Beyond Visibility: The new Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) experience
In today’s AI-powered enterprises, understanding your data estate—and the risks that come with it—is both more complex and more critical than ever. Meanwhile, many organizations still grapple with a fragmented data security landscape, relying on a patchwork of disconnected tools that obscure visibility and hinder effective data security posture management. As AI adoption accelerates, entirely new data risk vectors are emerging—ranging from oversharing and compliance gaps to operational inefficiencies. According to recent research[1], 40% of data security incidents now occur within AI applications, and 78% of AI users are bringing their own AI tools to work. This challenge is further compounded by the rise of AI agents, creating a scenario that demands a unified, context-aware approach to understanding and securing data within trusted workflows. This is where data security posture management helps organizations - by providing the visibility and control they need across sprawling data estates and evolving risk surfaces. By continuously assessing data security posture, organizations can better identify gaps and remediate risks, avoiding fragmented efforts. However, even with these capabilities, many organizations still struggle to stay focused on the ultimate goal—achieving meaningful security outcomes rather than simply managing tools or processes. To overcome this, organizations must shift their perspective: seeing data security not as a collection of individual solutions, but as a holistic program anchored in desired business and security outcomes. Managing data security posture should become the foundation for building a sustainable and healthy data security program—one that continuously improves, drives measurable resilience, strengthens trust, and systematically reduces risk across the enterprise. At Microsoft Ignite, we’re excited to share the newly enhanced Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) experience—an AI-powered, centralized solution that focuses on the goals your organization needs to accomplish, and helps you strengthen data security to confidently embrace AI apps and agents with actionable insights, new third-party signals, and Security Copilot agents. Enabling AI and agents confidently with enhanced data security posture The enhanced DSPM experience is designed to simplify data security posture by stitching together the scenarios and goals customers need to achieve when it comes to their data. We are combining the depth of Purview visibility and controls with the breadth of external signals and agentic activities, complemented by Security Copilot agents, to provide a strong, proactive DSPM experience. See what’s new in Purview DSPM: ▪ Outcome-based guided workflows: To avoid the guesswork of interpreting insights and determining the next best actions, now customers can manage their data security posture by selecting which data security outcome to prioritize and the risks related to each—shifting from reactive visibility to actionable, outcome-driven insights. For each outcome, this experience will guide customers through the key metrics and risk patterns present in their organization, as well as a recommended action plan, including the expected impact of taking those actions. For example, if an admin chooses to address the risk of “Preventing sensitive data exfiltration to risky destinations,” DSPM will show how many sensitive files are at risk, how many have been exfiltrated to personal domains or external cloud services in the past 30 days, and provide recommended actions to mitigate these risks. These actions may include creating a new DLP policy and an IRM policy to detect and prevent such exfiltration to personal emails, and admins can see the impact each of these actions will have. After that, they can continuously assess their data security posture through the outcome metrics. [Figure 1: List of data security objectives, with metrics and remediation plans per objective] ▪ External data source visibility: Organizations trust Microsoft for collaboration and productivity, but their footprint spans to external data platforms too. To provide a more complete and comprehensive view of data risks across the digital estate, we’re excited to announce the advancement of the Purview partner ecosystem, with the inclusion of third-party signals in DSPM through the collaboration with our partners Varonis, BigID, Cyera and OneTrust. This partnership, possible via integration with Microsoft Sentinel Data Lake, is designed to help organizations see and understand more of their data—wherever it resides. Through DSPM, a customer will be able to easily turn on these external data signals and evaluate data asset information (such as permissions, location, sensitive information types) in these environments. Available sources initially will be: Salesforce (provided by Varonis), Databricks (provided by BigID), Snowflake (provided by Cyera), and Google Cloud Platform (provided by OneTrust), with additional external data coverage coming soon. By integrating these external data sources into Purview, data security teams gain extended visibility into sensitive data across third-party platforms alongside their Microsoft data, which also empowers teams to raise their confidence when adopting AI apps and agents by expanding visibility on external data that is referenced by those tools. This collaboration not only eliminates blind spots and strengthens risk posture, but also simplifies data security operations with a single, streamlined experience. These signals will be offered using pay-as-you-go billing through Microsoft Sentinel consumptive meters. Learn