In plain English
Purview helps organisations understand where their sensitive data lives — files containing tax file numbers, health records, financial information — and apply controls to prevent it from being shared inappropriately. It replaces guesswork about data exposure with a documented, auditable system of classification and protection.
Full definition
Microsoft Purview was formed by combining the capabilities of the former Azure Purview data governance platform with Microsoft's compliance suite (previously Microsoft Compliance Center). It covers data classification and labelling, (DLP), , , audit log retention, management, and communication compliance.
Sensitivity labels — such as Internal, Confidential, and Highly Confidential — can be manually or automatically applied to documents and emails. Labels can enforce , restrict forwarding, and apply visual markings (headers, footers, watermarks).