What is Azure Information Protection?
Azure Information Protection (AIP) is a cloud-based solution that helps organizations classify, label, and protect documents and emails. Labels can be applied manually by users or automatically based on content inspection. Protection travels with the document, ensuring sensitive data remains secure even when shared outside the organization.
AIP is now part of Microsoft Purview Information Protection, which provides a unified approach to data governance across Microsoft 365, Azure, and third-party sources.
Core Features
- Sensitivity labels: Define labels like Confidential, Internal, or Public
- Automatic classification: Apply labels based on content patterns (credit cards, personal data)
- Encryption: Protect documents with Azure Rights Management encryption
- Usage tracking: See who accessed protected documents and when
- Cross-platform: Works with Office apps, PDF viewers, and mobile devices
Typical Use Cases
Organizations use AIP to prevent accidental data leaks, meet regulatory requirements like GDPR, and maintain control over sensitive information shared with partners. Common scenarios include protecting financial reports, encrypting HR documents, and applying classification to email attachments.
Benefits
- Protection persists regardless of where documents are stored
- Integration with Microsoft 365 apps for seamless user experience
- Automatic labeling reduces reliance on user training
- Unified management through Microsoft Purview compliance portal
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between AIP and Microsoft Purview?
AIP capabilities are now part of Microsoft Purview Information Protection. The technology is the same, but management has moved to the unified Purview compliance portal. Existing AIP deployments continue to work.
Can protected documents be opened by external recipients?
Yes. External users can authenticate with their Microsoft, Google, or social accounts to open protected documents. You can also allow one-time passcodes for recipients without these accounts.
Does classification require user action?
Classification can be manual (user selects a label), recommended (system suggests a label), or automatic (label applied without user intervention). The approach depends on your policy configuration.
How does AIP integrate with DLP?
Sensitivity labels can trigger Data Loss Prevention policies in Microsoft 365. For example, documents labeled “Confidential” can be blocked from being shared externally or uploaded to personal cloud storage.
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory helps you implement Azure Information Protection: label taxonomy design, policy configuration, and user adoption strategy.
