Did you know that the global average cost of data breachs is $4.88M in 2024—a 10% increase over last year and the highest total ever? The cost of non-compliance can be staggering, from hefty fines to loss of customer trust and brand reputation. As data volumes grow exponentially, the challenge of managing, protecting, and ensuring the integrity of that data becomes increasingly complex. How can organizations navigate this intricate landscape effectively? The answer lies in robust data governance tools like Microsoft Purview.
Our recent webinar, led by data governance and compliance strategist, Naren Babu, delved deep into the power of this innovative tool. From automating data discovery to enhancing security measures, Microsoft Purview offers a comprehensive approach to managing your data landscape. This blog post distills key takeaways from Naren Babu’s presentation, providing you with actionable strategies to fortify your data governance framework.
Understanding the Importance of Data Compliance and Governance
Data Compliance
Data compliance refers to the adherence to laws, regulations, and standards that govern how organizations collect, store, use, and protect data. This includes following rules set by regulatory bodies and industry standards to ensure data privacy, security, and ethical use.
Importance of Data Compliance:
- Legal protection: Helps organizations avoid hefty fines and legal consequences.
- Reputation management: Builds trust with customers and partners.
- Data security: Reduces the risk of data breaches and cyber attacks.
- Ethical responsibility: Ensures responsible handling of sensitive information.
Data Governance
Data governance is a system of decision rights and accountabilities for information-related processes. It encompasses the strategies, policies, standards, and technologies used to manage and optimize the use of an organization’s data assets.
Importance of Data Governance:
- Data quality: Ensures data is accurate, consistent, and reliable.
- Operational efficiency: Streamlines data-related processes and reduces redundancies.
- Better decision-making: Provides a framework for using data strategically.
- Risk mitigation: Helps identify and address potential data-related risks.
- Regulatory compliance: Facilitates adherence to data-related laws and regulations.
Both data compliance and governance are crucial for modern organizations. They work hand in hand to create a robust framework for managing data responsibly and effectively. While compliance focuses on meeting external requirements, governance provides the internal structure to manage data as a valuable asset. Together, they help organizations maximize the value of their data while minimizing associated risks.
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Data Compliance and Governance challenges in Modern Businesses
1. Evolving Regulatory Landscape
The regulatory environment is continually changing, with new laws and updates to existing regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA. Businesses must stay current with these changes to ensure compliance, which can be challenging given the complexity and global nature of modern enterprises. Failure to comply with evolving regulations can result in significant fines and legal consequences.
The rapid adoption of new technologies, such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics, has transformed how businesses operate. While these technologies offer numerous benefits, they also introduce new challenges in data governance and compliance, including managing vast amounts of data, ensuring data accuracy, and maintaining security across diverse platforms.
3. Data Privacy and Security
As data breaches and cyber threats become more sophisticated, ensuring data privacy and security is increasingly difficult. Organizations must implement robust security measures to protect sensitive information and comply with privacy laws. This includes encryption, access controls, and regular audits to prevent unauthorized access and data leaks.
4. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
Businesses are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their commitment to ESG principles. This involves not only environmental sustainability but also social responsibility and strong governance practices. Integrating ESG considerations into data governance frameworks is essential but can be complex, requiring alignment with various stakeholders and regulatory requirements.
5. Corporate Governance
Corporate governance involves establishing a framework of rules, practices, and processes to direct and control an organization. Effective corporate governance is crucial for maintaining investor confidence and ensuring compliance with financial reporting and other regulatory requirements. However, aligning corporate governance with evolving compliance standards is a persistent challenge.
6. Risk Management
Effective risk management is vital for identifying and mitigating potential threats to an organization’s data assets. This includes assessing the risks associated with data handling, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance. The challenge lies in developing comprehensive risk management strategies that are flexible enough to adapt to the dynamic business environment.
7. Internal Compliance Programs
Internal compliance programs are essential for ensuring that all employees adhere to regulatory requirements and company policies. However, implementing and maintaining these programs can be challenging, especially in large organizations with complex structures. Continuous training, monitoring, and enforcement are necessary to ensure compliance across all levels of the organization.
8. Financial Compliance
Financial compliance involves adhering to laws and regulations that govern financial reporting, accounting practices, and transactions. This is critical for maintaining transparency and trust with stakeholders. However, the complexity of financial regulations, coupled with the need for accurate and timely reporting, poses significant challenges for businesses.
Key Statistics: Impact of Poor Data Governance & Compliance Solutions
Data Privacy Fines
In 2021 alone, fines for data privacy violations under regulations like GDPR exceeded $1 billion, as reported by DLA Piper. Companies that fail to implement effective data governance and compliance solutions are at high risk of facing similar penalties, which can severely impact their financial stability.
