Get started with Labels and Label Policies for your documents.

Labels and label policies in Microsoft 365 (M365) are a feature that allows organizations to classify, protect, and govern their content across different services and applications, such as Exchange, SharePoint, and OneDrive.

Labels are a way to categorize and label data according to its level of sensitivity or classification, such as "Confidential" or "Public". Labels can be applied manually by users or automatically by using rules and conditions. Once a label is applied, it can be used to enforce security and compliance policies, such as encryption, retention, and access controls.

Label policies are used to define the rules and conditions for applying labels to content. They can be used to automatically apply labels based on certain conditions, such as the content type, keywords, or location. Label policies can also be used to enforce specific actions, such as encrypting content or blocking access to certain users.

Label policies in M365 can be managed using the Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Center, where administrators can create, manage, and apply labels and policies across different services. This allows organizations to easily apply consistent policies and controls across their data, regardless of its location or format.

Some of the benefits of using labels and label policies in M365 include:

• Improved data governance and compliance

• Enhanced data protection and security

• Easier data discovery and classification

• Simplified management of security and compliance policies

It's important for organizations to be aware of the capabilities of labels and label policies in M365, and to use them to improve their data governance and compliance efforts, and to protect sensitive data from potential breaches.