From records to risk: Why Microsoft Purview is redefining governance in the modern era
In the early 2000s, Australian government agencies and regulated industries adopted Electronic Document and Records Management Systems (EDRMS) to meet compliance requirements under frameworks such as the Archives Act, FOI Act, and Privacy Act. These systems offered a centralised way to classify, store, and retrieve official records. While EDRMS tools helped satisfy legislative obligations, they often came with administrative burdens and poor user adoption due to their manual and disconnected nature. Many critical records remained outside these systems, highlighting the growing gap between formal recordkeeping and actual information use.
Over time, the information governance landscape has shifted dramatically. Cloud adoption, hybrid work, and exponential data growth have complicated the task of managing and protecting information. Traditional EDRMS solutions, built for static repositories, now struggle to keep pace with today’s dynamic digital environments. Agencies and enterprises face mounting pressure not just to retain records, but to manage information risk – including data breaches, insider threats, and regulatory non-compliance.
Microsoft Purview addresses these modern challenges with a unified, cloud-native platform that brings governance, security, and compliance together within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Unlike disconnected or bolt-on tools, Purview enables in-place data management across Microsoft services like Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams, applying classification, protection, and retention policies automatically – without disrupting how users work.
Key Microsoft Purview capabilities include
- Data classification and sensitivity labelling: Automatically identifies sensitive information and applies labels to enforce protections like encryption or access restrictions, aligned to Australian frameworks such as the PSPF.
- Lifecycle and records management: Supports automated retention and defensible disposal of content in line with legal obligations under the Archives Act and other Australian regulations.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Detects and prevents unauthorised sharing of confidential data across emails, cloud apps, endpoints, and Microsoft 365 environments.
- Insider risk management: Analyses behavioural signals across Microsoft 365 to detect potential policy violations, helping mitigate the risk of data misuse.
- Audit, eDiscovery and compliance management: Delivers powerful tools for regulatory reporting, FOI responses, legal discovery, and investigation, with advanced search and activity auditing.
As a scalable, cloud-based platform, Microsoft Purview is continuously evolving. It offers extensibility through connectors and APIs, allowing seamless integration with third-party systems. Organisations benefit from a consistent and future-ready governance approach that simplifies compliance and reduces duplication.
Affinity Data, a consultancy dedicated exclusively to Microsoft Purview, helps Australian organisations modernise their governance frameworks. With deep domain knowledge across government and regulated sectors, Affinity understands the legacy constraints of traditional EDRMS – and the capabilities needed to move forward with confidence. From mapping existing classification schemes to designing modern policy frameworks, Affinity Data enables a smooth, strategic transition to Microsoft Purview.
In today’s risk-aware environment, governance must go beyond recordkeeping. Microsoft Purview embeds compliance, security, and data intelligence into the daily operations of your organisation. With the right platform and a specialist partner like Affinity Data, you can meet regulatory obligations, reduce information risk, and build trust in a fast-changing digital world.
Making the shift: Questions for decision-makers
As you assess your organisation’s information strategy, consider:
- Are your current systems aligned with how your staff actually work?
- Is data protection embedded into workflows – or reliant on user action?
- Can your tools respond to evolving compliance needs or detect insider risks?
- Do you have visibility over where your sensitive data lives – and who can access it?
If not, now is the time to rethink your governance approach.
Microsoft Purview is more than a records solution – it’s a comprehensive platform for secure, compliant, and intelligent information management.
Affinity Data brings the knowledge and focus to help you make that shift, turning information governance into a strategic advantage. Contact us for more information.
Comments are closed