is an integral part of preparing for the SC-400 Microsoft Information Protection Administrator exam. The effective management of sensitivity labels aid in protecting critical information while ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and availability across an organization. While the entire process can seem elaborate, it is quite straightforward once you grasp the underlying principles. Ensuring the correct administration of sensitivity labels require an understanding of how roles and permissions work in Microsoft 365 Compliance Center.
Understanding Sensitivity Labels
Let’s start by understanding the concept of sensitivity labels. They are tags that can be applied to documents and emails within a Microsoft 365 environment, which clearly mark and classify the content based on organizational data governance policies. Sensitivity labels can be used to enforce protection settings, including encryption or visual markings, to access, share or copy the content.
Implementing Sensitivity Labels
Creating custom sensitivity labels for data classification involves the following steps:
- Navigate to the Microsoft 365 Compliance Center.
- Click on “Classification” and then “Sensitivity labels.”
- Create a new label and configure settings according to organizational requirements.
- Assign the label to the relevant dataset.
These settings include permissions for who can access the data, how the data can be shared, the necessary visual markings, and the auto-label or re-label capabilities.
Administering Sensitivity Labels
Microsoft 365 provides pre-defined roles that allow the administration of sensitivity labels:
- Compliance Administrator
- Compliance Data Administrator
- Office Apps Administrator
- Security Administrator
- Security Compliance Officer
Each role has a specific set of permissions that align with their responsibilities. For example, a Security Administrator has permissions to manage security-related settings, while a Compliance Data Administrator can manage data governance policies.
To boost security, it is recommended to follow the principle of least privilege (POLP). It implies giving an account or user only those privileges which are essential to perform its intended function.
Applying RBAC
Role-based access control (RBAC) is a recommended approach for administering sensitivity labels. With RBAC, permissions aren’t granted to individuals but to a role. A user assigned to that role inherits all privileges of it. In Microsoft 365, the same approach is followed.
The following table provides an overview of some roles and corresponding permissions regarding sensitivity labels administration:
Role | Permissions |
---|---|
Compliance Admin | Can create, manage, and delete all sensitivity labels |
Security Admin | Can create, manage, and delete all sensitivity labels |
Compliance Data Administrator | Can manage metadata associated with sensitivity labels |
Office Apps Administrator | Can create, manage, and delete all sensitivity labels |
Security Compliance Officer | Can create, manage, and delete all sensitivity labels |
In summary, effectively managing sensitivity labels involves proper understanding and implementation of roles and permissions. In the context of SC-400 Microsoft Information Protection Administrator exam, extensive knowledge of these concepts will increase your chances of success significantly.
Practice Test
True or False: Sensitivity labels in Microsoft 365 can be used to classify and protect sensitive information across multiple apps and services.
- Answer: True
Explanation: Sensitivity labels can indeed be used across various apps and services in Microsoft 365 to classify, label, and protect sensitive information.
Which Microsoft 365 service should you use to create and manage sensitivity labels?
- A. Microsoft Teams
- B. Security & Compliance Center
- C. OneDrive
- D. Office 365 Portal
Answer: B. Security & Compliance Center
Explanation: The Security & Compliance Center provides a setting to create, manage, and enforce rules on sensitivity labels.
True or False: Once created, a sensitivity label cannot be edited or deleted.
- Answer: False
Explanation: Sensitivity labels can indeed be edited or deleted after being created depending on the administrative permissions and rules set in place.
Microsoft’s sensitivity labels can be applied to which of the following?
- A. Files
- B. Emails
- C. Container
- D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
Explanation: Microsoft’s sensitivity labels can be applied to files, emails, and containers (like SharePoint sites).
True or False: Microsoft sensitivity labels can restrict certain actions like copying, printing, or forwarding content.
- Answer: True
Explanation: Restricting certain actions like copying, printing, or forwarding content is possible with Microsoft sensitivity labels.