Customer Trust
86% of consumers say they’re growing increasingly concerned about data privacy, while 40% don’t trust companies to use their data ethically, according to KPMG report. This statistic reveals the potential for customer churn and reputational damage when data governance and compliance are neglected. In an era where data privacy is a growing concern, failing to properly manage and protect customer data can lead to significant loss of business and market share.
Data Quality Issues
Poor data quality costs organizations an average of $12.9 million per year, according to Gartner. Lack of data governance often leads to poor data quality, which can result in misinformed decision-making, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities. This statistic highlights the hidden costs of not managing data as a strategic asset.
Employee Productivity Loss
A study by Monte Carlo company found that data professionals are spending a whopping 40% of their time evaluating or checking data quality and that poor data quality impacts 26% of their companies’ revenue,
Introducing Microsoft Purview
Microsoft Purview plays a crucial role in enhancing data governance by providing a unified data governance service that helps organizations manage and govern their data across on-premises, multi-cloud, and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) environments
As data volumes grow and regulatory requirements become increasingly stringent, the need for a robust data governance framework has never been more critical. Microsoft Purview addresses these challenges by providing a comprehensive platform that enables organizations to gain visibility and control over their data.
Data Governance with Microsoft Purview
1. Data Discovery and Cataloging
Microsoft Purview’s capabilities facilitate effective data discovery and cataloging with minimal human intervention. The organization can view, classify, and ensure that data assets are cataloged within the entire data estate, which involves on-premise, multi-cloud, and SaaS. Purview integrates a comprehensive data catalog built at the heart of data stewardship by weaving a panoramic picture of the organization’s data so that the stewards and analysts can easily find, comprehend, and manage the data.
The cataloging process is automated, which reduces manual effort and ensures that the catalog is always up-to-date. This capability is crucial for maintaining data transparency, improving data quality, and facilitating better data-driven decision-making.
2. Data Retention and Deletion
Purview supports data retention and deletion policies, helping organizations manage the lifecycle of their data in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. By defining retention policies, organizations can ensure that data is retained for the required period and automatically deleted when it is no longer needed. This is particularly important for complying with regulations like GDPR, which mandate specific data retention periods.
Purview’s retention and deletion capabilities help organizations minimize the risks associated with data over-retention, such as unnecessary storage costs and potential non-compliance.
3. Data Lineage
Data lineage is one of Microsoft Purview’s standout features, providing a detailed view of how data flows through the organization. Purview tracks the movement and transformation of data across various systems, applications, and processes, allowing users to understand the origins, journey, and dependencies of their data. This transparency is essential for ensuring data accuracy, conducting impact analysis, and supporting auditing and compliance efforts.
Data lineage helps organizations identify the sources of data anomalies and understand the downstream impact of data changes, which is critical for maintaining data integrity and trust.
4. Data Access Management
Microsoft Purview integrates with Microsoft’s security and identity solutions to provide comprehensive data access management. This capability allows organizations to implement fine-grained access controls, ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive data. Purview enables organizations to define and enforce access policies based on roles, responsibilities, and regulatory requirements.
This helps protect sensitive data from unauthorized access and breaches, while also ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations. Additionally, Purview’s access management capabilities facilitate secure data sharing within and outside the organization, promoting collaboration while maintaining data security.
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Microsoft Purview – Risk & Compliance Capabilities
1. Data Risk Management
Microsoft Purview assists enterprises in identifying, quantifying, and controlling the risk posed to their data. It has features for identifying protected data, tracking data access and usage patterns, and taking necessary steps to counter such practices. The system offers several other tools for such activities in this critical business area.
- Risk assessment dashboards and reports
- Continuous monitoring for anomalous data access or usage
2. Compliance Management
Purview’s compliance management features assist organizations in meeting regulatory requirements and industry standards. It offers a centralized platform for implementing compliance controls, monitoring adherence, and demonstrating compliance to auditors. By automating many compliance-related tasks, Purview helps reduce the complexity and cost of maintaining regulatory compliance.
- Pre-built compliance templates for various regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA)
- Compliance score and improvement actions
- Automated compliance assessments and reporting
- Integration with other Microsoft 365 compliance tools
3. Data Retention and Preservation
This capability in Microsoft Purview helps organizations manage the lifecycle of their data assets effectively. It provides tools for implementing retention policies, preserving data for legal or regulatory purposes, and securely disposing of data when it’s no longer needed. This ensures that organizations retain valuable information while minimizing risk and storage costs.
