Microsoft Purview for data protection, compliance, and information protection in Microsoft 365
Microsoft Purview helps you find, classify, protect, and retain sensitive data in Microsoft 365 in a traceable way. ReByteIT supports small and medium-sized companies in introducing this interplay technically and making it usable in everyday work.
Microsoft 365 alone does not mean data protection is under control
Microsoft 365 is used productively every day – often without reliable control over which sensitive data is stored where, who can share it, and how long it is retained.
Sensitive data without a recognizable structure
Customer, HR, and financial data is often stored unstructured in Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Outlook.
External sharing and legacy permissions
Sharing has grown over time and is rarely documented in an audit-ready way.
Retention on paper only
Deletion and retention periods exist legally but are often not implemented technically.
Is Microsoft 365 automatically GDPR compliant?
No. Microsoft 365 provides security and compliance capabilities – whether these actually meet your data protection requirements depends on roles, policies, retention, sharing, and protective measures that have to be configured appropriately. Microsoft Purview helps implement this technically and make it traceable – it does not replace a legal assessment or an interpretation of the GDPR.
In-depth: “GDPR & Compliance” · available soonHow Microsoft Purview works together – not just Data Loss Prevention
Purview is not a single tool, but an interplay of information protection, data classification, governance, compliance, and risk transparency.
Discover
Make sensitive data visible in Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams.
Classify
Introduce data classification and sensitivity labels.
Protect
Protect against unwanted disclosure with Data Loss Prevention and encryption concepts.
Monitor
Make activities traceable with audit logging and Activity Explorer.
Retain
Implement retention and deletion rules technically.
Demonstrate
Document your status with a compliance baseline and a Compliance Manager review.
Purview Security Foundation Assessment
Not a rigid fixed-price package, but an individually tailored assessment across four core areas. Scope, duration, and the required access rights are defined together with you.
Information Protection
- Data classification
- Sensitivity Labels
- Encryption concepts
Data Loss Prevention
- Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams
- Endpoint DLP
Audit & Visibility
- Audit Logging
- Activity Explorer
- Reporting
Compliance Baseline
- Compliance Manager Review
- Gap Assessment
- Quick Wins
Information Protection, Data Loss Prevention, and audit are also configured technically as part of the assessment. Data lifecycle management, records management, eDiscovery, and Compliance Manager are primarily evaluated and set up from a governance and compliance perspective. This assessment is the Purview-specific implementation of what we offer across services as an Onboarding Assessment within Microsoft 365 Consulting .
Who is this service suited to?
The service is aimed primarily at small and medium-sized companies that use Microsoft 365 productively. What matters is not company size, but the actual data risk.
Classification is missing
Sensitive data is not classified in any recognizable way.
Sharing is unclear
External sharing and permissions have grown over time.
Retention is open
Retention and deletion obligations are not implemented technically.
Copilot rollout planned
The data foundation for secure Copilot use has not yet been clarified.
How the collaboration works
Scoping workshop
Clarify the starting situation, existing licenses, and maturity level together.
Evaluate classification
Define the protection requirements and classification model for your data.
Policies in test mode
Test DLP and retention policies in a controlled way first, before they enforce anything.
Document & hand over
Document the results and pass them on to your team in a knowledge transfer session.
Which results you receive
Technical documentation
Policy overview, architecture overview, permission model, configuration settings, and recommended actions.
Tested policies
DLP and retention policies introduced and validated in a controlled way.
Knowledge transfer for your team
A handover session or administrator training on labels, DLP policies, retention, and the role and permission model.
Microsoft Purview or a different Microsoft service?
Access and identities
Who may access what, and under which conditions?
Microsoft Entra ID →Detecting threats
How are attacks on endpoints, email, and identities detected?
Microsoft Defender →Overall security posture
How should our Microsoft security posture be assessed overall?
Security Assessment →Tenant and operations
How should our Microsoft 365 tenant be planned and operated as a whole?
Microsoft 365 Consulting →GDPR & compliance and Data Loss Prevention in detail
GDPR & Compliance
An in-depth look at retention, records management, eDiscovery, audit, and Compliance Manager.
Learn More →Data Loss Prevention
In-depth policies for Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and endpoint DLP, including the Copilot context.
Learn More →Questions about Microsoft Purview
Are we automatically GDPR compliant with Microsoft 365?
No. Microsoft 365 provides security and compliance capabilities, but roles, policies, retention, sharing, and protective measures have to be configured appropriately. Purview helps implement this technically and make it demonstrable.
Which data should we classify first?
In practice, usually customer, HR, and financial data first, along with documents subject to contractual or statutory retention obligations. The specific prioritization is defined together in the scoping workshop.
Can Purview prevent external sharing?
Purview can detect and label sensitive content and protect it against unwanted sharing through Data Loss Prevention policies. Whether sharing is blocked, only flagged, or triggers a warning depends on the configured policy.
Does Purview help against data leakage by departing employees?
Through classification, DLP policies, and optionally Insider Risk Management, Purview can help make unusual data movements visible and limit them. Complete prevention of data leakage cannot be guaranteed.
Can we use Copilot without sensitive data leaking?
Copilot should only be used productively once permissions, sensitivity labels, and classification have been reviewed. Purview can support this control, but it does not replace prior data and permission clean-up.
Is Microsoft Purview also worthwhile for smaller companies?
Yes. The service is aimed primarily at small and medium-sized companies that use Microsoft 365 productively. What matters is not company size, but the actual data risk: external sharing, customer and HR data, financial data, and retention obligations.
Which licenses do we need, and do you advise us on that?
The available Purview capabilities depend on the Microsoft 365 licensing model in use. Basic capabilities such as sensitivity labels, Data Loss Prevention, and retention policies are available in various Microsoft 365 plans; advanced capabilities such as Insider Risk Management, Communication Compliance, Audit (Premium), eDiscovery (Premium), and Endpoint DLP generally require Microsoft 365 E5 or corresponding add-on licenses. The consulting includes the technical assessment of the licenses required for the recommended Purview capabilities. Final licensing advice, contractual evaluation, and procurement are not part of this consulting service, but can be handled through the CSP business.
Does Purview replace our data protection officer or legal advice?
No. The consulting focuses on the technical capabilities of Microsoft Purview and Microsoft 365 for supporting data protection, compliance, and security requirements – such as data classification, information protection, Data Loss Prevention, auditing, and retention policies. Legal assessment, interpretation of the GDPR, and binding compliance or legal advice are not part of the offering and should be handled by your legal department, data protection officer, or specialized legal advisors. Technical implementation can, however, help demonstrate that organizational and regulatory requirements are met.
How should Microsoft Purview be used in your environment?
In a free initial consultation, we clarify whether a Purview Security Foundation Assessment, a targeted DLP configuration, or a structured review of your data protection and compliance requirements is the right next step.
You speak directly with Sebastian Kerssen – working in the Microsoft ecosystem since 2014, as a direct Microsoft partner with no intermediaries.