How to use Microsoft 365 to automate your data classification policies

For financial and professional services firms, data classification is no longer optional. With the growth of artificial intelligence in everyday tools, firms must understand exactly what information they hold, how sensitive it is, and how it should be used.

At Pro Drive, we help our clients create a practical and secure approach to data classification and automate this using the powerful technical controls available in their existing Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses as well as the more advanced Microsoft Purview suite to ensure compliance and avoid reputational damage as a result of human error.

Why are technical controls important?

Getting a first step in place by developing a data classification framework is crucial, but have you considered how you will ensure your staff follow it? Furthermore, if you are using AI or AI agents, how will you make the AI aware that it has to follow the framework? This is where having robust technical controls is necessary.

Fortunately, most businesses already have the capability to put these controls in place with their existing Microsoft software.

Implementing technical controls with Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Once your policy is in place, we bring it to life using the built in features of Microsoft 365 Business Premium. These allow firms to label, protect and control data without relying solely on the judgement of their employees.

Key capabilities include:

• Data sensitivity labelling to ensure documents and emails are classified based on their content, and appropriate markings and restrictions on their use applied.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) to prevent accidental sharing of sensitive information internally or externally via email, Teams or sharing.
• Automated encryption of data based on its labelling to ensure confidential data remains secure.

Extending governance and automation with Microsoft Purview

For firms with more complex regulatory or operational needs, the Microsoft Purview Suite add on provides advanced governance and compliance capabilities.  Using this licence we can help you:

• Automate retention and deletion policies to meet regulatory requirements.
• Use advanced Data Leakage Prevention and Insider Risk Management to detect unusual behaviour or potential data leaks.
• Monitor and report on data handling for audit and compliance te
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• Use machine learning to search and identify documents such as contracts, ID documents, case files or financial statements that need protection to be applied.

Purview adds a level of intelligence and automation that significantly reduces risk and operational overhead.

If you want to find out more about how you can use the Microsoft 365 suite to automate your data classification framework, get in touch with us using this form.