What is the role of Azure Rights Management service (Azure RMS) in sensitivity labels?
- A. It creates the sensitivity labels
- B. It enforces restrictions applied by sensitivity labels
- C. It stores the sensitivity labels
- D. None of above
Answer: B. It enforces restrictions applied by sensitivity labels
Explanation: Azure RMS is responsible for enforcing the restrictions applied by sensitivity labels to protect the content.
Which of these features is associated with sensitivity labels in Microsoft Teams, Office 365 Groups, and SharePoint sites?
- A. Privacy settings
- B. Device access settings
- C. External sharing settings
- D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
Explanation: Microsoft Teams, Office 365 Groups, and SharePoint sites can all have sensitivity labels that control privacy, device access, and external sharing settings.
True or False: The Sensitivity Label analytics report is available in the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
- Answer: True
Explanation: The Sensitivity Label analytics report is a tool available in the Microsoft 365 compliance center that provides insights into the usage of sensitivity labels in the organization.
Sensitivity labels use ____________ to help enforce chosen settings and protect sensitive information.
- A. Azure Active Directory
- B. Azure Rights Management
- C. Azure Information Protection
Answer: C. Azure Information Protection
Explanation: Sensitivity labels use Azure Information Protection (AIP) to help enforce settings and protect sensitive data.
True or False: When you publish sensitivity labels, they become available to users across all platforms and devices.
- Answer: True
Explanation: After you publish sensitivity labels, they become available across all devices and platforms, ensuring that sensitive information is protected no matter where it’s accessed from.
Interview Questions
What is a sensitivity label in Microsoft information protection?
It is a label that can be used to classify and protect your company’s data, such as documents and emails, based on their sensitivity level.
How do you add a sensitivity label in Microsoft 365 compliance center?
In Microsoft 365 compliance center, go to ‘Solutions > Information protection’ to add a sensitivity label. You would define the name, tooltip, description, and protection settings in the label creation process.
What are the key roles for administering sensitivity labels?
Key roles for administering sensitivity labels are Global admin, Compliance admin, Security admin and Security reader.
Can you change or delete a sensitivity label once it is published?
Yes, you can change or delete a sensitivity label once it’s published but it will impact resources where the label is applied.
What happens when you delete a sensitivity label that has been applied to content?
If you delete a sensitivity label that’s applied to content, the label information in the file metadata is no longer readable.
What are some permission settings you can control with sensitivity labels?
Some permission settings you can control with sensitivity labels include content marking, content access, and end-user experiences.
How does one apply a sensitivity label automatically?
You can apply a sensitivity label automatically by creating an auto-labeling policy in the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
What is the primary difference between a sensitivity label and a retention label?
A sensitivity label protects content with encryption, marking, and access restrictions, whereas a retention label defines how long content should be retained and what happens when it reaches the end of the retention lifespan.
What role should you assign to a user who needs to view sensitivity label usage without making changes?
To allow a user to view sensitivity label usage without making changes, you should assign them the Security Reader role.
How can you prevent users from removing a sensitivity label from a document?
You can prevent users from removing a sensitivity label from a document by setting the user permission as ‘Cannot change label’ in the sensitivity label settings.
Can you apply multiple sensitivity labels to a single document in Microsoft 365?
No, you can apply only one sensitivity label to a single document in Microsoft 365.
What is the role of Microsoft Information Protection in managing sensitivity labels?
Microsoft Information Protection offers a unified and intuitive approach to classifying and protecting sensitive data through sensitivity labels.
How can you monitor sensitivity label activity?
You can monitor sensitivity label activity through the activity explorer in the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
Can sensitivity labels encrypt email content?
Yes, sensitivity labels have the option to encrypt email content, thus restricting access to only the intended recipients.
Can you use sensitivity labels with external users?
Yes, if a document or email is shared with an external user, and if the sensitivity label used encrypts the content, the external recipient must authenticate before access is granted.