Insights

Demystifying Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager: A Practical Guide

Matt Davies — 28 October, 2024

In the evolving world of IT compliance, Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager stands out as a robust tool for organisations. Let’s cut through the jargon and explore how this solution can actually benefit your compliance efforts.

What Purview Compliance Manager Really Does

At its core, Purview Compliance Manager is a cloud-based platform that helps you track and manage compliance across your digital landscape. It’s part of the broader Microsoft Purview suite, but don’t let that fool you – it’s not limited to just Microsoft products. Key capabilities include:

Identifying and prioritising compliance risks

Providing a centralised portal for compliance monitoring

Extending beyond M365 to cover Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and AWS

Tracking progress through “improvement actions”

Facilitating evidence collection for audits

After initiating an assessment, compliance is tracked by addressing ‘improvement actions’ identified by the assessment. The feature can be used to track progress and store any evidence required for compliance management and is easily exported for use with external auditors.

Teamwork Makes the Compliance Dream Work

One common misconception is that Purview Compliance Manager is solely an IT admin tool. In reality, its strength lies in fostering collaboration across departments.

Practical Tips:

Form an Information Security & Compliance team with both business and IT stakeholders.

Use Purview’s built-in roles to delegate compliance tasks effectively.

Don’t silo compliance in IT – make it a company-wide responsibility.

Addressing Common Concerns

“Will this tool make unauthorised changes to our systems?”

Short answer: No. Purview Compliance Manager is a tracking and guidance tool, not an automatic implementation system. Any suggested changes still need to go through your regular change management processes. It’s about visibility, not automation.

Making the Most of Your License

If you’re running on E3 licenses, you’re not left out. The ‘Data Protection Baseline’ assessment, which is free, combines elements from GDPR, NIST, ISO, and FedRAMP. It’s a solid starting point for many organisations.

Beyond the Microsoft Ecosystem

While Purview Compliance Manager integrates seamlessly with M365, its reach extends much further. It offers templates for a wide array of global regulations and can track compliance across multiple products and platforms.

Getting Started: A No-Nonsense Approach

Assemble your team: Bring together IT and business stakeholders. Delegate and assign the improvement actions to relevant team members.

Start simple: Begin with the free Data Protection Baseline assessment. Complete as many actions as possible before venturing into premium assessments.

Automate wisely: Turn on automatic testing for all applicable improvement actions.

Review solutions: Examine the ‘Solutions’ section to identify improvement actions for each solution. Align priorities with the solutions most critical to your business.

Bulk edit improvement actions: Take advantage of bulk update capabilities using Excel. Filter out anything not applicable or “Out of Scope” and set desired implementation statuses for efficiency.

The Bottom Line

Purview Compliance Manager won’t solve all your compliance woes overnight, but it can significantly streamline the process. By fostering collaboration, providing visibility, and offering a structured approach to compliance, it turns a typically daunting task into a more manageable endeavour.

Remember, compliance is an ongoing process. Purview Compliance Manager is a tool to help you navigate this journey more effectively, but it’s not a magic bullet. Your team’s expertise and commitment remain crucial to your compliance success.

Don’t let compliance complexities hold you back. Leverage Chamonix’s expertise in Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager to streamline your compliance efforts and secure your cloud landscape.