Microsoft 365 Gets Privacy Controls to Expire, Revoke Access to Encrypted Mails, More

With the aim of helping organisations strengthen their data privacy practices, Microsoft has added new features to Microsoft 365 that include controls to automatically expire or revoke access to encrypted emails and data investigation capabilities.

Microsoft 365 is an integrated bundle of Windows 10, Office 365, and Enterprise Mobility and Security (EMS) solutions by the tech giant, sold on a subscription basis.

"Now with Office 365 Advanced Message Encryption, admins have additional controls to automatically expire or revoke access to encrypted emails through a secure Web portal," Rudra Mitra, Partner Director of Microsoft 365 Security and Compliance, wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.

"For example, with Advanced Message Encryption, you can leverage sensitive information types - such as health Ids - and automatically encrypt and expire the message after 30 days, which may be specified by the organisation's internal or external compliance requirement," Mitra added.

The update in Microsoft 365 also allows organisations to quickly delete sensitive information in the event of a data leak.

"In the event of a data leak, you can create an investigation to search and identify impacted content or people, then delete the email messages that may contain confidential information to prevent end users from accessing the content," Mitra said.

Microsoft also added new features in Teams, including data loss prevention and information barriers, to help organisations prevent sensitive information unintentionally being shared or leaked when using Teams.

Microsoft Teams is designed to improve workplace collaboration by bringing together chats, meetings, and calling in a more secure and compliant way.