In this chapter, we will start to explore configuring Information Protection and its use within Microsoft 365. There will be exercises that will require access to the Microsoft 365 compliance center with Global Administration rights. If you have not created the trial licenses for Microsoft 365, please follow the instructions in Chapter 1, Preparing for Your Microsoft Exam and SC-400 Exam Objectives.

Accessing the Microsoft 365 compliance center

The various information protection policies and configurations are managed via the Microsoft 365 compliance center. The following steps will show you how to navigate the Microsoft 365 admin center to gain access to the relevant compliance center:

1. Open a web browser and navigate to https://login.microsoftonline.com/.
2. Log into the Microsoft 365 portal using the Global Admin account in your tenant where you have enabled the Microsoft 365 trial license.
3. Once you are logged in, navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center icon on the left-hand side of the screen and click it:

Figure 3.1 – Microsoft 365 portal

• This will open an additional tab on your explorer window for the Microsoft 365 admin center. Navigate to the left-hand side of the window, where you will see … Show all. Click on this to view the entire menu.
• Navigate to the Compliance option and click it. An additional tab will open on your browser. Now, you will be able to start configuring the different information protection settings:

Figure 3.2 – Microsoft 365 admin center

You should now know how to access the Microsoft 365 compliance center so that you can take part in the exercises in this and future chapters of this book.

Selecting a sensitive information type based on an organization’s requirements

Before you can select sensitive information types, it is important to understand what they are used for and the fundamental components that make up a sensitive information type. They are used to identify sensitive items within pieces of information, such as credit card numbers. Sensitive information types look for patterns and validate information by looking at the relevant keywords, the format of the data, and its checksum.

Sensitive information type components

The following table describes the fundamental components of sensitive information types for both custom and built-in information types:

Table 3.1 – Sensitive information type components

The next part of this chapter will focus on the key features of the custom sensitive information type.