more here. [Figure 2: Asset explorer with external data from Databricks, Snowflake, Google Cloud Platform, and Salesforce] ▪ New out-of-the-box reports for posture insights: DSPM also extends visibility by presenting new out-of-the-box reports that deliver immediate visibility into top-of-mind metrics organizations care about, such as protection coverage via Sensitivity labels, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy triggers, and posture trends over time. With advanced filtering options and deep drilldowns, security teams can quickly identify unprotected sensitive data, track label adoption, monitor policy effectiveness, and surface potential risks earlier. These actionable insights streamline monitoring and support precise policy fine-tuning, enabling data security teams to shift from reactive operations to proactive, data-driven strategic decisions. ▪ Expanded coverage and remediation on Data Risk Assessments: DSPM now extends Data Risk Assessments to item-level analysis with automated new remediation actions like—enabling bulk disabling of overshared SharePoint links and direct activation of protection policies. Starting from an outcome-based remediation plan or the Data Risk Assessment tab, teams can take targeted actions such as removing or tightening sharing links, notifying owners, and applying or updating sensitivity labels—including new support for bulk manual labeling from search—so fixes occur where the risky items reside, and progress is immediately reflected in posture metrics. Beyond Microsoft 365, Data Risk Assessments have also expanded to Microsoft Fabric, surfacing Fabric assets in a new default assessment and proactive actions to protect new Fabric assets with DLP policies or sensitivity labels. These enhancements address key customer challenges around visibility gaps, fragmented remediation workflows, and governance across hybrid environments. AI agents are growing rapidly in enterprise environments, bringing unique data risks that traditional security can’t address. Their autonomous actions and broad access to sensitive information create complex risk profiles tied to behavior, not just identity. To stay secure, organizations need data protection strategies that treat agents as first-class entities with tailored visibility, risk scoring, and policy controls. DSPM is also adapting to this new scenario: ▪ AI Observability for agents: We’re introducing a dedicated view within DSPM that treats agents—such as the ones created on Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and Azure AI Foundry—as first-class entities in your organizations when it comes to data security posture. It provides a unified inventory of all agents – including third-party agents – as well as the assigned insider risk level based on the agent behavior, posture metrics, and activity trends of each agent. Security teams can drill down into individual agents to see contextual insights like risky behaviors, oversharing patterns, and can take recommended actions, such as the creation of retention policies. AI Observability gives customers clear visibility across agents and connects insights to guided actions— simplifying governance, facilitating risk prioritization, and enabling secure AI adoption without slowing innovation. [Figure 3: AI Observability plane with inventory of 1st and 3rd party agents within the organization, as well as assigned risk level per agent] Learn more about all the innovations we are announcing to help you safely adopt agents. Redefining data security posture for the AI-powered era The new DSPM experience marks a pivotal moment in Microsoft Purview’s journey to secure the modern enterprise. By unifying visibility, protection, and investigation across human and agentic data activity, Purview empowers organizations to embrace AI responsibly, reduce risk, and drive continuous improvement in their data security posture. When it comes to leveraging built-in AI within data security solutions, admins can view proactive or summary insights and launch a Data Security Investigation (DSI) directly from DSPM. This important integration allows admins to utilize the power and scale of DSI analysis to take a closer look at data risks. Furthermore, applying AI to strengthen data security is just as critical as securing AI itself, as AI-powered solutions help organizations anticipate and neutralize risks at scale, and agents have the potential to take data security processes to another level, increasing automation and allowing teams to focus on the most pressing risks. That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce the Data Security Posture Agent, designed to augment the new Purview DSPM experience even further. This agent leverages LLMs to understand context and intent, going beyond traditional classifiers that can often miss nuance. It analyzes selected file sets and generates precise reports on requested information, such as merger & acquisition details or PO numbers. Armed with these insights, admins can decide on their own next steps, whether that’s applying new labels, updating policies, or initiating investigations, streamlining discovery and risk reduction in one intelligent, outcome-driven experience. This capability tackles the challenges of manual, time-consuming data analysis and limited visibility into sensitive information, helping organizations achieve faster resolution, stronger compliance posture, and greater operational efficiency. [Figure 4: Data Security Posture Agent to discover sensitive data and take appropriate actions] Combined with the Data Security Triage agent and other Security Copilot capabilities integrated within Purview, the Data Security Posture agent creates a robust AI-powered foundation