Last updated: 3 October 2026
Short answer: Microsoft Purview is the set of tools inside Microsoft 365 that helps you find, classify, protect and govern your business data, and prove you are meeting data protection rules such as UK GDPR.
Purview groups six jobs around your data: classify it, stop it leaking, retain or delete it on schedule, watch for risky behaviour, record who did what, and find it when you must.
What does Microsoft Purview actually do?
Most businesses already hold personal data, contracts and financial records across email, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive. Purview helps you answer three questions: where is our sensitive data, who can reach it, and what happens to it. It works across Microsoft 365 rather than as a separate system.
| Purview tool | What it does | Business example |
|---|---|---|
| Information protection | Labels documents and emails by sensitivity, with protection that travels with the file. | Mark a payroll file Confidential so it cannot be shared outside the company. |
| Data loss prevention (DLP) | Detects and blocks sensitive data being sent or shared. | Warn a user before they email a spreadsheet of customer details. |
| Data lifecycle and records management | Keeps or deletes content on a schedule you set. | Keep HR records for the required period, then remove them. |
| Insider risk and communication compliance | Flags risky or inappropriate behaviour for review. | Spot a leaver copying large amounts of files. |
| Audit | Records activity across Microsoft 365. | Show who opened or deleted a document, and when. |
| eDiscovery | Searches and exports data for legal and regulatory requests. | Respond to a subject access request. |
| Compliance Manager | Scores your setup against regulations and gives improvement actions. | Track progress towards your compliance goals. |
Do we need Purview if we are a small business?
If you hold staff, customer or supplier personal data, you have obligations whether or not you have 10 people or 500. Purview is how those obligations become practical: sensible defaults for labels and retention, protection against accidental sharing, and the ability to answer a request quickly. What you can use depends on your Microsoft 365 licence, so the first job is to see what you already own.
How do we get started with Purview?
- Check what you are licensed forMany Purview features are included in common Microsoft 365 plans, so you may already be paying for them.
- Find your sensitive dataUnderstand where personal and confidential data sits and who can reach it.
- Fix access firstOvershared SharePoint sites and loose permissions are the biggest risk, and the easiest win.
- Add labels and DLPStart with a simple set of labels and a few high-value DLP policies, then widen.
- Set retentionKeep what you must and delete what you should not hold.
- Review regularlyUse Compliance Manager and audit logs to prove it is working.
Can ABCOM manage Microsoft Purview for us?
Yes. Compliance is one of ABCOM’s services. We review what you are licensed for, set up labels, DLP and retention in a way that fits how your team works, and keep it running. We also help with day-to-day compliance work such as running subject access requests in Purview, where we have helped several companies and prepared the files so they knew where to start.
- Licence and readiness review
- Label, DLP and retention set-up
- Subject access request and eDiscovery support
- Ongoing monitoring and reporting
Book a free IT review and we will tell you what Purview can do for your business. Related reading: What is Microsoft compliance score? and Microsoft Purview Unveiled: Mastering Data Safety and Compliance.
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