In plain English
Compliance Manager is a dashboard that shows how well your Microsoft 365 configuration aligns with specific compliance standards. It maps Microsoft's recommended controls to frameworks like ISO 27001 and Australia's Essential Eight, assigns a score, and provides step-by-step improvement actions — making it easier to demonstrate compliance to auditors and clients.
Full definition
Compliance Manager is a dashboard inside that scores your environment against specific compliance frameworks. It comes pre-loaded with assessments for , the , the Australian Privacy Act, and several others. Each assessment maps Microsoft's recommended configuration actions to the relevant control, tells you whether you have completed it, and assigns points toward an overall compliance score.
The practical value is in the improvement actions. Each recommended action includes step-by-step instructions, links to the relevant Microsoft admin settings, and an indication of how many points it contributes to your score. A compliance manager or IT administrator can work through these without needing to interpret the underlying standard. When an auditor asks for evidence of your ISO 27001 controls, you can export an assessment report directly from the tool.
One limitation worth knowing: Compliance Manager only assesses your Microsoft 365 configuration. It does not cover on-premises infrastructure, third-party cloud services, or physical security. A business targeting ISO 27001 certification will need a broader assessment across all systems and processes. Compliance Manager is a useful starting point and a good way to demonstrate progress, but it is one input into a wider compliance picture.