How Microsoft Purview can help secure and govern your nonprofits data in the age of AI

As data usage evolves and becomes increasingly complex, it is crucial for nonprofit organisations to secure their data amidst this lack of visibility, to avoid risking data loss, leaks or security breaches. 

But the question is…where should you start with securing and governing data?  

Following on from our webinar, ‘Secure and govern your nonprofit’s data in the age of AI with Microsoft Purview’, this blog explores the evolving risk landscape in the charity sector, as well as how Microsoft Purview can help you manage critical risk and regulatory compliance. Purview is the talk of the town, let’s dive into how this can truly secure your nonprofit organisation. 

The evolving risk landscape

Charities today face a unique combination of various risk factors.  As the digital footprint of nonprofits expands, through factors such as donor databases, fundraising information and records – so do the risk factors.   

As sensitive charitable information is often stored across multiple systems with potentially inconsistent security measures, your nonprofit organisation could be particularly vulnerable to data breaches, threats and accidental leaks with both external and internal risks. 

In addition to this, with the rise of AI tools in the nonprofit sector, data is being processed differently and needs to be properly managed. Compliance with regulations such as GDPR and data protection standards is no longer optional – it’s crucial. 

Microsoft Purview: What it is and why it matters

At its core, Microsoft Purview enables organisations to classify, catalogue, and monitor data across their estate. It brings together capabilities across data governance, data security, and risk and compliance, all under a single umbrella. 

For nonprofits and charitable organisations, it offers a way to see, understand, secure and govern how data moves across the organisation – providing the visibility that is often hard to access.   

Organisations across both public and private sectors can, by implementing Microsoft Purview, create a unified approach to data governance, making the shift from fragmented, reactive data practices to a more structured, proactive approach which enables more confident decision making.  

How to govern AI safely and the Microsoft Purview features to combat this

Generative AI is reshaping the world, but it’s not without associated data security risks. 

 Imagine the case of trusted employees inadvertently exposing sensitive information by asking ChatGPT to summarise a confidential project document. This means your organisations sensitive information is now exposed and part of ChatGPTs training data.   

However, this is a preventable situation. With Microsoft Purview’s data security features there are a few ways that this can be combated:  

• Information Protection can be used to apply default sensitivity labels to document libraries so that new documents added to the project automatically inherit the same protection.  By using built-in Machine Learning (ML) trainable classifiers, the documents can be protected with encryption and access policies. 

• The Data Loss Prevention policy can prevent users from pasting sensitive and confidential information to consumer Generative AI apps through an endpoint DLP policy. 

This is just one example of how the potential for data security breaches can be combated and prevented with Purview, demonstrating the importance of this in the nonprofit sector. 

How charities can get started with Microsoft Purview

One key question identified in our recent webinar was ‘How do I get started with Microsoft Purview?’ Here are a few key steps and tips to get you started: 

1. Assess your current data landscape – by understanding where you are now, identifying pain points and key areas to improve – you can see where you want to be 

2. Start with the core capabilities 

3. Engage your leadership and teams across the organisation – with everyone on board, and a clear policy in place, this will mean internal data leaks can be prevented, and data breaches may be less frequent. 

4. Leverage expert support – utilise the powerful expertise and take your data to the next level, giving you the reassurance you need.  Find out more about our Microsoft Purview consulting services here, and factors such as Purview cost and licensing. 

Key Takeaways: Protect People, Data and Reputation with a unified approach 

In a world where data is everywhere – and the risks are growing – it has never been more important for nonprofits to take a proactive, instead of reactive approach, to securing and protecting their data.   

At Simpson Associates, we don’t just understand your data governance and data security challenges – we empower you to overcome them. As a leading Microsoft Purview Implementation Partner, our experts specialise across the full breadth of Microsoft Purview, delivering  Purview Data Governance, Purview Data Security and Risk and Compliance solutions.  

Whether your organisation is looking to unlock greater  value and insights from their data or wanting to evaluate their technology, our Purview experts can help you. Get in touch for the best Purview and data governance consulting services now via our live chat or email.