Tutorial / Cram Notes
Auto-labeling policies are part of the Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) solution, allowing for the detection and labeling of sensitive content without requiring manual intervention by users. Labels can be applied to content in SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Exchange Online. They can enforce protective actions such as encryption, access restrictions, and visual markings.
Creating an Auto-labeling Policy
To create an auto-labeling policy, follow these general steps:
- Navigate to the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
- In the left navigation pane, go to Solutions > Information protection.
- Click on ‘Labels’ and then select ‘Auto-labeling policies.’
- Choose ‘Create auto-labeling policy’ and give it a descriptive name and description.
Configuring an Auto-labeling Policy
Once you’ve created a policy, you’ll need to configure its settings:
- Choose information to label: Define the conditions for labeling, such as content containing specific types of sensitive information or matching a predefined sensitive information type (e.g., credit card numbers, health records).
- Choose locations to apply the policy: Select where the policy will apply (SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, and/or Exchange email).
- Choose the label to apply: Specify which of the predefined labels to automatically apply when content matches the policy conditions.
- Policy settings: Decide on the rules, such as whether users are notified when content is labeled or if they can apply a different label.
- Test the policy: Before widespread deployment, test the auto-labeling policy on a select subset of content to ensure it works as intended.
Publishing an Auto-labeling Policy
Publishing an auto-labeling policy makes it active across the chosen locations. Ensure you follow these steps:
- Review your settings: Before publishing, review the conditions, locations, and chosen label to ensure accuracy.
- Notification and guidance: Set up notifications that users will receive when content is labeled, along with guidance text to help them understand why it happened.
- Start the policy: Choose when the policy should go into effect. You can start it immediately, schedule it for later, or save it without enabling it to turn it on manually later.
- Run the policy: After starting the policy, the rules will begin to apply across the selected locations according to the defined schedule.
Monitoring and Maintaining Auto-labeling Policies
After publishing an auto-labeling policy, continuously monitor its performance and impact:
- Review activity logs: Check the label application logs to ensure labels are being applied as expected.
- Adjust the policy: If necessary, return to the configuration settings and adjust the conditions or selected label based on outcomes and feedback.
- Check user feedback: Gather and analyze feedback from users about labeling accuracy and impact on their workflows.
Examples
Scenario: Protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
A company wants to protect PII in their SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business environments.
Steps to configure:
- Choose PII as the information type to label.
- Apply the policy to all SharePoint sites and OneDrive accounts.
- Select ‘Confidential’ as the label to be applied automatically.
- Test the policy on a subset of documents containing mock PII data.
After ensuring the policy works as expected, the administrator will publish the policy, schedule it to go live, and closely monitor its effectiveness by reviewing logs and user feedback.
By effectively configuring and publishing auto-labeling policies, administrators play a crucial role in maintaining the security and compliance of their organization’s data in Microsoft 365 environments. This proactive approach helps prevent data loss and supports regulatory compliance, aligning with MIP best practices and the objectives of the SC-400 certification.
Practice Test with Explanation
True/False: Auto-labeling policies can be applied to content located in Microsoft SharePoint Online and Exchange Online.
- Answer: True
Auto-labeling policies can be applied to content found in SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, as well as OneDrive for Business.
Single Select: Which of the following features requires the use of sensitivity labels?
- a) Data Loss Prevention
- b) Information Rights Management
- c) Auto-labeling policies
- d) Azure Information Protection
Answer: c) Auto-labeling policies
Auto-labeling policies in Microsoft 365 make use of sensitivity labels to classify and protect content automatically.
True/False: Auto-labeling requires the Azure Information Protection Unified Labeling client to be installed on user devices.
- Answer: False
Auto-labeling for data at rest does not require the Azure Information Protection Unified Labeling client, as it’s a cloud-based feature that works directly within supported Microsoft 365 services.
Multiple Select: When configuring auto-labeling policies, which content locations can be targeted? (Select all that apply)
- a) SharePoint Online
- b) Microsoft Teams
- c) Exchange Online
- d) Yammer
Answer: a) SharePoint Online, c) Exchange Online
Auto-labeling policies can be configured to target content in SharePoint Online and Exchange Online. They do not directly apply to Microsoft Teams chats or Yammer posts.
True/False: Auto-labeling policies for Exchange Online can only be applied to new emails, not the ones already received or sent.
- Answer: False
Auto-labeling policies can be applied to both new and existing emails within Exchange Online.
Single Select: What must be published before auto-labeling policies can be used?
- a) A compliance management policy
- b) A sensitivity label policy
- c) A data governance report
- d) An information protection framework
Answer: b) A sensitivity label policy
Sensitivity labels must be published before auto-labeling can be applied because they define how content is labeled and protected.