for modern data security teams. To make the agents easily accessible and help teams get started more quickly, we are excited to announce that Security Copilot will be available to all Microsoft 365 E5 customers. Rollout starts today for existing Security Copilot customers with Microsoft 365 E5 and will continue in the upcoming months for all Microsoft 365 E5 customers. Customers will receive advanced notice before activation. Learn more: https://aka.ms/SCP-Ignite25 Building the future of data security alongside customers As organizations navigate this new era of AI-driven innovation, the ability to secure data confidently and proactively is no longer optional—it’s mission-critical. Microsoft Purview DSPM delivers a unified, outcome-based approach that transforms complexity into clarity, guiding teams from insight to action with precision. Current solutions Purview DSPM and DSPM for AI will remain available until June, when the new Purview DSPM experience becomes the centralized solution. Costumers’ top-of-mind capabilities within current workflows, such as Data Risk Assessments and Security Copilot prompt gallery, will also be available within the new DSPM experience. The new DSPM experience and capabilities will roll out in Public Preview within the next few weeks, and will be available for customers with Microsoft 365 E5 and E5 Compliance licenses. By extending visibility across external sources, introducing AI observability, and empowering remediation through intelligent agents, Purview enables enterprises to embrace AI and agents without compromise—strengthening trust, reducing risk, and driving continuous improvement in data security posture. The future of secure AI adoption starts here. Getting connected with Microsoft Purview Read our blog with the main announcements across the Purview data security solutions at Ignite. Try Microsoft Purview data security. Learn more about Microsoft Purview on our website and Microsoft Learn. [1] July 2025 multi-national survey of over 1700 data security professionals commissioned by Microsoft from Hypothesis Group
DLP USB Block
Currently we have DLP policies setup to block the use of USB devices and copying data to it. When checking the activity explorer I am still seeing user's able to copy data to USB devices and for the action item it says "Audit" when in the DLP policies we explicitly set it to block. Has anyone run into this issue or seen similar behavior?
Clarification related to JIT for EDLP
Can someone help clarify how JIT actually works and in which scenario we should enable JIT. The Microsoft documentation is very differently from what I’m observing during hands-on testing. I enabled JIT for a specific user (only 1 user). For that user, no JIT toast notifications appear for stale files when performing EDLP activities such as copying to a network share, etc. However, for all other users even though JIT is not enabled for them their events are still being captured in Activity Explorer. See SS below.DLP Policy not Working with OCR
Hello Community, i activated the OCR in Microsoft Purview, and scan works fine infact Purview find image that contains sensible data. I have created DLP Policy that not permit print and move to rdp file that containts "Italy Confidential Data" like "Passport Number, Drivers License ecc..." this policy works for xlsx or word that contains data, but if file word contains image with this data not apply the DLP Rule infact i'm able to print or move into rdp this file also only the jpeg file. Policy match correctly i see it into "Activity Explorer" Is this behavior correct? Regards, GuidoSecurity Copilot Skilling Series
Starting this October, Security Copilot joins forces with your favorite Microsoft Security products in a skilling series miles above the rest. The Security Copilot Skilling Series is your opportunity to strengthen your security posture through threat detection, incident response, and leveraging AI for security automation. These technical skilling sessions are delivered live by experts from our product engineering teams. Come ready to learn, engage with your peers, ask questions, and provide feedback. Upcoming sessions are noted below and will be available on-demand on the Microsoft Security Community YouTube channel. Coming Up December 18 | What's New in Security Copilot for Defender Speaker: Doug Helton Discover the latest innovations in Microsoft Security Copilot embedded in Defender that are transforming how organizations detect, investigate, and respond to threats. This session will showcase powerful new capabilities—like AI-driven incident response, contextual insights, and automated workflows—that help security teams stop attacks faster and simplify operations. Why Attend: Stay Ahead of Threats: Learn how cutting-edge AI features accelerate detection and remediation. Boost Efficiency: See how automation reduces manual effort and improves SOC productivity. Get Expert Insights: Hear directly from product leaders and explore real-world use cases. Don’t miss this opportunity to future-proof your security strategy and unlock the full potential of Security Copilot in Defender! Register now! Now On-Demand December 4 | Discussion of Ignite Announcements Speakers: Zineb Takafi, Mike Danoski and Oluchi Chukwunwere, Priyanka Tyagi, Diana Vicezar, Thao Phan, Alex Roland, and Doug Helton Ignite 2025 is all about driving impact in the era of AI—and security is at the center of it. In this session, we’ll unpack the biggest Security Copilot announcements from Ignite on agents and discuss how Copilot capabilities across Intune, Entra, Purview, and Defender deliver end-to-end protection. November 13 | Microsoft Entra AI: Unlocking Identity Intelligence with Security Copilot