March 7, 2026

Summary

A client operating within a heavily regulated industry required a significant uplift in its data governance and compliance capabilities. The organisation utilised the Microsoft 365 ecosystem extensively but lacked a unified strategy to discover, classify, and protect sensitive information consistently across its digital estate. This gap exposed the business to potential data leakage and non-compliance risks, necessitating a structured, technology-led solution to enforce data handling policies effectively.

Challenge

The primary challenge was the absence of a centralised system for data classification and protection. Sensitive data was dispersed across endpoints, email, and cloud services without consistent controls. The client needed to move from a reactive security posture to a proactive one, where data was automatically identified and protected according to its sensitivity. The solution had to be scalable, manageable, and capable of demonstrating compliance to auditors and regulatory bodies.

Objectives

The project was guided by a clear set of objectives aimed at establishing a robust data governance framework:

• Implement a comprehensive data classification schema using sensitivity labels.
• Deploy automated policies to encrypt sensitive information, both at rest and in transit.
• Establish Data Loss Prevention (DLP) controls to monitor and prevent unauthorised data exfiltration across key channels.
• Conduct compliance checks to ensure the deployed solution aligned with industry best-practice templates.
• Run Cloud Adoption and Maturity Program (CAMP) assessments to identify architectural gaps and maximise the value realised from the proposed Microsoft security solutions.

Approach and Delivery

The engagement began with a thorough security posture assessment and an evaluation of the client’s technical architecture. This discovery phase established how data moved through the environment and identified high-value assets and systems.

CAMP assessments were conducted to benchmark the client’s maturity and build a targeted roadmap. The delivery was structured and formalised through detailed Statements of Work (SOWs), ensuring all parties had clear expectations for deliverables and outcomes. The core of the solution was designed around Microsoft Purview, integrating with Microsoft Intune for endpoint policy enforcement and Azure Policy for cloud infrastructure governance. This created a cohesive and multi-layered data protection strategy.

Technical Implementation

The solution was implemented by configuring a suite of integrated Microsoft security tools:

• Microsoft Purview: Deployed for data discovery, classification, and protection. Sensitivity labels were configured and auto-labelling policies were developed to classify and encrypt sensitive data across the environment automatically.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Implemented Purview-driven DLP policies to protect data across Microsoft 365 locations, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business, as well as on managed endpoints.
• Microsoft Intune: Used to enforce compliance on endpoints and deploy Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) policies. This ensured that devices accessing sensitive data met the required security baseline.
• Azure Policy: Leveraged to apply governance and compliance rules at the Azure subscription and resource group level, complementing the data-centric controls within Purview.

The configuration was validated against established Purview compliance templates to ensure it met recognised security and governance standards. All changes were managed through a formal change request process to maintain stability and control throughout the project.

Outcome

The project successfully delivered a centralised data governance and compliance solution that provided the client with end-to-end control over its sensitive information. The implementation of Microsoft Purview enabled the organisation to automatically classify, protect, and govern its data, significantly reducing the risk of data leakage and strengthening its overall compliance posture. The client was equipped with a scalable and manageable framework to adapt to future regulatory changes and business needs.

Risks, Controls and Governance

Project risks were managed proactively. The primary risk of operational disruption due to misconfigured policies was mitigated by a phased rollout, starting with pilot groups and audit-only modes before moving to full enforcement.

Governance was embedded in the delivery process. Detailed Statements of Work (SOWs) and high-quality change request documentation were produced for every deliverable, ensuring full transparency and alignment with client objectives. This formal documentation provided a clear audit trail and formed the basis for successful handover to the client’s internal operational teams.

Key Lessons

This engagement highlighted several key lessons for successful data governance projects:

1. Assessment is Crucial: A detailed initial assessment of the client’s architecture and maturity (using frameworks like CAMP) is fundamental to designing a solution that delivers maximum value and is fit for purpose.
2. Integration is Key: A holistic security posture is achieved by integrating data-centric tools like Microsoft Purview with endpoint management (Intune) and cloud infrastructure controls (Azure Policy).
3. Automation Drives Scalability: Relying on automated classification and protection policies is significantly more effective and scalable than depending on manual user actions, leading to more consistent and reliable security outcomes.

Related Services

• Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
  Policy-driven Microsoft Purview DLP detects and controls sensitive data across Microsoft 365 and endpoints, balancing protection with user productivity.
• Information Protection & Sensitivity Labels
  Design and deploy Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels to classify data, apply protection controls, and support safer collaboration across Microsoft 365.
• Data Security Assessment (Purview-led)
  Purview-led assessment identifies data risk, validates protection controls, and produces a prioritised roadmap across labels, DLP, and investigations.
• Compliance Manager Assessments
  Configure Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager assessments with clear ownership, prioritised improvement actions, managed evidence, and reporting that supports audits.