- Customizable retention policies across different data sources
- Legal hold implementation for litigation or investigations
- Audit trails for retention actions and policy changes
Microsoft Purview – Data Security Capabilities
1. Classify and Label Sensitive Data
Microsoft Purview employs advanced algorithms to automatically discover, classify, and label sensitive data across an organization’s entire data estate. This capability helps businesses identify and protect critical information, ensuring appropriate security measures are applied consistently. By automating this process, Purview significantly reduces the risk of human error in data classification and enhances overall data security.
- Customizable classification schema to match specific business needs
- Integration with Azure Information Protection for consistent labeling
- Real-time classification and labeling of new or modified data
2. Data Loss Prevention
Purview’s Data Loss Prevention (DLP) capabilities help organizations prevent the accidental or intentional exposure of sensitive information. It monitors data in motion and at rest, applying predefined policies to detect and prevent potential data leaks. This proactive approach to data security helps maintain compliance and protects an organization’s reputation.
- Policy-based controls to prevent unauthorized data sharing
- Real-time monitoring and alerting for potential data breaches
- Integration with Microsoft 365 apps for seamless DLP across platforms
- Customizable DLP policies to address specific business requirements
3. Risk Management from Inside
This capability focuses on mitigating risks that originate from within the organization, such as insider threats or accidental data exposure by employees. Purview provides tools to monitor user behavior, detect anomalies, and implement controls to prevent internal data security incidents. This comprehensive approach helps organizations maintain a strong security posture against both external and internal threats.
- User activity monitoring and behavioral analytics
- Privileged access management to control high-risk activities
- Integration with Azure AD Identity Protection for enhanced user risk assessment
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Microsoft Purview – Other Key Features
1. Analytics and Insights
Microsoft Purview offers powerful analytics and insights capabilities, enabling organizations to gain a deeper understanding of their data landscape. Through detailed dashboards and reports, Purview provides visibility into data usage patterns, data quality metrics, and compliance status across the organization.
These insights help data stewards and compliance officers monitor data governance practices, identify potential risks, and make informed decisions to improve data management strategies. Additionally, Purview’s analytics tools can uncover inefficiencies in data workflows, allowing organizations to optimize processes and enhance overall data governance.
2. Audit
Audit functionality is a crucial aspect of Microsoft Purview, providing organizations with a comprehensive audit trail of all data-related activities. This feature allows users to track who accessed, modified, or shared data, as well as when and how these actions occurred.
The audit logs are essential for ensuring accountability and transparency within the organization, especially in highly regulated industries. Purview’s audit capabilities support compliance with various regulatory requirements by providing the necessary documentation for audits and investigations, helping organizations avoid potential fines and penalties.
3. Workflows
Microsoft Purview includes workflow automation features that streamline data governance processes. These workflows can be customized to support various tasks, such as data classification, policy enforcement, and access request approvals. By automating routine data governance activities, Purview reduces manual effort and the likelihood of human error, ensuring that data governance policies are consistently applied across the organization.
Workflows also enhance collaboration among data stewards, compliance teams, and IT departments, facilitating the efficient resolution of data-related issues and ensuring that data governance practices are aligned with business objectives.
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Kanerika’s Data Compliance, Governance Discovery & Assessment Approach
1. Understand Data Infrastructure
We begin by gaining a deep understanding of your organization’s unique data environment, including your business goals, regulatory requirements, and current data management practices. This foundational step ensures that our approach is tailored to your specific needs.
- Identify key stakeholders and data stewards.
- Review existing data governance and compliance policies.
- Align objectives with business and regulatory requirements.
2. Discover Data Assets
In the discovery phase, we conduct a thorough inventory of your data assets across all systems, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. This step helps us identify where data resides, how it flows, and who has access to it.
- Map out all data sources and repositories.
- Identify data ownership and access levels.
- Uncover potential data silos and areas of non-compliance.
3. Analyze Current Governance Effectiveness
Our analysis focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of your current data governance and compliance practices. We assess data quality, security measures, and adherence to regulatory requirements to identify gaps and risks.
- Conduct data quality assessments.
- Assess compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
4. Document the Findings
We document our findings in a comprehensive report that details the current state of your data governance and compliance landscape. This report includes identified risks, gaps, and areas for improvement, providing a clear roadmap for action.
- Create detailed documentation of data flows and governance practices.
- Outline identified risks and non-compliance areas.
- Provide actionable recommendations for improvement.
5. Filing the Report
The reporting phase involves presenting our findings to your key stakeholders. We ensure that all relevant parties understand the current state of data governance and compliance within your organization and the potential risks involved.
- Present findings to data stewards and leadership.