Skills and Agents Speakers: Mamta Kumar, Sr. Product Manager; Margaret Garcia Fani, Sr. Product Manager This session will demonstrate how Security Copilot in Microsoft Entra transforms identity security by introducing intelligent, autonomous capabilities that streamline operations and elevate protection. Customers will discover how to leverage AI-driven tools to optimize conditional access, automate access reviews, and proactively manage identity and application risks - empowering them into a more secure, and efficient digital future. October 30 | What's New in Copilot in Microsoft Intune Speaker: Amit Ghodke, Principal PM Architect, CxE CAT MEM Join us to learn about the latest Security Copilot capabilities in Microsoft Intune. We will discuss what's new and how you can supercharge your endpoint management experience with the new AI capabilities in Intune. October 16 | What’s New in Copilot in Microsoft Purview Speaker: Patrick David, Principal Product Manager, CxE CAT Compliance Join us for an insider’s look at the latest innovations in Microsoft Purview —where alert triage agents for DLP and IRM are transforming how we respond to sensitive data risks and improve investigation depth and speed. We’ll also dive into powerful new capabilities in Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) with Security Copilot, designed to supercharge your security insights and automation. Whether you're driving compliance or defending data, this session will give you the edge. October 9 | When to Use Logic Apps vs. Security Copilot Agents Speaker: Shiv Patel, Sr. Product Manager, Security Copilot Explore how to scale automation in security operations by comparing the use cases and capabilities of Logic Apps and Security Copilot Agents. This webinar highlights when to leverage Logic Apps for orchestrated workflows and when Security Copilot Agents offer more adaptive, AI-driven responses to complex security scenarios. All sessions will be published to the Microsoft Security Community YouTube channel - Security Copilot Skilling Series Playlist __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for more? Keep up on the latest information on the Security Copilot Blog. Join the Microsoft Security Community mailing list to stay up to date on the latest product news and events. Engage with your peers one of our Microsoft Security discussion spaces.
Test DLP Policy: On-Prem
We have DLP policies based on SIT and it is working well for various locations such as Sharepoint, Exchange and Endpoint devices. But the DLP policy for On-Prem Nas shares is not matching when used with Microsoft Information Protection Scanner. DLP Rule: Conditions Content contains any of these sensitive info types: Credit Card Number U.S. Bank Account Number U.S. Driver's License Number U.S. Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) U.S. Social Security Number (SSN) The policy is visible to the Scanner and it is being logged as being executed MSIP.Lib MSIP.Scanner (30548) Executing policy: Data Discovery On-Prem, policyId: 85........................ and the MIP reports are listing files with these SITs The results Information Type Name - Credit Card Number U.S. Social Security Number (SSN) U.S. Bank Account Number Action - Classified Dlp Mode -- Test Dlp Status -- Skipped Dlp Comment -- No match There is no other information in logs. Why is the DLP policy not matching and how can I test the policy ? thanksAggregate alerts not showing up for Email DLP
Hi, I’m unable to see the “Aggregate alerts” option while configuring an Email DLP policy, although the same option is visible for Endpoint DLP. The available license is Microsoft 365 E5 Information Protection and DLP (add-on). If this is a licensing limitation, why am I still able to see the option for Endpoint DLP but not for Email DLP? Screen short showing option for Endpoint DLP alertsSecuring Data with Microsoft Purview IRM + Defender: A Hands-On Lab
Hi everyone I recently explored how Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management (IRM) integrates with Microsoft Defender to secure sensitive data. This lab demonstrates how these tools work together to identify, investigate, and mitigate insider risks. What I covered in this lab: Set up Insider Risk Management policies in Microsoft Purview Connected Microsoft Defender to monitor risky activities Walkthrough of alerts triggered → triaged → escalated into cases Key governance and compliance insights Key learnings from the lab: Purview IRM policies detect both accidental risks (like data spillage) and malicious ones (IP theft, fraud, insider trading) IRM principles include transparency (balancing privacy vs. protection), configurable policies, integrations across Microsoft 365 apps, and actionable alerts IRM workflow follows: Define policies → Trigger alerts → Triage by severity → Investigate cases (dashboards, Content Explorer, Activity Explorer) → Take action (training, legal escalation, or SIEM integration) Defender + Purview together provide unified coverage: Defender detects and responds to threats, while Purview governs compliance and insider risk This was part of my ongoing series of security labs. Curious to hear from others — how are you approaching Insider Risk Management in your organizations or labs?
How to apply sensitivity labels to external emails received in my Outlook?
I have created a sensitivity label and an auto-labeling policy that applies the label when an email contains sensitive information. When an internal user sends the email, the label is applied correctly. But when I receive an email with sensitive information from an external user, the label is not applied. How can I apply the sensitivity label to emails that come from external users?
