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) – Prevents accidental sharing of sensitive information across endpoints, email, Teams, and other apps.

• Encryption & Access Controls – Ensures only authorized users can access sensitive data, even if shared externally.

3. Risk, Compliance & Insider Threat Management

• Compliance Manager – Provides assessments and regulatory templates (GDPR, HIPAA, ISO, etc.).

• eDiscovery – Helps identify and collect relevant data for legal or compliance investigations.

• Audit – Provides detailed logs of user and admin activities for investigations.

• Insider Risk Management – Detects risky user behaviors (e.g., data exfiltration).

• Communication Compliance – Monitors internal communications for policy violations or misconduct.

Microsoft Purview is an end-to-end data governance, protection, and compliance platform that helps organizations know their data, protect their data, and manage risks effectively across Microsoft 365, Azure, on-prem, and multi-cloud environments.

AND OR

Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance, security, and compliance platform. It combines the capabilities of Azure Purview (for data governance) and Microsoft 365 Compliance solutions (for data protection & risk management) into one integrated suite.

It helps organizations answer three key questions:

1. What data do I have? → Data discovery, cataloging, classification.

2. How is my data protected? → Information protection, encryption, DLP.

3. Am I compliant with regulations? → Risk, audit, and compliance management.

Key Areas of Microsoft Purview

1. Data Governance & Visibility

• Purview Data Map & Catalog – Automatically scans and classifies data across on-premises, Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, and SaaS apps.

• Business Glossary – Helps standardize business terms across the organization.

• Data Lineage – Tracks where data comes from and how it moves across systems.

• Data Sharing – Enables secure and controlled data sharing with partners.

2. Information Protection

• Sensitivity Labels – Classify and protect data (Confidential, Internal, Public, etc.).

• Encryption & Rights Management – Ensures sensitive files/emails remain protected even outside the company.

• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) – Prevents accidental or intentional sharing of sensitive information across Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and endpoints.

3. Risk & Compliance Management

• Compliance Manager – Provides 300+ regulatory templates (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS) to assess compliance posture.

• eDiscovery & Audit – Finds, preserves, and reviews data for legal or internal investigations.

• Insider Risk Management – Detects risky behaviors (e.g., downloading large sensitive files before resigning).

• Communication Compliance – Monitors Teams, email, and chats for policy violations.

• Records Management – Automates retention, archiving, and deletion of data based on policies.

4. Multicloud & Hybrid Support

Unlike older tools, Microsoft Purview doesn’t only focus on Microsoft 365. It can discover, classify, and govern data across multiple clouds and on-premises sources, making it useful for hybrid enterprises.

Why Microsoft Purview Matters

• Unified Platform → Combines governance + compliance in one tool.

• Scalability → Works across M365, Azure, AWS, GCP, and on-premises.

• Regulatory Alignment → Helps organizations stay compliant with global laws.

• Risk Reduction → Protects against insider threats, data leaks, and non-compliance fines.

In short: Microsoft Purview gives organizations a 360° view of their data estate, helps protect sensitive information, and ensures regulatory compliance — all from one platform.