Azure Purview – Unified Data Governance

Data has never been more important to an organisation. The last 9 months have shown the importance of data as organisations have had to suddenly replan, reforecast, and adjust to the dramatically changing landscape that we all found ourselves in.

For many organisations their data is not in one place, it is siloed across the organisation and this adds significant complexity and delays to be able to bring the required data and information together to make informed and trusted decisions that allows an organisation to have the agility it needs.

Organisations need a way to bring this data together, get accurate and trusted data in the hands of the right people.  Alongside this it is vitally important that organisations have an appropriate data governance structure in place to ensure that the data can be trusted, is secured, they know what data they have and where it is.

If you don’t know where your data is and what it is telling you, you have little insight into the future.  Data is what enables both analytical power—analysing the past and gaining new insights, and predictive power—predicting the future and planning ahead.

Today Microsoft has launched a Unified Data Governance Service, complementing their already marketing leading data analytics tools.  Snappily named – Azure Purview, this new service provides a unified data governance service that helps organisations achieve a complete understanding of their data. Azure Purview helps discover all data across the organisation, track lineage of data and create a business glossary wherever it is stored: on-premises, across clouds, in SaaS applications, or in Power BI.

Azure Purview also helps you understand your data exposures by using over 100 AI classifiers that automatically look for personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive data, and pinpoint out-of-compliance data. Azure Purview is integrated with Microsoft Information Protection which means you can apply the same sensitivity labels defined in Microsoft 365 Compliance Center. With Azure Purview, you can view your data estate pivoting on classifications and labeling and drill into assets containing sensitive data across on-premises, multi-cloud, and multi-edge locations.

We repeatedly hear concerns about the need for governance and the conflict between control and empowerment of data usage. The lack of a holistic view of how the data flows through from source to the user is a real problem and often results in controls that stop the innovation and ability to utilise data. In other words, lack of knowledge about the information landscape leads to organisations putting up barriers and inappropriate governance based on a least risk approach.  Whilst there are many components to Data Governance, Azure Purview will give that understanding of what is out there in your organisation and a way of implementing controls whilst still allowing consumers outside a central team to innovate and develop their own solutions.

Alongside this, Azure Synapse Analytics has also reached General Availability, complemented with Azure Purview will mean that organisations are able to develop solutions that bring together all their data into a fully governed and understood platform putting trusted data in the hand of the people that need it, in a timely manner ensuring organisations have the ability to respond to the ever-changing landscape we find ourselves in today.

Personally, and as a business, we are really excited about these announcements and innovations that Microsoft has released.  If you want to explore how your organisation can make better use of one of your most important assets, YOUR DATA, get in touch about the Simpson Associates Data Strategy Workshop.

Blog Author

Giles Horwood, Managing Director, Simpson Associates

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