Ensuring data privacy is a complex requirement, primarily due to the huge amount of data that is generated daily and the fact that each country has its own laws that change dynamically depending upon new scenarios. Microsoft is trying to tackle this problem using the concept of decentralized identities but that is a long-term approach. For now, the company makes changes to its existing services to cater to data privacy laws. Today, it has announced the general availability of Privacy Management for Microsoft 365 customers.
Privacy Management is essentially a dedicated portal that offers end-to-end visibility to organizations so that they can monitor the privacy of their data. It utilizes data classification and user mapping intelligence to identify critical privacy risks across multiple data repositories. Organizations will be able to get a holistic and aggregated view of all this information using Privacy Management.
Privacy operations such as data transfers, minimization, overexposure, and subject-rights request management can be automated using templates. In the same vein, custom policies can be created too. It also provides recommendations to IT admins about how data privacy should be ensured and gives data owners guidance about how to handle data in productivity scenarios without sacrificing privacy. A GIF showing the Privacy Management portal can be seen below:
Additionally, Microsoft is partnering with privacy software companies such as OneTrust, Securiti.ai, and WireWheel so customers can ensure a streamlined flow for subject requests even for data that is stored outside Microsoft 365. Lastly, the Redmond tech giant has also mapped privacy-specific controls from its data compliance assessments to the Privacy Management portal.
Privacy Management for Microsoft 365 is available as an add-on for Microsoft 365 and Office 365 customers. It features two plans with a free 90-day trial that you can use before you decide to invest in the service. You can find out more details about this here.