Microsoft Azure Information Protection (AIP) provides a data security infrastructure across Microsoft applications, as part of the MS Azure subscription package. AIP is a cloud-based solution which allows you to classify and label Office files and Outlook emails, which in turn drives Microsoft Azure Rights Management (RMS).
The underlying aim of AIP is to help organizations capitalize on the information protection benefits offered by Azure RMS through its blend of encryption, authentication and usage control. The coupling of information classification and protection has been established as best practice for many years, and as a Microsoft Gold ISV Partner for over 20 years, Fortra Data Classification has been at the forefront driving RMS – initially with Microsoft’s Active Directory Rights Management (AD RMS), and then more recently with Azure Rights Management.
What Comprises AIP?
AIP encompasses Classification Labelling and Protection (CLP):
- Classification: Data can be classified automatically or by users according to simple security schemes. Classification and labelling information are embedded in the document metadata and defined actions are enforced.
- Labelling: Visual and metadata labels record the classification and are embedded within a document.
- Protection (Rights Management): RMS encrypts the document and includes the authentication requirements and a definition of the usage rights to the data (rights management). This ensures only authorized users have access to protected data and they can perform only allowed actions on the data.
By now you will have a good idea of what AIP is and how Microsoft AIP is better with Fortra's Classifier Suite. This week, in the final instalment of this three part series we look further into the benefits of enhancing AIP with Classifier, and just how this partnership will add value to your organization.
Enabling a Powerful Ecosystem of Security Partners
As well as adding direct functionality to classification and labelling, incorporating Classifier into your AIP ecosystem enables interoperability with a powerful range of additional security solutions. With as little as a single click, the intuitive Classifier interface can drive market leading security applications in data loss prevention, data governance and encryption. The addition of Classifier allows you to apply classification across a larger range of file types, and from within non-Microsoft applications such as CAD and IBM Notes. Classifier even supports a wider range of Microsoft applications than AIP, including MS Project and Visio.
Increasing Visibility of User Actions
Adding Fortra's Classifier Suite empowers administrators with an extensive reporting module, enabling you to drill down into how and where your classifications are being applied. Classifier comes with a range of common report templates, simplifying analysis to help you to understand where rules could be appended or automated. Classifier’s reporting dashboard is ideal for communicating trends and usage regularly to senior management. Classifier also directly integrates with third party analytics tools such as Loglogic and Splunk.
Classifier’s Power Enhances AIP
Fortra's Classifier Suite is fully compatible and interoperable with AIP, adding significant value to AIP, meaning that organizations can incorporate elements of AIP if they wish, but then enhance that functionality with Classifier. This approach by combining the best of a mass-market product in AIP, incorporating Azure RMS, and best-of-breed classification in Fortra's Classifier Suite provides organizations with significant added value; advanced classification policy, coverage for the widest range of Microsoft and non-Microsoft applications and access to an extended technology ecosystem being just a few examples.
Taking a joint approach to Enterprise Information Protection with enhanced data classification at the core enables complex policy issues and integration requirements to be tackled together to deliver maximum value for your business – ensuring you can meet the classification challenges you’ve identified today plus those that will be coming round the corner.
Learn more about how you can transform Microsoft Azure Information Protection (AIP) using Fortra's Classifier Suite.
