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According to the Microsoft 2024 Data Security Index, organizations experience an average of 156 data security incidents annually, and this cyberthreat continues to be a top concern for data security decision-makers.¹ A full 82% of security decision-makers believe a comprehensive, fully integrated platform is superior to managing multiple isolated tools. Yet on average, teams are juggling 12 different data security solutions, creating complexity that increases their vulnerability.¹

Also, as organizations increasingly turn to generative AI tools, the risk of sensitive data exposure or unauthorized use grows. This shift makes broad visibility into data risks across the digital landscape not only important—but essential. To effectively safeguard data in today’s environment, organizations need a robust and integrated data security strategy, bringing together data and user context across cloud apps, services, devices, AI tools, and more. Achieving this requires a holistic approach—one that unifies people, processes, and technology to protect what matters most.

At Microsoft, we help empower data security leaders to keep their most valuable assets—data—safe, and now we’re publishing Securing your data with Microsoft Purview: A practical handbook. This guide is designed for data security leaders to initiate and enhance data security practices, leveraging the extensive experience of Microsoft subject matter experts (SMEs) and relevant customer insights. The guide aims to help customers efficiently and effectively implement data security with Microsoft Purview, maximizing the solution’s value by focusing on a integrated strategy.

Stronger data security begins with a clear plan

Data security is critically important and with the right approach, it doesn’t need to be overly complicated. As in the implementation of any technology, when securing data, proper preparation can help organizations avoid major roadblocks and realize greater efficiency and value going forward. The guide we’re sharing can help data security teams frame their goals and prioritize opportunities that are actionable, attainable, and can lead to quick wins—such as effective initial policies and greater organizational commitment to data security goals.

Every organization faces unique data security challenges and have varying levels of risk tolerance. However, a universal struggle remains: balancing employee productivity with robust data security. This guide walks leaders through several key considerations for creating data security goals that integrate business objectives and compliance needs. It also provides insights on how to collaborate across the organization to understand the full scope of data security requirements and develop a cross-functional team of stakeholders.

Lastly, preparation also includes defining what success will look like for your organization’s data security strategy. The guide helps leaders choose clear metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of their data security deployments with Microsoft Purview and includes examples of success metrics to consider. Additionally, the guide helps organizations focus on resolving their biggest data security risks first, while allowing the flexibility to modify, add, or change success metrics as challenges and maturity level change.

Leveraging Microsoft Purview to secure your organization’s data

Once organizations set goals and prioritize data security opportunities, it’s time to assess their environment and implement robust protections to secure their data.

Teams today are under constant pressure to protect sensitive data from leaks, unintentional oversharing, insider cyberthreats and more—all while enabling collaboration and innovation. Businesses need tools to understand where their data is, who’s accessing it, and how it’s being used. With advanced detection and prevention capabilities, companies can identify potential risks before they become incidents—whether it’s an employee sharing confidential information externally or sensitive data being stored in the wrong location. By automating policy enforcement and surfacing actionable insights, companies can reduce human error, strengthen their data security posture, and respond swiftly to emerging cyberthreats, without disrupting everyday workflows.

With Microsoft Purview, organizations can aim to establish a strong data security program by uncovering hidden risks to data throughout its lifecycle, safeguarding against data loss, and mitigating risks from both internal and external security incidents. To successfully leverage these capabilities, the guidance included in the asset walks us through a deeply integrated suite of products, ensuring a cohesive approach to data security.

This practical guide will enable data security teams to get up to speed with Microsoft Purview’s integrated set of solutions and establish a strong data security program from the start. From understanding your organization’s data to developing policies that align with the business and compliance needs of your organization, there are several steps to take to ensure data security programs are better set up for success. This guide is designed to empower data security teams to confidently establish the right strategy to secure their organization’s data, from policy design to implementation, troubleshooting, and continual improvement—providing a comprehensive approach for organizations to prevent data risks.

The next steps on your data security journey

Once your organization has deployed Microsoft Purview and navigated the initial steps, you’ll be well poised to go deeper into adjacent opportunities and scenarios to further protect your organization.

From empowering data security teams and deep-content investigation with the application of generative AI, to integrating data security into the Security Operations Center experience, continuing your data security journey with intentionality can lead to enhanced protection and operational efficiency. Looking across the other aspects of data within an organization is also crucial, as data compliance and data governance complement data security—ensuring comprehensive protection and management of data across its lifecycle, while meeting regulatory requirements and unlocking value creation from data.

Securing your organization’s data is not just about implementing the right tools, but also about fostering a culture of security awareness and collaboration. By leveraging Microsoft Purview and following the best practices outlined in this guide, you can create a robust data security strategy that protects your valuable assets and supports your business objectives. Remember, data security is a continuous journey, and with the right approach, you can navigate it successfully.

Download Securing your data with Microsoft Purview: A practical handbook and set up your organization for a successful implementation today.

To learn more about our latest data security innovations, check out the Microsoft Secure announcement blog for more news across Microsoft Purview.

Learn more with Microsoft Security

To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

¹Microsoft 2024 Data Security Index: The Risk of AI, Threatscape.

The post ​​Explore practical best practices to secure your data with Microsoft Purview​​ appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.