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The Assurance Desk
Microsoft Purview logo

Microsoft Purview review

Software product

Microsoft's data governance software inside Microsoft 365 and Azure, for organisations that want to watch sensitive data moving through Copilot and other AI apps. You run it yourself.

Relevant if you already use Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 and want controls on data sent to AI

Price Published
Indemnity cover Published
How it uses AI Published
Facts last checked

Not published means we did not find it on the firm's own pages.

Microsoft Purview scores

Six scores, each 1 to 5. The evidence for each is further down.

Help when things go wrong 5/5
Qualifications of the people who do the work 4/5
What it publishes about fees 5/5
Knowledge of your sector 3/5
Independence from what it sells 5/5
Who carries the risk if the advice is wrong 5/5

What Microsoft Purview offers, and what it publishes

Purview is software you license and set up yourself. Its DSPM for AI dashboard shows which AI apps and agents are in use, checks 100 SharePoint sites a week for oversharing by default, applies data-loss rules to AI prompts and logs Copilot prompts and responses. Purview Audit and eDiscovery Premium can keep them under legal hold.

Microsoft Purview publishes a price. The Purview Suite costs $12 per user per month, paid yearly, but you must already hold Microsoft 365 E3 or equivalent. Full capture of prompts from AI apps other than Copilot needs the E5 tier, which has no separate published price. So the real cost is higher than $12.

Purview runs on Microsoft 365 and Azure, which hold ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3 and US FedRAMP High. Microsoft's ISO/IEC 42001 certificate covers Azure AI Foundry Models and Security Copilot, not Purview. Microsoft's documentation calls the current DSPM for AI a 'classic' version being replaced, so features and names are still changing.

Strengths

  • Publishes a real list price ($12/user/month for Purview Suite), rare among AI-governance vendors, most of which gate pricing behind a sales call
  • Backed by an extensive, independently audited certification portfolio (ISO 27001/27701/42001, SOC 1/2/3, FedRAMP High)
  • Native integration with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Entra and Azure AI Foundry means AI-activity logging doesn't require a separate agent or connector
  • Purview Audit (Premium) and eDiscovery Premium can capture and legal-hold Copilot prompts and responses for regulatory or litigation evidence

Things to check

  • The headline $12/user/month price is an add-on that requires an existing Microsoft 365 E3 (or Office 365 E3 + EMS E3) licence, and full AI-prompt capture for non-Copilot AI apps needs the pricier E5 tier, so the effective cost is higher than the sticker price implies.
  • Microsoft's own documentation labels the described DSPM for AI capability as a 'classic' version being superseded by a newer release, meaning scope and terminology are still changing.
  • No Purview-specific ISO/IEC 42001 certification was found; the AI-management-system certification Microsoft has published names Azure AI Foundry Models and Security Copilot as the certified scope, not Purview.

Common questions

How much does Purview cost?

$12 per user per month for the Purview Suite, paid yearly, but only if you already hold Microsoft 365 E3. Full prompt capture for AI apps other than Copilot needs E5, which has no separate published price.

Can Purview produce evidence for a regulator?

Partly. Purview Audit and eDiscovery Premium can capture, keep and legal-hold Copilot prompts and responses, and Compliance Manager maps controls to named regulatory templates. Purview itself makes no promise of compliance with any law.

Can UK public bodies buy Purview?

Yes, through resellers. Microsoft 365 and Azure, including Purview, are in scope for UK government OFFICIAL data under Microsoft's G-Cloud offering. Purview is on the UK Digital Marketplace through resellers such as Phoenix Software, not a Microsoft-branded listing.

