What Is Microsoft Compliance Manager and How Does It Work
Microsoft Compliance Manager is a tool in the cloud. It helps you check and manage compliance for many cloud services. You use it inside Microsoft Purview. It gives you tools to track controls and run checks. You can also manage actions to improve things. This tool checks your setup with rules from standards like ISO 27001. You can see which tasks are yours and which ones Microsoft does. With Microsoft Compliance Manager, you can keep your group up to date. It also helps lower compliance risks.
Key Takeaways
Microsoft Compliance Manager lets groups watch and handle rules in one simple place.
The tool gives automatic checks, templates for more than 320 standards, and an easy score to help you get better.
You can keep all your proof in one safe spot, so audits are quicker and easier. Role-based access and team work tools help keep your compliance tasks safe and neat.
Microsoft Compliance Manager works with many cloud services like Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud to show a full view of compliance.
Overview
Core Purpose
You use Microsoft Compliance Manager to help your group follow rules. This tool puts everything you need in one place. It helps you keep track of your progress and lower risks about data and laws. You can check if you follow big rules like GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO. The platform lets you do checks by hand or with computers. You keep all your proof and files in one spot. This makes it simple to find them when you have an audit.
Tip: You can give jobs to your team and collect proof in the tool. This keeps you ready and organized for any compliance check.
Microsoft Compliance Manager works for many types of jobs. You can use it in hospitals, banks, schools, and more. The tool helps you follow rules for different places and jobs. You can also make your own checks for special needs. The platform puts all your compliance work in the Microsoft 365 compliance center. You do not need to use other tools.
Key Benefits
You get many good things when you use Microsoft Compliance Manager:
You see all your compliance work in one dashboard. This helps you track progress and find risks.
The tool lowers your risks by finding and fixing problems early.
You save time with automatic checks and ready-to-use templates for many rules.
You get a clear compliance score. This score shows how well you follow rules and where you can do better.
You can make your own checks for special needs.
The platform works with cloud providers like Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. You see all your compliance in one place for these services.
You can give jobs, share work, and team up with others.
The tool keeps things safe with role-based access and multi-factor authentication.
Groups often spend less money and work better together with this tool. You also make choices faster and keep your business running well. With Microsoft Compliance Manager, you make compliance simple, safe, and quick.
Microsoft Compliance Manager Features
Automated Assessments
Microsoft Compliance Manager can do many compliance jobs for you. The tool checks your system settings to see if you follow rules. It does these checks all the time, so you do not need to gather proof by hand. This makes your work faster and easier. You get results for technical controls right away. The platform also checks and watches important actions for you. You can see what needs fixing and give these jobs to your team. Automation turns compliance from a slow job into a fast, ongoing one. You keep up with new rules and make fewer mistakes. The tool works with Microsoft 365 and other cloud services, so you see all your compliance work together.
Note: Automated onboarding and workflow tools help you start fast and stay organized.
Compliance Score
The compliance score in Microsoft Compliance Manager shows how well you follow rules. You get points for actions you finish and for controls managed by Microsoft. The score can go up to 22,460. This number helps you see your progress and find ways to get better. The score uses a risk-based way to check each control. It looks at if a control stops, finds, or fixes problems. It also checks if the control is needed or extra. The score changes when you finish actions or when Microsoft updates controls. You can use this score to pick which risks to fix first and to watch your progress over time.
The score counts both your actions and Microsoft’s actions.
Some actions need you to upload proof, but others update by themselves.
The score updates within a day after you make changes.
You can use the score to plan what to do next and keep your group safe.
Tip: A high compliance score helps you manage risks and avoid things like fines or harm to your reputation.
Templates & Frameworks
Microsoft Compliance Manager gives you more than 320 templates for different rules and standards. These templates help you check if you meet global, regional, and industry needs. You can use templates for GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and more. Some templates are free, but others need a special license. You can also use templates for new rules, like those for AI. The tool lets you make your own checks if you have special needs. Templates make it easy to start new checks and keep up with changing laws.
Here are some types of templates you can use:
US government: FedRAMP, NIST 800 series, CJIS, CMMC
Financial services: PCI DSS, SOX, GLBA, EBA, APRA
Healthcare: HIPAA, HITRUST, GxP
Regional: GDPR, CCPA, UK Cyber Essentials, Australia IRAP, Japan ISMAP
AI regulations: Premium AI templates for new technology rules
You can run many checks at once and use templates that work for many needs.
Evidence Management
You can collect and manage proof for your compliance work in Microsoft Compliance Manager. The tool lets you test controls by hand or automatically. For manual testing, you upload files and set the status for each control. For automatic testing, the tool uses signals from Microsoft services and other tools. This means you get updates without extra work. You keep all your proof in one place, so it is easy to find during audits.
Here is how evidence management works:
Collect proof by uploading files or using automatic signals.
Store files and links in the Evidence tab for each action.
