Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance solution that helps organisations discover, classify, and manage sensitive data across Microsoft 365, on-premises systems, and multi-cloud environments. It’s designed to support compliance, improve data lifecycle management, and reduce risk.

Yes. Microsoft Purview can scan, classify, and apply sensitivity labels to content stored in SharePoint Online, Teams, and OneDrive for Business. This ensures sensitive data is protected and monitored across your Microsoft 365 environment.

No, Microsoft Purview and Compliance Manager work together. Compliance Manager helps assess and manage compliance risk, while Purview focuses on discovering, classifying, protecting, and governing data.

Some Purview capabilities are included in Microsoft 365 E5 or Microsoft 365 Compliance licences. However, advanced features—such as Insider Risk Management, eDiscovery Premium, or Information Protection—may require add-ons or specific compliance subscriptions.

No. As part of enterprise data governance, Microsoft Purview can scan and classify content according to organisational policies. This is done automatically and securely—without needing individual user consent—while still respecting privacy boundaries set by admins.

Information protection and labelling – Information protection enables organisations to classify and encrypt sensitive data across Microsoft 365 and beyond, helping ensure that critical information stays secure and meets compliance requirements.

Data loss prevention – Data loss prevention helps proactively identify, monitor, and protect sensitive data from unauthorised sharing or accidental leaks, reducing the risk of data breaches without interrupting productivity.

Insider risk management – Insider risk management provides the ability to detect, investigate, and mitigate potential risks posed by users within the organisation, supporting a proactive approach to safeguarding sensitive data.

Data security posture management – Continuously assess your organisation’s data protection strategies, ensuring vulnerabilities are identified and remediated before they can be exploited. Purview provides posture management capabilities in relation to AI usage.

eDiscovery – Streamline the discovery, preservation, and retrieval of your digital information for legal and compliance purposes, simplifying complex investigations and regulatory responses.

Compliance centre – Track and manage your compliance posture with hundreds of prebuilt assessments and real-time insights into regulatory risks and control gaps.

Yes. Purview supports a range of non-Microsoft data sources and locations, although the capabilities available vary depending on the workload, connector and licensing. We can help determine the appropriate approach for your environment.

The cost of Purview depends on the capabilities you need and the Microsoft licences available to your users. Some Purview capabilities are included within Microsoft 365 licences, while others require additional licensing. We can help you understand which capabilities are available within your existing licensing and where additional investment may be required.

Yes. Purview provides capabilities that can support organisations with data protection and regulatory requirements, including information classification, Data Loss Prevention, retention, eDiscovery and auditing. Purview is a technology platform rather than a guarantee of compliance, so it needs to be implemented alongside appropriate policies and processes.

Not necessarily. Purview supports both user-driven and automated approaches to classification. Organisations can use automatic or recommended sensitivity labelling alongside user decisions, depending on their requirements and licensing.