True/False: Once configured, auto-labeling policies cannot be modified or deleted.
- Answer: False
Auto-labeling policies can be modified or deleted after they are set up to adapt to changing requirements or to correct any mistakes made during configuration.
Single Select: Which of the following conditions can be used to trigger auto-labeling?
- a) Content creator’s department
- b) Content contains specific keywords or sensitive information types
- c) File size
- d) File extension type
Answer: b) Content contains specific keywords or sensitive information types
Auto-labeling policies can be configured to trigger when content contains specific keywords or sensitive information types, not based on the creator’s department, file size, or extension type.
True/False: Auto-labeling can protect content in real-time as it is created or modified.
- Answer: True
Auto-labeling provides real-time protection by applying labels as content is created or modified based on the policy conditions.
Multiple Select: To ensure auto-labeling policies are effective, what actions should be taken? (Select all that apply)
- a) Ensure that users understand the importance of labels
- b) Conduct periodic reviews of the labeling policies
- c) Exclude external users from the auto-labeling policy scope
- d) Monitor activity logs and alerts for policy matches and overrides
Answer: a) Ensure that users understand the importance of labels, b) Conduct periodic reviews of the labeling policies, d) Monitor activity logs and alerts for policy matches and overrides
For auto-labeling policies to be effective, users should understand their importance, reviews of policies should be conducted periodically, and monitoring should be in place to track policy matches and overrides. Excluding external users is not necessarily required for the effectiveness of auto-labeling policies.
True/False: Auto-labeling policies can automatically apply a default label to a document or email if no other label fits.
- Answer: True
Auto-labeling policies can be configured to apply a default label when content does not match any of the specified conditions for other labels.
Single Select: What type of rules can be defined within an auto-labeling policy?
- a) Only simple keyword matches
- b) Exact data match rules
- c) Either simple or complex conditions including sensitive information types, keywords or phrases, and other document properties
- d) Rules based on content location only
Answer: c) Either simple or complex conditions including sensitive information types, keywords or phrases, and other document properties
Auto-labeling policies can be quite sophisticated, being based on simple or more complex conditions that include sensitive information types, keywords, phrases, and other document properties.
Interview Questions
What are auto-labelling policies in Microsoft 365?
Auto-labelling policies are rules that you can create to automatically apply sensitivity labels to content in Microsoft 365.
What type of conditions can be used to trigger auto-labelling policies?
Auto-labelling policies can be triggered based on specific conditions, such as the type of content, its location, or its metadata.
What are the benefits of using auto-labelling policies?
Using auto-labelling policies can save time and reduce the risk of human error when applying sensitivity labels to content.
What types of content can auto-labelling policies be applied to?
Auto-labelling policies can be applied to a variety of content, including Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 groups, and SharePoint sites.
How do you create an auto-labelling policy in Microsoft 365?
To create an auto-labelling policy in Microsoft 365, you can go to the Compliance Center, click “Sensitivity labels”, click “Auto-labeling”, and then click “Create a label policy”.
What settings can you specify when configuring auto-apply settings for auto-labelling policies?
When configuring auto-apply settings for auto-labelling policies, you can specify whether to apply the label automatically, prompt the user to apply the label, or allow the user to override the label.
How do you apply auto-labelling policies to Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 groups?
To apply auto-labelling policies to Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 groups, you can go to the Teams or groups admin center, click “Edit team/group” and then click “Settings”, select “Sensitivity label” under “Classification”, and choose the appropriate label.
How do you apply auto-labelling policies to SharePoint sites?
To apply auto-labelling policies to SharePoint sites, you can go to the SharePoint admin center, select the site to which the policy will be applied, click “Settings” and then click “Site information”, click “Edit” next to the “Sensitivity label” option, and choose the appropriate label.
What is the importance of regularly reviewing and updating auto-labelling policies?
Regularly reviewing and updating auto-labelling policies is important to ensure that they remain relevant and effective over time.
How can organizations better protect their sensitive data using auto-labelling policies?
By using auto-labelling policies to consistently apply sensitivity labels to content, organizations can better protect their sensitive data and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.
I’ve just started with SC-400 and the concept of auto-labelling policies seems very promising.
Quick question: Can we set auto-labeling policies for both emails and documents?
Appreciate the blog post!
An important thing to note is the conditions under which auto-labelling triggers. This can sometimes be tricky to configure.
I think the keyword matching isn’t sufficient in some cases. It needs to be more context-aware.
Can auto-labelling policies handle encrypted documents?
Thanks for sharing this information!
How long does it typically take for auto-labelling policies to apply after they are configured?