In the world of data security, sensitivity labels play a vital role in keeping your sensitive information safe. By correctly using sensitivity labels in emails or documents, organizations can automatically enforce encryption and restrict access to ensure that only authorized individuals can view or modify the content. This practice not only enhances data protection but also contributes to improving your organization’s security score, reflecting a strong security posture.

Sensitivity labels are metadata tags that classify and protect data based on its sensitivity level. Because these labels live in the metadata, they will remain with the documents or emails even if it is transferred to a new location or if it is sent to another user, including users outside your organization. The labels can be applied manually by the users or automatically through policies set by your organization. Once a sensitivity label is applied, it can be used to enforce encryption, restrict access, and apply other security measures to the labelled content.

1. Automated Protection: Sensitivity labels can automate the process of encrypting a document and restricting access to sensitive information, which reduces the risk of human error and ensures consistent data protection.
2. Compliance: Sensitivity labels help organizations comply with data protection regulations set out by GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA by enforcing security measures on sensitive data.
3. Secure Collaboration: By applying the correct sensitivity labels, organizations can securely share confidential information with external partners while maintaining control over who can access and/or modify the contents.
4. Enhance your secure score: Implementing sensitivity labels contributes to raising your secure score, a metric used to evaluate an organization’s security health. A higher secure score indicates that the organization has robust security measures in place, which can improve its reputation and reduce the risk of cyberattacks.

By applying sensitivity labels to documents and emails, you address several key security controls, such as data protection, compliance and secure collaboration. This proactive approach not only safeguards your data but also demonstrates a commitment to security best practices. As a result, your secure score improves, reflecting a stronger defence against potential threats.

Applying sensitivity labels to documents and emails is a critical step in protecting sensitive information. It can trigger controls and policies that encrypt data automatically and implement access controls that continue to restrict access even when shared outside your organization. This process boosts your secure score, improving your organization’s security posture.