- Recommend prioritization of remediation efforts.
6. Next Steps
Finally, we collaborate with your team to develop a strategic action plan that addresses the identified gaps and enhances your data governance and compliance framework. This plan includes short-term and long-term initiatives to ensure continuous improvement.
- Develop a phased action plan for remediation.
- Establish ongoing monitoring and governance mechanisms.
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Case Study: How Kanerika Revolutionized Data Governance & Compliance with MS Purview
The client is a leading Bank with a Global Presence. They faced significant challenges related to their data management and security practices. These included difficulties in monitoring adherence to POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) regulations, an inability to gain a unified view of data across different points, and issues in identifying assets and attributes necessary for implementing business changes. Additionally, they struggled with the leakage of confidential information, which risked falling into the wrong hands, and faced challenges due to the overexposure of sensitive subject data.
We resolved their issues by leveraging the capabilities of MS Purview and Fabric:
- Implemented Communication compliance policies to monitor communications among employees for inappropriate text, and conflicts
- Identified sensitive information, implemented classifiers and implemented sensitive labels.
- Configured Data Loss Prevention policies blocking sharing of data among undesirable teams and groups
- Configured system to monitor and alert in case of data theft and data leakage by leaving employees and distressed employees
Kanerika: Leading the Way in Robust Data Governance and Compliance Solutions
Kanerika is at the forefront of enhancing data governance for businesses by utilizing advanced tools and technologies tailored to meet the unique challenges of modern data environments. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Data and AI, we leverage the power of Microsoft Purview to deliver robust data governance solutions that ensure compliance, security, and data integrity across your organization. Our team, which includes certified Purview implementation experts and Microsoft MVPs, brings unparalleled expertise to the table.
Being one of the first implementors of Microsoft Purview, we have the experience and insight to help businesses effectively manage their data landscape. By integrating Purview’s comprehensive capabilities, Kanerika enables businesses to achieve a unified view of their data, enforce regulatory compliance, and safeguard sensitive information. Trust Kanerika to elevate your data governance strategy with cutting-edge solutions that drive business success.
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About the Author
Naren is a seasoned data governance and compliance strategist with over 16 years of experience in data and analytics. As a Data Governance Evangelist, he emphasizes the importance and significance of data governance and compliance for every organization. He has transformed organizations by helping them achieve regulatory compliance, adopt highly secure frameworks for organizational data, and implement robust data privacy policies. Naren excels in establishing essential policies and methods to manage risks, ensuring strong data governance and security across the board.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Microsoft Purview facilitate data governance?
Microsoft Purview enables comprehensive data governance by providing tools for data discovery, classification, and protection across an organization's entire data estate. It offers a unified platform for managing data policies, access controls, and compliance requirements, helping businesses maintain data integrity, security, and regulatory adherence.
What are the primary applications of Microsoft Purview?
Microsoft Purview is used for holistic data management and governance. It helps organizations discover and classify data, manage access rights, enforce data protection policies, ensure regulatory compliance, and gain insights into data usage. Purview also enables data mapping, lineage tracking, and risk management across on-premises, multi-cloud, and SaaS environments.
What constitutes effective data governance?
Effective data governance encompasses clear data ownership, well-defined policies and procedures, robust data quality management, strong security measures, and comprehensive compliance frameworks. It also includes data cataloging, metadata management, and data literacy programs. Successful governance ensures data is accurate, secure, accessible to authorized users, and used ethically and efficiently.
What does the term "data governance" encompass?
Data governance refers to the overall management of data availability, usability, integrity, and security within an organization. It involves establishing processes, policies, standards, and metrics that ensure effective data usage. Data governance covers aspects like data quality, privacy, security, compliance, and the overall lifecycle management of data assets.
What is the primary purpose of Microsoft Purview?
Microsoft Purview aims to provide a unified data governance solution. It helps organizations manage and protect their data across diverse environments, ensuring compliance with regulations and internal policies. Purview offers tools for data discovery, classification, protection, and insights, enabling businesses to maximize the value of their data assets while minimizing risks.
What are the main objectives of implementing data governance?
Data governance aims to ensure data quality, security, and compliance while maximizing its value for the organization. It seeks to establish clear accountability, improve decision-making through reliable data, reduce risks associated with data breaches or misuse, and enable efficient data management practices that support business objectives and regulatory requirements.
Why is governance of data access crucial?
Data access governance is crucial for maintaining data security, privacy, and compliance. It ensures that only authorized individuals can access sensitive information, preventing data breaches and misuse. Proper access governance also supports regulatory compliance, maintains data integrity, and enables efficient data utilization while protecting the organization's valuable information assets.
