PII and Sensitivity label usage through Microsoft
How to track and protect data through commonplace workflows via distributed systems and services provided by Microsoft
If you work in engineering or develop digital product you probably already know that encryption for data in transit and data at rest are equally important. Today I'd like to take a look at a larger flow of data through an org and more common workflows.
Protecting Sensitive Data with Microsoft Sensitivity Labels and Mail Transport Rules
In today’s digital environment, protecting sensitive information is critical for maintaining privacy, ensuring compliance, and mitigating risks associated with data breaches. Microsoft provides a robust suite of tools across its platforms—including Exchange, Word, Excel, and Outlook—that allow organizations to manage and protect sensitive data effectively. Sensitivity labels and mail transport rules play a significant role in safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and other confidential data. Here, we’ll explore how sensitivity labels work, how they can be used in conjunction with Office 365 Message Encryption (OME), and the importance of tracking and managing sensitive information within an organization.
Understanding Sensitivity Labels in Microsoft Applications
Sensitivity labels are configurable tags that allow users and administrators to classify and protect data based on its level of sensitivity. They are integrated across Microsoft 365 applications such as Exchange, Word, Excel, and Outlook, providing seamless protection throughout the data lifecycle.
Microsoft Exchange
In Microsoft Exchange, sensitivity labels can be applied to emails to indicate the sensitivity of the content. For instance, an email containing PII can be labeled as “Confidential” or “Highly Confidential,” which informs both the sender and recipients about the sensitivity level of the data. Exchange can also integrate with Azure Information Protection (AIP) to apply encryption based on the label selected.
Exchange’s mail transport rules allow administrators to configure actions based on sensitivity labels, such as restricting forwarding, blocking external recipients, or encrypting the email if specific labels are applied. These rules can automate data protection, helping ensure compliance with organizational and regulatory requirements.
Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
In Word and Excel, sensitivity labels can be applied to documents and spreadsheets. Users can label documents directly within these applications, restricting access and actions such as copying, printing, and forwarding. The labels travel with the documents, ensuring persistent protection wherever the data is shared.
In Outlook, users can label their emails similarly, which triggers automatic protection mechanisms such as encryption and restricted access. Sensitivity labels can also add visual cues, such as headers or footers, to reinforce the data’s confidentiality.
Automating Data Protection with Mail Transport Rules and OME
Organizations can implement mail transport rules in Exchange to automatically detect and protect sensitive data in emails. Office 365 Message Encryption (OME) provides encryption capabilities to ensure that sensitive data is protected both in transit and at rest. By combining sensitivity labels with mail transport rules and OME, organizations can create automated workflows that secure PII effectively.
Creating Mail Transport Rules to Protect PII with OME
Mail transport rules can be configured to apply specific actions to emails based on their sensitivity labels. For example, an organization might set up a rule that automatically applies OME encryption to any email labeled as “Confidential” or containing keywords like “SSN” or “Credit Card Number.”
With OME, the data remains encrypted while in transit, preventing unauthorized access from outside entities. When the email is at rest, OME continues to protect the content with encryption policies, ensuring that only authorized recipients can decrypt and access the information.
This automation helps reduce human error and ensures that sensitive information is always protected, regardless of where it is sent or stored. Additionally, OME integrates with data loss prevention (DLP) policies, allowing organizations to define and enforce rules that prevent PII and other sensitive data from being inadvertently exposed.
Benefits of Tracking PII in the Workplace
Tracking PII within an organization is essential for several reasons, including compliance, privacy, and operational efficiency. Implementing sensitivity labels and mail transport rules helps with accurate data classification and management, leading to several benefits:
Regulatory Compliance
Many industries are subject to regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA, which require organizations to protect PII. By tracking and classifying PII with sensitivity labels, organizations can demonstrate compliance with these regulations, reducing the risk of fines and legal action.
Labels can also provide audit trails, making it easier for compliance officers to monitor and report on data usage and access.
Enhanced Data Privacy
Tracking PII ensures that sensitive information is only accessible to authorized personnel. This is particularly crucial in industries like finance and healthcare, where data privacy is paramount. Sensitivity labels allow organizations to control access to information and mitigate the risk of internal threats.
With mail transport rules and encryption, organizations can automatically protect PII as it moves through different workflows, maintaining privacy without hindering productivity.
Risk Mitigation and Incident Response
By tracking PII, organizations gain greater visibility into where sensitive data is stored and who is accessing it. This visibility is essential for identifying potential security risks and responding promptly to data breaches.
Sensitivity labels enable organizations to respond quickly to incidents by isolating compromised data and controlling access. This reduces the potential impact of data breaches and demonstrates proactive data management.
Importance of Sensitivity Labels for Compliance and Evolving Data Exchanges
As data exchanges become more complex, it is increasingly important for organizations to track compliance through sensitivity labels. Sensitivity labels provide a systematic approach to data classification, allowing organizations to:
Adapt to Evolving Compliance Requirements
Compliance requirements are continuously evolving, and sensitivity labels offer a flexible solution that can be adapted to new regulations. For example, as new privacy laws emerge, organizations can update their sensitivity labels to reflect the latest compliance standards, ensuring ongoing regulatory alignment.
Labels can also be tailored to different departments, allowing for specialized protection based on the type of data handled in each area of the organization.
Facilitate Secure Data Sharing
Organizations today often collaborate with external partners, vendors, and clients, necessitating secure data sharing. Sensitivity labels allow organizations to define access controls and enforce protection policies for shared data, ensuring that information is only accessible to authorized parties.
With built-in protections, sensitivity labels enable secure collaboration without compromising the confidentiality of sensitive information.
Provide Consistency and Accountability Across the Organization
Sensitivity labels create a standardized approach to data protection, promoting consistency and accountability. Employees are trained to recognize and apply labels based on data sensitivity, reducing the risk of mishandling information.
By tracking label usage, organizations can identify areas for improvement, such as departments that need additional training on data protection protocols.
In Summary
Microsoft’s sensitivity labels, when combined with mail transport rules and OME, provide organizations with a comprehensive solution for protecting sensitive data. These tools help automate data classification, enforce encryption, and support regulatory compliance, making it easier to manage PII and other confidential information. By tracking and managing sensitive data effectively, organizations can not only reduce risks but also foster a culture of privacy and security, ensuring that sensitive information is safeguarded in an evolving digital landscape.