Gaining Clarity and Control Over Sensitive Data
Microsoft Technology: Microsoft Purview
Ascent Solution: Rapid Adoption Offer
Ascent helped a national beverage distributer uncover hidden data risks and build a stronger security foundation through a fast, focused Purview Rapid Adoption. The pilot delivered clear visibility, actionable insights, and a scalable path to enterprise-grade data protection.
Results at a Glance:
The Challenge
Data Exposure Across a Complex Business Landscape
As one of the nation's leading beverage distributors, our client handles vast amounts of sensitive information daily, from proprietary brand data and pricing structures to confidential customer and supplier information.
However, as their operations grew and systems multiplied, so did the complexity of its data environment. Data was stored and shared across multiple systems and collaboration platforms, including cloud environments, shared drives, and partner exchanges.
While these tools fueled operational agility, they also created a serious visibility challenge: the company lacked a clear, unified view of where sensitive data lived, how it was being accessed, and whether it was being properly protected.
This made it difficult to ensure compliance with internal security policies and evolving data protection regulations. Leadership knew that unchecked data sprawl could expose the organization to unnecessary risk, especially as data continued to move freely between internal systems and external partners.
What the company needed was a scalable, modern data governance solution capable of delivering clear visibility, consistent protection, and actionable insight, without slowing down business operations or burdening IT teams.
The Solution
Ascent's Microsoft Purview Rapid Adoption Offer
Through Ascent's Rapid Adoption Offer, the client was able to rapidly deploy Microsoft Purview, deliver measurable business outcomes in just four weeks, and provide the visibility and control needed to better safeguard its most valuable digital assets.
Key Focus Areas
The engagement began with a collaborative planning phase to align Purview capabilities with the client's most pressing data governance challenges. Together, we prioritized use cases that would deliver fast, visible value, including data classification, information protection, and data loss prevention (DLP).
The engagement included:
- Targeted deployment of Microsoft Purview Information Protection and DLP across critical systems and user groups.
- Validation of data labeling and protection configurations to ensure accurate identification and control of sensitive data.
- Comprehensive mapping of where sensitive information was being stored, accessed, and shared.
- Governance framework creation to guide long-term expansion of Purview and operational integration with the client's existing Microsoft 365 environment.
By leveraging Ascent's Microsoft-exclusive expertise and streamlined Rapid Adoption framework, the client was able to achieve quick time-to-value while minimizing disruption to business operations.
The Impact
Immediate Visibility and Executive Confidence
Within weeks of implementation, the client gained a level of data visibility it had never achieved before. The pilot uncovered specific areas where sensitive files were being stored or shared without adequate protection, allowing the company to take immediate action to close those gaps.
Key Outcomes
- Visibility and clarity: Leadership now had a clear, data-backed view of how sensitive information flowed across the organization.
- Faster decision-making: The pilot gave the client's governance and security teams actionable insights to prioritize remediation efforts.
- Stronger control: New labeling and protection policies provided consistent enforcement across endpoints, users, and collaboration tools.
- Executive alignment: By demonstrating measurable outcomes, the client's IT leaders built greater trust and buy-in from business stakeholders.
The Rapid Adoption approach not only gave the client a snapshot of its current risk posture, it also a repeatable model for continuous improvement.
“Ascent's Rapid Adoption program gave us the visibility and confidence we needed to protect our most sensitive data. In just four weeks, we went from uncertainty to having a clear roadmap for data governance across our entire organization.”
The Future
Scaling Purview for Enterprise-Wide Governance
Encouraged by the success of the pilot, the client is now preparing to expand Microsoft Purview across its entire business ecosystem. The next phase will focus on:
- Extending coverage to additional departments and data repositories
- Integrating data insights into compliance and risk reporting dashboards
- Operationalizing data governance policies through automation and analytics
The framework Ascent delivered during the Rapid Adoption has become the blueprint for the client's long-term data governance strategy, enabling the organization to maintain control while continuing to grow and collaborate securely.
A Strategic Foundation for the Future
As the client's business evolves, so does their commitment to protecting brand integrity and customer trust. With Microsoft Purview as its foundation and Ascent as a strategic advisor, the client is now positioned to:
- Ensure sensitive data remains secure and compliant across hybrid environments
- Enable seamless collaboration with suppliers and distributors
- Support new digital initiatives without compromising governance standards
Why Choose Ascent
Our client's leadership cited three reasons for choosing Ascent's Rapid Adoption Offer over traditional consulting engagements:
By blending technical execution with business alignment, Ascent helped turn data protection from a reactive process into a strategic, proactive discipline.
Ready to uncover your own data risks? Explore Ascent's Microsoft Purview Rapid Adoption and start building a secure data foundation today.