Evidence for each Microsoft Purview score

Show our working

Notes behind each thing to check

  • The headline $12/user/month price is an add-on that requires an existing Microsoft 365 E3 (or Office 365 E3 + EMS E3) licence, and full AI-prompt capture for non-Copilot AI apps needs the pricier E5 tier, so the effective cost is higher than the sticker price implies. (Microsoft's pricing page states the Purview Suite price 'Requires: Microsoft 365 E3; or Office 365 E3 and Enterprise Mobility + Security E3', and Microsoft Learn ties full prompt capture to E5/E5 Compliance licensing (microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/purview-suite-pricing; learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/dspm-for-ai).)
  • Microsoft's own documentation labels the described DSPM for AI capability as a 'classic' version being superseded by a newer release, meaning scope and terminology are still changing. (The Microsoft Learn DSPM for AI page itself flags the documented version as classic/being replaced (learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/dspm-for-ai).)
  • No Purview-specific ISO/IEC 42001 certification was found; the AI-management-system certification Microsoft has published names Azure AI Foundry Models and Security Copilot as the certified scope, not Purview. (Microsoft's own announcement names 'Azure AI Foundry Models and Microsoft Security Copilot' as the certified scope, not Purview (azure.microsoft.com blog on ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification).)
Six criteria, each scored 1 to 5, with the evidence for each.
CriterionScoreEvidence
Help when things go wrong 5/5 Purview Audit (Premium) and eDiscovery Premium are documented to capture, retain and legal-hold Copilot prompts/responses, and Compliance Manager maps controls to named regulatory templates for evidence assembly (learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/audit-copilot).
Qualifications of the people who do the work 4/5 Microsoft publishes verifiable SOC 1/2/3 and ISO 27001/27701/42001 certifications on its compliance hub, though a single named leader for the Purview AI-governance product specifically could not be confirmed at time of research.
What it publishes about fees 5/5 Microsoft's own pricing page lists a real published number, Purview Suite at $12.00/user/month paid yearly, not a 'contact sales' placeholder (microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/purview-suite-pricing).
Knowledge of your sector 3/5 Compliance Manager ships regulation-specific templates (e.g. HITRUST for healthcare, FedRAMP for government) but Purview itself remains a horizontal data-governance product rather than a set of named vertical modules.
Independence from what it sells 5/5 Purview's underlying SOC 1/2/3 and ISO 27001/27701/42001 attestations are independently audited third-party certifications listed on Microsoft's compliance hub, not self-declared claims.
Who carries the risk if the advice is wrong 5/5 Microsoft publishes a Data Protection Addendum (aka.ms/DPA) and an Online Services SLA schedule (aka.ms/CSLA) that set out liability and uptime commitments applicable to Purview as part of Microsoft 365/Azure.

Sources for Microsoft Purview

  • Parent company registration (Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) is US-incorporated; its UK subsidiary Microsoft Limited is registered at Companies House, company number 01624297, Reading, Berkshire) (Companies House, checked 17 July 2026)
  • DSPM for AI product scope (A dashboard within Purview for discovering AI app/agent use, running data risk assessments (default weekly scan of the top 100 SharePoint sites for oversharing), applying DLP policies to AI prompts, and logging Copilot prompts/responses via Activity Explorer) (learn.microsoft.com, checked 17 July 2026)
  • Pricing disclosure (Published list price: Microsoft Purview Suite is $12.00/user/month paid yearly, requiring an existing Microsoft 365 E3 (or Office 365 E3 + EMS E3) licence; full AI-prompt capture across non-Copilot AI apps additionally requires Microsoft 365 E5/E5 Compliance, which has no separately published headline price) (microsoft.com, checked 17 July 2026)
  • UK government availability (Microsoft 365/Azure (including Purview) is confirmed in-scope for UK Government OFFICIAL data under Microsoft's G-Cloud compliance offering; Purview also appears on the UK Digital Marketplace via third-party resellers such as Phoenix Software rather than a direct Microsoft-branded G-Cloud listing) (learn.microsoft.com, checked 17 July 2026)
  • Certification portfolio (Microsoft's compliance offerings hub lists ISO 27001, 27701, 27017, 27018, SOC 1/2/3 and FedRAMP High for Azure/Microsoft 365 (which host Purview); Azure AI Foundry Models and Microsoft Security Copilot separately achieved ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification) (learn.microsoft.com, checked 17 July 2026)

ISO/IEC 27001 ISO/IEC 27701 ISO/IEC 27017 ISO/IEC 27018 ISO/IEC 42001 (Azure AI Foundry Models & Security Copilot) SOC 1 SOC 2 SOC 3 FedRAMP High

Exposed to the EU AI ActSeeking ISO 42001 certificationRegulated sectors

Where this firm appears

If you represent this firm and something here is wrong or out of date, email hello@theassurancedesk.com with the evidence.

This is an independent editorial guide, not legal advice.