Configure and manage sensitivity label policies

As an Information Protection Administrator preparing for the SC-400 Microsoft Information Protection Administrator exam, understanding how to configure and manage sensitivity label policies is crucial. These labels can be applied to documents and emails, and can trigger protection actions such as encryption and content marking.

Understanding Sensitivity Labels

A sensitivity label is a tag that denotes the level of sensitive information present in a document or email. Once a label is applied, it travels with the content wherever it goes, ensuring that the protection policies are enforced consistently across devices and services.

There are several default labels provided by Microsoft, but organizations often need to create custom labels that suit their specific data classification needs.

Creating and Configuring Sensitivity Labels

To create sensitivity labels:

1. Go to the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
2. Navigate to Solutions > Information protection.
3. Click on “+ Create a label” and follow the wizard to define the label’s properties, such as name, description, and protection settings.

Protection settings can include:

• Encryption: Define who has access to the content and what permissions they have.
• Content marking: Add headers, footers, or watermarks to documents and emails.
• Access restrictions: Restrict actions like copying or printing the content.

Configuring Label Policies

Once labels are created, you need to publish them through label policies:

1. Still in the Information protection part of the compliance center, click on “Label policies”.
2. Select “+ Publish labels” to initiate the “Publish labels wizard”.
3. Choose the labels you want to publish and specify their settings.

You can then define:

• Policy settings: Determine user prompts and the scope of the policy.
• Location: Specify where the labels are available (e.g., Exchange email, SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts).

Scoping Label Policies

Label policies can be scoped to specific users, groups, or the entire organization. Use Azure Active Directory (AD) groups to target specific users:

Automation and Conditions

To reduce the burden of manual labeling, you can configure automatic or recommended labeling based on content examination:

• Automatic labeling: Apply a label automatically if certain conditions are met, such as the presence of sensitive information.
• Recommended labeling: Suggest a label to users when specific conditions are detected but allow them to override the recommendation.

You can define conditions based on:

• The content contains specific types of sensitive information (e.g., credit card numbers).
• The content matches a specific query package.

Monitoring and Analytics

Once your label policies are in place, use the compliance center’s analytics and reporting features to monitor their usage. Reports can show you which labels are being applied, where they are being applied, and who is applying them.

Examples of Reports:

• Label activity explorer: Get real-time data on how your labels are being used.
• Data classification overview: Provides summary statistics on labeled content and sensitive information detections.

Reviewing and Updating Labels and Policies

Regularly review your labels and policies to ensure they align with compliance requirements:

• Remove or merge redundant labels.
• Update protection actions as the sensitivity of information changes.
• Revise scope and conditions to account for organizational changes.

Best Practices for Managing Sensitivity Labels

• Start with a pilot program before rolling out organization-wide label policies.
• Provide user training and communications to ensure end-user buy-in and proper label use.
• Periodically assess label effectiveness and user feedback to refine label policies.

In conclusion, configuring and managing sensitivity label policies in Microsoft 365 involves understanding the organization’s data, creating appropriate labels and policies, establishing protection actions, and continuously monitoring and refining these policies. This knowledge is essential for success in the SC-400 exam, and more importantly, for securing sensitive information in your organization.