Microsoft Purview DLP: Coverage, Licensing, and Best Pairings

✨What Microsoft Purview DLP Covers (Microsoft Purview DLP)

Why this matters: Most data movement in Microsoft-centric orgs happens in email, files, chat, and on endpoints. If sensitive data slips through here, you risk breaches and compliance penalties.

Real example: A finance analyst emails a spreadsheet with PANs; Purview can detect and block or encrypt before it leaves Exchange.

How Strac helps: Keep Purview policies as your baseline, then use Strac to redact/mask inline and apply the same controls across non-Microsoft tools and AI workflows.

Key points

• Detection & actions: Policies for sensitive info types with actions like block, warn, encrypt, notify; monitor data in use, in motion, at rest.
• Admin: Centralized in the Purview compliance portal for policy authoring and incident workflows.
• Locations: Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams (chat/channels), Windows endpoints.

✨Microsoft DLP in Microsoft 365 and Azure

Why this matters: Classification is the backbone of effective DLP.

Compliance example: PCI DSS requires controlling access and transmission of PAN; labeling + policy tips reduce accidental egress.

How Strac helps: Strac’s content-aware ML/OCR boosts accuracy on unstructured content and attachments—reducing noise vs. pure pattern/regex.

Highlights

• Data classification & policies: Predefined/custom sensitive info types, labels, EDM, and policy tips for user coaching.
• Coverage: Email, files, chats, endpoints; Copilot interactions are an emerging vector to monitor.
• Analytics: Built-in dashboards for risk trends and policy tuning.

✨Licensing Nuances That Change Outcomes in Microsoft Purview DLP

Why this matters: Teams frequently design policies the license won’t enforce.

Compliance example: A legal team expects Teams chat DLP, but the tenant is on E3 only—policies won’t apply to chats.

How Strac helps: Regardless of your Microsoft license mix, Strac adds consistent controls across Microsoft and non-Microsoft surfaces.

Quick guide

• E3: DLP for Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive.
• E5 (or add-on): Needed for Teams chat DLP and endpoint DLP in many orgs. Always verify entitlements before rollout.

✨Where Microsoft DLP Is Strong

Why this matters: You get excellent first-party coverage where your users spend time.

Example: A SharePoint library with sensitive contracts inherits DLP guardrails without extra tooling.

How Strac helps: Keep Purview for native surfaces; add Strac for deeper detection and instant remediation where Microsoft actions stop at notify/block.

Strengths to leverage

• Native coverage: Deep hooks in Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Windows endpoints.
• Unified admin: One place—the Purview portal—for policy creation and incident workflows.
• Enterprise alignment: Consistent controls for Microsoft data estates, including Copilot scenarios.

✨Common Gaps Security Teams Report about Microsoft Purview DLP

Why this matters: Data doesn’t live only in Microsoft formats or clouds.

Example: A product team shares design files (Figma exports, CAD, images); basic patterns miss sensitive snippets inside images/PDFs.

How Strac helps: Strac uses ML/OCR to inspect unstructured and non-Office formats and can redact/mask inline—not just alert.

Typical gaps

• Multi-cloud parity: Enforcement can vary outside Microsoft clouds.
• Unstructured/non-Office formats: Source code, design files, rich media need stronger content awareness.
• Inline remediation: Detecting is not enough; teams need real-time redaction, masking, quarantine to neutralize risk in live workflows.

✨How Strac Complements Microsoft Purview DLP

Why this matters: Most orgs are hybrid—Microsoft + SaaS + Cloud + AI + Browser + Endpoints.

Example: A user uploads a CSV with PANs to a SaaS ticket; you want immediate masking, not a late alert.

How Strac helps: Strac unifies DSPM + DLP and brings agentless, content-aware, inline remediation to Microsoft and beyond.

What you get with Strac

• Agentless coverage across SaaS, Cloud, GenAI, Browser, Endpoints.
• Content-aware detection (ML/OCR) to slash false positives.
• Inline actions: Redact, mask, block, delete, quarantine, encrypt, coach—in real time.
• Unified view of sensitive data posture + enforcement across tools.

✨🎥 Strac for O365 Email DLP

Why this matters: Email is still the #1 exfiltration path.

Compliance example: PCI DSS requires protection of PAN in transit; coaching alone isn’t enough.

How Strac helps: Real-time scanning on compose/send and mailboxes with auto-redaction.

Capabilities

• Block/quarantine/forward with audit;
• ML/OCR detections to cut noise on attachments and images;
• Works alongside Purview policies for layered defense.

✨Strac for SharePoint DLP

Why this matters: Sensitive files sprawl across team sites and libraries.

Compliance example: A public link to a contract with PHI/PII violates HIPAA/GDPR expectations.

How Strac helps: Discover sensitive files, map exposures, auto-redact inline where possible, and revoke risky shares quickly.

✨Strac for OneDrive DLP

Why this matters: Shadow sharing and sync folders spread sensitive data.

Compliance example: External collaborator gets a OneDrive folder with invoices containing PANs.

How Strac helps: Continuous monitoring of access/shares; classify at scale; mask PCI/PII; enforce on downloads/external shares.

✨When to Pair Microsoft Purview DLP + Strac

• You need fewer misses on unstructured files and attachments.
• You need immediate mitigation (mask, redact, quarantine) rather than notify-only.
• You operate multi-cloud/SaaS-heavy and want consistent controls beyond Microsoft.

✨Bottom Line

Use Microsoft Purview DLP to standardize native controls across Microsoft 365 and endpoints. Add Strac to cut dwell time with instant redaction/masking, reduce noise with ML/OCR detections, and extend DLP into SaaS, Cloud, GenAI, Browser, and Endpoints—without agents.

🌶️SPICY FAQ on Microsoft Purview DLP

Does Microsoft Purview DLP cover Teams chat out of the box?

It depends on licensing. Many orgs need E5 (or add-ons) for Teams chat DLP. Strac can complement with inline actions for high-risk content in and beyond Teams.

If Purview already blocks emails with PII, why add Strac?

Blocking alone creates friction and tickets. Strac auto-redacts/masks inline so legitimate business emails can proceed safely—and you keep a full audit.

Will Strac replace Purview?

No. Keep Purview for native Microsoft coverage and governance. Use Strac to improve accuracy, act in real time, and cover non-Microsoft tools and AI flows.

What about images/PDFs with screenshots of PANs or PHI?

Purview can detect patterns, but screenshots and scans are tricky. Strac’s OCR reads images/PDFs and can mask/redact instantly.

We’re rolling out Copilot. Can both tools help?

Yes. Purview provides policy governance for Microsoft data; Strac extends sensitive-data controls to GenAI prompts/responses and non-Microsoft surfaces.

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