A Quick Guide to Secure Data Governance in Education

Education institutions face a growing need to manage and protect data securely at scale. With vast volumes of data from student information systems, learning management systems and research platforms, institutions face a key challenge: how to enable data access and innovation without losing control.

This blog explores why data governance is critical in education, how it helps solve the challenge of enabling secure data access whilst maintaining control, as well as how you can utilise Microsoft Purview to support a secure, scalable approach.

Why Data Governance is Critical in Education

Institutions generate and retain vast amounts of sensitive, unstructured data – from student records and learning platforms to research outputs and emails – to meet academic, historical, and legal obligations. Managing this complexity over long data lifecycles leaves education institutions particularly exposed to data fragmentation and silos, making strong data governance not just important, but essential.

This complexity is compounded by growing regulatory and compliance pressures, including GDPR, expectations for ethical AI use, budget constraints and robust record management standards.

When governance is weak, the consequences are significant. Your institution is at risk of:

Data breaches that can damage institutional reputation.

Inaccurate or inconsistent data that can impact strategic decision-making.

Inefficiencies that increase operational risk and cost.

As universities invest more heavily in digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI), effective data governance is no longer simply an IT concern – it’s a strategic institutional priority essential to protecting and securing data, ensuring long-term resilience.

Data Governance in Microsoft Purview

Microsoft Purview is a unified platform which simplifies data governance across on-premises, multi-cloud and SaaS environments. It brings together governance, data security, risk, and compliance into a single, integrated solution designed to protect data at scale.

Microsoft Purview empowers data-driven organisations to move from reactive data management to proactive, scalable governance. By enabling visibility, data discovery, and classification, it becomes a true strategic asset.

For example, by using Purview, a university can use domain-based governance to allow different departments (such as admissions or research) to manage and document their data independently. This approach ensures that each department maintains control over its own datasets while adhering to institution-wide policies and compliance standards. This means that the admissions office will be able to track and organise student application data, whilst the research department can catalogue data from ongoing research to comply with funding regulations, without having access to restricted data.

It also improves data discoverability, reduces duplication, and makes it easier to track data lineage, ultimately supporting more informed decision-making and safeguarding sensitive information.

How to Implement Secure Data Governance

So, how can your education institution begin your data governance journey and unlock Purview’s full potential?

Start by focusing on the high-value outcomes that matter most to you. Rather than governing everything at once, prioritise high-risk, high-value data where regulatory and reputational risk is greatest.

To achieve these goals, institutions need clear data ownership, role-based access, and well-trained data owners, stewards, and custodians. Microsoft Purview supports this approach by reducing the risk of accidental data sharing, enforcing organisation-wide governance policies, and providing clear visibility into who should access specific data sets. Through built-in data loss prevention, a unified data catalogue, and an automated data map, Purview enables universities to maintain strong compliance and control while preserving the flexibility required for teaching, research, and innovation.

Key Purview features that support secure data governance include:

Unified Data Map & Catalogue
A live, end-to-end view of all data across on-premises, cloud, and SaaS – so teams always know what data exists, where it lives, and how it’s used.

Automated Discovery & Classification
AI-driven scanning automatically identifies and labels sensitive data, reducing manual effort while ensuring consistent protection.

End-to-End Data Lineage
Full visibility into how data flows and transforms from source to insight, simplifying audits, strengthening trust, and improving decision-making.

Built-In Security & Compliance
Role-based access controls, policy enforcement, and audit trails help meet GDPR and AI governance requirements without compromising security.

Data Quality at Scale
Automated monitoring of data accuracy, consistency, and reliability reduces reporting risks and quickly flags issues.

Together, these capabilities allow universities to govern data confidently without slowing innovation.

Conclusion

Data governance is now a strategic priority for universities – protecting sensitive data, ensuring compliance, and enabling future innovation. By focusing on high-value data, defining ownership and leveraging Microsoft Purview, your education institution will be able to balance control and flexibility. Strong governance turns data from a risk into a strategic asset, supporting smarter decisions, long-term resilience and allows you to take the next step in your data journey.

How Simpson Associates Can Help You?

As a  Microsoft Solutions Partner and a Microsoft Partner of the year award winner for 2024, our talented team of Microsoft Purview consultants have what it takes to help you implement Microsoft Purview, ensuring secure data governance. From initial discovery and Purview implementation to ongoing governance and optimisation, our team will ensure your data is secure, compliant, and ready to support your strategic goals.

Interested in Data Governance with Microsoft Purview? Have a look at our range of Microsoft Purview Consulting services or get in touch with us via email or live chat.

Author: Barney Lawrence, Lead Consultant at Simpson Associates