Give jobs to owners and assessors who check the proof.
Get alerts when something changes or needs review.
The tool connects with the Service Trust Portal. This gives you a safe place to keep your documents and share them with auditors. Only people with the right access can see your files. The platform keeps your data safe and meets industry rules for protection. You can also make audit-ready reports linked to your proof.
Note: Centralized evidence management helps you stay ready for audits and work better with your team.
Getting Started
Onboarding
Before you use Microsoft Compliance Manager, you must meet some needs. You need the right licenses for Microsoft 365 or Office 365. Only people with certain roles can use it. These roles are Global Administrator, Compliance Manager Reader, Contributor, Assessor, or Administrator. The Global Administrator can set up these roles in Microsoft Purview or Microsoft Entra ID. It is safer to have only a few Global Administrators.
Your devices must also follow some rules:
Devices must use Windows 10 x64 build 1809 or newer.
The antimalware client must be version 4.18.2009.7 or newer.
Install the newest Windows Updates for your device.
Devices must be Azure AD joined or Hybrid Azure AD joined.
You need to have Microsoft Chromium Edge browser.
If you use the Monthly Enterprise Channel, update Microsoft 365 Apps to version 2009 or newer.
Running Assessments
You can use Microsoft Compliance Manager to check if your group follows rules. First, learn what your group needs for compliance. Use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center to find guides for setup. Follow the steps to learn about features, permissions, and templates. You can change and manage checks in the Compliance Center. Run self-checks often and use outside audits to stay strong. Use reports and audit tools to see how you are doing. Teach your team about their jobs and use role-based access to keep things running well.
Monitoring & Alerts
Microsoft Compliance Manager helps you find risks quickly. The system uses AI to send alerts in Microsoft Teams right away. These alerts show which risks are most important. You can give alerts to team members so they can act fast. Change the alert status as you look into, fix, or close issues. The system puts similar alerts together so you can focus on what matters. This helps you stay ready and organized.
Reporting
You get many tools to track and show compliance. The platform gives you audit logs, alert management, and content search for Microsoft 365 services. You can see reports for SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange, and Microsoft Entra ID. Service Assurance lets you see outside audit reports and details about Microsoft’s own controls. The table below lists some main reporting features:
Customization & Roles
Custom Controls
You can change compliance checks to fit your group’s needs. First, copy a regulation. The copy keeps all controls and actions from the original. You can add new controls with special IDs and put them in groups. You may also make new actions, set scores, and link them to services. If you need to follow different rules, make more copies of the same regulation. Each copy can have its own controls and details. When you are done, publish your custom regulation so your team can use it.
Custom controls let you do more than just use templates. You can make checks for special rules or needs in your group. You can add extra steps to match your group’s needs. This helps you meet rules that do not fit normal templates. You can use premium templates for over 300 regulations or make your own if needed.
Tip: Custom controls help you get ready for new laws and changes in your field.
Integration
You can connect compliance work across many cloud services. The tool works with Microsoft Defender for Cloud. This lets you check settings and actions in Microsoft 365, Azure, and other platforms. You can bring in test results from Azure and see them in one place. The system also works with services like Salesforce and Zoom. You get one view of your compliance across all your digital tools. This setup helps you track risks and actions for each service.
User Roles
You decide who can see and do things in the compliance tool. The system uses roles to keep data safe. Common roles are Contributor, Reader, Administrator, and Assessor. Contributors make checks and work on actions. Readers can see everything except admin tasks. Administrators manage all settings. Assessors check compliance.
You give roles through role groups. Some groups manage device settings, data searches, or eDiscovery cases. The table below shows some common role groups and what they do:
Note: Put users in role groups instead of single roles. This keeps access safe and easy to manage.
You can make compliance easier with one main system. The platform turns over 350 rules into simple steps. It helps your team keep up with new changes. You keep all your proof in one safe spot. This makes audits quicker and simpler. Automated tools and AI checks help you see the biggest risks. This way works for any group size. It keeps your compliance work fast and dependable.
FAQ
What is a compliance score in Microsoft Compliance Manager?
A compliance score tells you how well you follow rules. You get points for each action you finish. This score helps you see what you have done. It also shows what you still need to fix.
What templates does Microsoft Compliance Manager offer?
You can pick from over 320 templates for many rules. These templates help you check if you meet standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO. Some templates are free to use. Others need a special license.
What is evidence management in Microsoft Compliance Manager?
Evidence management helps you collect and keep proof for your work. You can upload files or use automatic signals. The tool stores all your proof in one place for audits.
What user roles can you assign in Microsoft Compliance Manager?
You can give roles like Contributor, Reader, Administrator, and Assessor. Each role lets people do different things. You choose who can see, change, or manage tasks.
What cloud services does Microsoft Compliance Manager support?
You can use Microsoft Compliance Manager with Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. The tool gives you one dashboard to see all your compliance work.