Think about how much sensitive data flows through your clients’ environments every single day. Customer records, financial data, intellectual property — all of it moving across cloud services, devices and endpoints. Now ask yourself: how much of it is actually protected?
For MSPs, the stakes are even higher. Your clients trust you to keep their data safe. And in an AI-driven world where that data can be accessed, analyzed and exposed faster than ever, the margin for error is razor-thin. That’s where Microsoft Purview comes in.
Microsoft Purview provides a unified platform for data governance, information protection, data loss prevention (DLP) and insider risk management, helping organizations protect sensitive information wherever it lives or travels. Purview also gives security teams the visibility and control they need to safeguard sensitive information across cloud services, devices and on‑prem environments.
What Is Microsoft Purview?
Microsoft Purview is a comprehensive suite that helps organizations:
- Discover and classify sensitive data
- Apply labels and encryption that travel with the data
- Prevent data loss across email, Teams, SharePoint, endpoints and cloud apps
- Detect insider risks using behavioral analytics
- Manage compliance and eDiscovery from a unified dashboard
Purview’s mission is simple: know your data, protect your data and prevent data loss
Why Information Protection Matters More Than Ever
Modern organizations face a perfect storm of challenges:
- Hybrid and remote work expands the attack surface
- Cloud adoption spreads data across multiple platforms
- Regulatory pressure continues to increase
- Cyberthreats grow more sophisticated
- Insider threats are rising across industries
Without strong information protection, organizations risk financial loss, legal penalties, reputational damage and operational disruption.
Understand the Three Biggest Threats
1. Data Exfiltration
Data exfiltration is the unauthorized transfer or theft of data from a system or network. It can be carried out by attackers, malware or malicious insiders.
Bloomberg reported on a former Coca‑Cola scientist who secretly removed proprietary can‑liner formulas by trying multiple exfiltration paths — including USB devices, personal cloud accounts and even photographing sensitive documents when digital controls blocked her. Her behavior illustrates how insiders often switch methods until one succeeds.
Common methods include:
- Uploading files to personal cloud storage
- Emailing sensitive data externally
- Using USB drives
- Malware‑based extraction
How Microsoft Purview helps:
Purview mitigates these risks by monitoring insider activity, blocking unauthorized transfers across USB, email and cloud apps and protecting sensitive files with labeling, encryption and access controls
2. Data Leakage
Data leakage is the accidental or unintentional exposure of sensitive information. It often results from human errors, rather than malicious intent.
Examples include:
- Sending confidential files to the wrong person
- Misconfigured cloud storage
- Oversharing in email or chat
- Storing sensitive files in public locations
Purview DLP policies help prevent leakage by scanning content in real time and warning or blocking users when they attempt risky actions.
3. Insider Risk
Insider risk refers to the potential for someone with legitimate access, such as an employee, contractor or partner, to misuse that access in a way that harms the organization.
Types of insider risks include:
- Malicious insiders stealing or sabotaging data
- Negligent insiders mishandling sensitive information
- Compromised insiders whose accounts are hijacked
A striking example of malicious insider activity was reported by The Register, where an IT contractor illegally accessed his former employer’s networks after being fired. He impersonated another contractor, ran scripts to lock out thousands of employees and attempted to delete logs to hide his actions. This case highlights how quickly an insider with technical knowledge can inflict widespread operational and financial damage.
Purview’s Insider Risk Management helps organizations detect early warning signs, such as unusual access patterns, mass downloads or attempts to bypass security controls, before they escalate into incidents like this.
How Microsoft Purview Helps Protect Your Organization
Purview provides a unified, intelligent approach to information protection by implementing the following:
Sensitive data classification and labels: Automatically identify and categorize sensitive information.
Applies protections that travel with the data: Encryption, access restrictions and usage controls remain attached to files.
Prevents data loss: DLP policies monitor and block risky actions across Microsoft 365 and connected apps.
Detects insider risks: Behavioral analytics identify unusual or risky activities early.
Governs data across your entire environment: Centralized dashboards provide visibility into data flows, policy violations and risk trends.
The Big Picture
Information protection is no longer optional—it’s essential. These real-world examples prove just how real and costly these threats are. As organizations operate in a cloud-first, hybrid work world, the risks of data exfiltration, leakage and insider threats continue to grow.
Microsoft Purview provides the tools needed to understand, classify, protect and govern sensitive information across your entire digital estate. By adopting a strong information protection strategy, organizations can reduce risk, maintain compliance and safeguard their most valuable asset: their data.
Now, Microsoft Purview is more accessible than ever. The Microsoft Purview Suite for Business Premium is available as an add-on for Microsoft 365 Business Premium, delivering advanced data security and compliance capabilities for SMBs. For organizations with more complex needs, the Microsoft Purview Suite for E3 is available as an add-on for Microsoft 365 E3, extending enterprise-grade information protection, compliance and risk management.
As an MSP, you’re on the front lines of this fight. Microsoft Purview gives you the tools to protect your clients’ data proactively and position yourself as a trusted security advisor. Ready to strengthen your security stack? Explore Microsoft Purview through the Pax8 Marketplace and give your clients the protection they deserve.
