Microsoft 365 Compliance & Data
Protection Services
Mata365 configures the full Microsoft 365 compliance stack for Irish businesses: data retention policies, data loss prevention rules, sensitivity labels, audit logging, and Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager, so your business has a defensible, documented compliance posture rather than a box of unused features.
How Compliance & Data Protection
Safeguard Your Business
Effective compliance and data protection strategies help reduce risks, protect sensitive data, and ensure adherence to industry regulations.
Data Compliance
Meet regulatory and industry standards for data handling and storage.
Data Protection
Protect sensitive information from unauthorized access and breaches.
Monitoring & Auditing
Track data usage, access, and ensure accountability.
Our SharePoint Compliance &
Data Protection Solutions
Comprehensive services to ensure your SharePoint environment is secure, compliant, and well-governed.
Our Compliance & Data
Protection Process
A structured approach to ensure your data is protected and compliant at all times.
Discover & Plan
Conduct a compliance assessment of your current Microsoft 365 environment — identifying which data protection controls are inactive, reviewing your data retention approach against GDPR requirements, assessing NIS2 obligations for your sector, and mapping the gap between your current configuration and a defensible compliance posture.
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Design & Configure
Design a tailored Microsoft 365 compliance framework for your Irish business — covering retention and deletion policies, data loss prevention rules, sensitivity labels for document and email classification, Microsoft Purview configuration, audit logging, and conditional access policies aligned with GDPR and NIS2 requirements.
Deploy & Optimise
Implement all compliance controls across your Microsoft 365 tenant with zero disruption to daily operations, test DLP policies to confirm they are blocking correctly, configure Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager for ongoing score tracking, and document every control implemented for audit and regulatory purposes.
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Train & Support
Train your team and administrators on compliance obligations, sensitivity label usage, and data handling policies — and provide ongoing Dublin-based compliance monitoring so your Microsoft 365 environment stays aligned with GDPR, NIS2, and any sector-specific requirements as regulations evolve.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Common questions about Microsoft 365 compliance and data protection — answered for Irish businesses navigating GDPR, NIS2, and the Data Protection Commission’s requirements.
What Microsoft 365 compliance features does every Irish business need to configure?
The baseline compliance configuration for any Irish business using Microsoft 365 covers four areas. Data retention policies, which define how long different types of documents and emails are kept before deletion — required under GDPR’s storage limitation principle. Data loss prevention rules, which prevent sensitive information such as PPS numbers, financial data, or health records from being shared outside the organisation accidentally. Sensitivity labels, which classify documents and emails by confidentiality level and apply appropriate protections automatically. And audit logging, which records who accessed, shared, or deleted data — essential for responding to a Data Subject Access Request or a Data Protection Commission inquiry. Mata365 configures all four as part of every compliance engagement for Irish businesses.
Does Microsoft 365 help Irish businesses comply with GDPR?
Yes, but only if it is configured correctly. Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes the technical tools required to support GDPR compliance — data retention, DLP, sensitivity labels, audit logs, and data subject request workflows through Microsoft Purview. However, these features are not active by default. A Microsoft 365 tenant with default settings is not GDPR compliant. For Irish businesses under the Data Protection Commission’s jurisdiction, Mata365 configures Microsoft 365 with GDPR requirements specifically in mind — covering data minimisation, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality, and the technical controls needed to demonstrate compliance if challenged.
What is NIS2 and does it apply to my Irish business?
NIS2 is the EU Network and Information Security Directive that became enforceable in Ireland in 2025. It significantly expanded the number of Irish businesses required to meet formal cybersecurity and risk management obligations — covering sectors including healthcare, transport, digital infrastructure, managed IT services, manufacturing, and financial services. If your Irish business operates in a covered sector, NIS2 requires you to implement risk management measures, incident reporting procedures, and supply chain security controls. Microsoft 365, properly configured with Defender, MFA, conditional access, audit logging, and Purview Compliance Manager, forms a strong technical foundation for NIS2 compliance. Mata365 helps Irish businesses assess their NIS2 obligations and configure Microsoft 365 accordingly.
What is Microsoft Purview and how does it help with compliance for Irish businesses?
Microsoft Purview is Microsoft’s unified data governance and compliance platform, included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium and enterprise plans. For Irish businesses, the most relevant components are Compliance Manager — which provides a compliance score, tracks your posture against GDPR and NIS2, and generates evidence for audits — Information Protection, which manages sensitivity labels and DLP policies, and Data Lifecycle Management, which handles retention and deletion policies. Mata365 configures Microsoft Purview for Irish clients so the compliance score reflects your actual environment, improvement actions are prioritised correctly, and the platform generates the documentation your business needs for regulatory purposes.
What is the difference between data retention and data backup in Microsoft 365?
Retention policies keep data available for compliance and legal purposes for a defined period — they prevent premature deletion and ensure data can be retrieved for eDiscovery or regulatory review. Backup creates an independent, recoverable copy of your data to protect against loss from ransomware, accidental deletion, or tenant-level incidents. Both are required but they serve different purposes. An Irish business with good retention policies but no backup is exposed to data loss. A business with good backup but no retention policies may be violating GDPR’s storage limitation requirements by keeping data longer than necessary. Mata365 implements both as part of a complete data protection strategy for Irish SMEs.
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