The cloud computing model is an internet-based network that provides a flexible way to supply, deliver, and consume computing services (including infrastructure, software, platforms, and other resources) over the internet.
Rather than storing, installing, and running programs on hardware, cloud computing simply uses the Internet to access storage, software, and services.
Microsoft Azure Cloud is a public cloud computing platform that aims to assist businesses in managing challenges and meeting their organizational objectives with a variety of tools to support any industry, including ecommerce.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what Azure Information Protection is, how it works, and how organizations can benefit from using it.
What is Azure Purview Information Protection?
Cloud computing is an internet-based network that provides a flexible way to supply, deliver, and consume computing services (including infrastructure, software, platforms, and other resources) over the internet.
Azure Information Protection (AIP) builds upon a long history of Microsoft technologies, and assists organizations in categorizing, finding, classifying, and protecting their electronic records by applying labels to documents and emails.
Azure Information Protection (AIP) is part of the Microsoft Purview Information Protection (MIP) solution. MIP helps you discover, protect, classify, and manage sensitive information. It adds to the labeling and classification capabilities provided by Microsoft Purview.
AIP also provides the following capabilities:
- Unified labeling client
- On-site scanning
- A robust software development kit (SDK)
Azure Information Protection also utilizes the encryption service and Azure Rights Management. The identity management component of AIP is one of the most critical components of the system since users are required to have a valid username and password to access protected content.
How Does Azure Purview Information Protection Work?
Most organizations now have a large part of their workforce working off-site with remote access to their network.
Many businesses store their information in the cloud, and AIP protects that information, regardless of its point of creation. You don’t want hackers to gain access to your company’s security infrastructure if an employee accesses an unsecured network at a coffee shop.
AIP allows organizations to set up role-based access. Everything from viewing specific documents to sending them via email is under your control, and document permissions can be revoked if a user leaves the company or changes roles.
AIP also helps companies meet any regulatory data protection obligations and compliance standards required by their industry, and prevents non-authorized users and services from viewing the data in a document. To manage encryption, decryption, authorization, and enforcement of restrictions, AIP uses unique keys and certificates.
An application-level encryption policy specifies the permitted uses for a document, and the data is encrypted at the application level.
Documents that are protected are decrypted when they are used by a legitimate user or processed by a legitimate service. The rights established in the policy are enforced as a result of this decryption process.
In addition to file types, the Azure Information Protection unified labeling client supports File Explorer and PowerShell for adding labels, classifications, and protections.
On-premises scanning through Azure Information Protection allows administrators to identify sensitive content in on-premises file repositories that needs to be classified, protected, labeled, and/or tagged.
By using the SDK, third-party applications and services can add sensitivity labels and developers can create embedded applications that support the labeling and protection of files using the SDK.
The MIP SDK can be used for a variety of purposes, such as:
- When files are exported, sensitivity labels are applied to the files by a line-of-business application.
- Designing an application that supports built-in labeling as part of its CAD/CAM functionality.
- Acting as cloud access security brokers or data loss prevention solutions that monitor and preserve data encrypted with Azure Information Protection. These are extremely valuable security options for cloud access.
What Are Some of the Benefits of Azure Purview Information Protection?
Microsoft’s robust protection model combines classification and encryption to ensure the security and compliance of your business information.
With it, you can gain enhanced control over the security and compliance of your business information without requiring your users to perform complex security tasks during their day-to-day duties.
For example, in cases where your manager needs to know the names of your clients and details about future projects, ‘Confidential’ is the most appropriate AIP label.
Managing electronic records, particularly documents and emails, has always been a very challenging task for both small and large businesses alike, and it can be very frustrating at times.
Take a moment to consider how many emails you send and receive during the course of just a single day. As part of your job duties, you may be required to refer to a variety of documents that are part of the organization.
There are significant concerns when it comes to properly categorizing data and ensuring its security, especially when it comes to improper password protection, other human errors, or anything else that may lead to a data breach. These problems can be addressed with Azure Information Protection, helping your business become safer, more secure and remain compliant.
If your organization wants to take advantage of Azure Information Protection and other Microsoft technologies, partnering with an experienced Microsoft consulting company will ensure a smooth implementation. Argano’s experts have more than 20 years of experience in Microsoft solutions. A Microsoft Inner Circle Partner and Partner of the Year Winner (National) and Finalist (Global), Argano has deployed ERP and CRM solutions for companies across the globe.
