Microsoft announces Azure Information Protection

On 22/06/2016, Microsoft announced Azure Information Protection, a cloud-based service designed to help organizations classify, label, and protect sensitive data across documents and emails. The announcement introduced tools that allowed companies to apply persistent protection to files, ensuring that access controls and usage policies remained in place even when data was shared outside corporate networks. The service was positioned as part of Microsoft’s broader Enterprise Mobility and Security offerings. Azure Information Protection enabled administrators and users to assign classification labels such as confidential or highly confidential, which could automatically trigger encryption, access restrictions, and tracking. The service integrated with Microsoft Office applications and Azure Active Directory, allowing organizations to enforce policies across Windows, mobile devices, and cloud environments. Microsoft also included features for monitoring document activity, revoking access, and applying automatic classification based on content patterns. The announcement combined capabilities from Azure Rights Management and data classification tools into a unified service. Microsoft said Azure Information Protection would help organizations manage compliance requirements, control data sharing, and maintain visibility over sensitive information in hybrid and cloud-based workflows.