Microsoft Purview Information Protection
Sensitive data discovery software
Cloud data security software
Data-centric security software
Cloud security software
Data security software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$10.00 per user per month
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What is Microsoft Purview Information Protection
Microsoft Purview Information Protection is a data protection and classification capability within the Microsoft Purview portfolio that helps organizations discover, label, and protect sensitive information across Microsoft 365 and connected data sources. It is used by security, compliance, and IT teams to apply sensitivity labels, encryption, and policy-based controls to documents and emails, and to support data loss prevention and governance workflows. The product is closely integrated with Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft 365 services, and it supports automated and user-driven labeling to enforce consistent handling of sensitive data.
Deep Microsoft 365 integration
The product integrates natively with Microsoft 365 apps and services such as Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams for labeling and protection workflows. This reduces reliance on third-party agents for common collaboration scenarios and enables consistent policy enforcement where Microsoft 365 is the primary productivity stack. Integration with Microsoft Entra ID supports identity-based access and policy decisions. For organizations standardized on Microsoft, this can simplify deployment and operations.
Sensitivity labels and encryption
Purview Information Protection supports sensitivity labels that can apply visual markings, encryption, and usage rights to content. Labels can be applied manually by users or automatically based on conditions, helping standardize handling of regulated or confidential data. Protection can persist with the file or email, supporting data-centric controls beyond perimeter security. This is useful for controlling sharing and access in common document and email workflows.
Policy-driven compliance controls
The product supports centralized policy management for classification and protection, enabling consistent rules across users and groups. It aligns with broader Microsoft compliance capabilities (for example, DLP and auditing) to support governance and incident response processes. Reporting and administrative tooling help security and compliance teams monitor label usage and policy outcomes. This can reduce fragmentation compared with deploying separate point tools for labeling and protection.
Best fit in Microsoft stack
Capabilities are strongest when data resides in Microsoft 365 and closely integrated Microsoft services. Coverage for non-Microsoft repositories and heterogeneous SaaS environments may require additional connectors, configuration, or complementary products. Organizations with many third-party content systems may find end-to-end discovery and enforcement less uniform. This can increase implementation effort compared with platforms designed primarily for broad, vendor-agnostic discovery.
Licensing and feature complexity
Information protection features are often tied to specific Microsoft licensing bundles and add-ons, which can make entitlement and cost planning non-trivial. Some advanced capabilities may require higher-tier subscriptions, and feature availability can vary by plan. This can complicate procurement and long-term budgeting. It also increases the need for careful license governance to avoid gaps in coverage.
Configuration and change management effort
Effective labeling and protection typically require upfront taxonomy design, policy tuning, and user training to minimize mislabeling and workflow friction. Automated labeling and DLP-style rules can generate false positives if not tuned to the organization’s data patterns. Rolling out labels across departments often requires iterative governance and stakeholder alignment. These factors can extend time-to-value for organizations without mature data classification practices.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Purview Suite | $12.00 per user/month (paid yearly, annual commitment) | Unified Purview data security & compliance suite; Information Protection is included as part of this suite. (See plan details on Microsoft site). |
| Microsoft Purview Suite for Microsoft 365 Business Premium | $10.00 per user/month (paid yearly; requires Microsoft 365 Business Premium) | Purview capabilities for Business Premium customers; marketed with a 30-day free trial for eligible customers. |
| Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance (includes Purview Information Protection capabilities) | $12.00 per user/month (paid yearly) | E5 Compliance bundle which includes Information Protection features; availability/pricing shown on Microsoft’s compliance/pricing pages. |
Seller details
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, Washington, United States
1975
Public
https://www.microsoft.com/
https://x.com/Microsoft
https://www.linkedin.com/company/microsoft/
