Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance and compliance solution used by many enterprises to manage and protect data across on-premises, multi-cloud, and SaaS environments. However, Purview faces critical limitations and user frustrations, especially for organizations seeking robust, scalable cybersecurity, and seamless protection for sensitive content. Microsoft Purview Functionality 

Microsoft Purview provides features such as data mapping, cataloguing, and actionable data insights, aimed at centralized governance across diverse environments. Key functionalities include automated metadata management, classification, sensitive data labeling, and integrated compliance controls. 

  • Enables visibility and classification across Microsoft ecosystems with real-time data lineage and compliance reporting. 
  • Offers data loss prevention, labeling, and policy enforcement capabilities for Microsoft 365 users. 

Key Problems with Microsoft Purview 

Despite its broad reach, Purview is plagued by real-world usability and security issues: 

  • Complex Setup and Configuration: Initial deployment is time-consuming and resource-intensive, demanding technical expertise beyond what many security teams can manage. 
  • Performance Bottlenecks: Indexing and scanning large datasets lead to throughput constraints and delays, often requiring expensive capacity upgrades. 
  • Limited Integration: Only partial support for non-Microsoft platforms and incomplete coverage for hybrid environments, leaving critical gaps in enterprise data visibility. 
  • Security Limitations: Purview struggles with AI-era threats, such as prompt injection and Copilot-induced data leaks. It generally reacts after breaches occur, rather than proactively preventing advanced risks. 
  • Manual Remediation: Security teams still need to manually address permission sprawl, inconsistent policy enforcement, and fragmented labeling, amplifying compliance burdens. 
  • Inconsistent User Experience: Unintuitive interface, undocumented “gotchas,” policy sync issues, and configuration failures frustrate users and undermine security operations. 

Why Purview Isn't Enough for Cybersecurity 

  • Modern data risk is exponential: With Microsoft Copilot, sensitive data exposure is rising, and Purview's after-the-fact reaction means threats can go unnoticed and unresolved. 
  • Coverage limitations: Critical data types, workloads outside Microsoft, and evolving AI workflows are poorly protected, causing compliance and governance gaps. 
  • Insider risk and identity mapping: Purview’s lack of entity-level scoring leaves organizations unable to spot and remediate insider and privileged user risks effectively. 

Why Bonfy's Platform Offers a Better Solution 

Bonfy’s Adaptive Content Security (ACS) platform delivers a better alternative for the AI era we’re in by deeply integrating with Microsoft 365 and targeting exactly the limitations of legacy DLP and governance tools like Purview. 

  • Deep Microsoft 365 Integration: Native, real-time connectivity with Outlook, SharePoint, Entra, Purview, and Copilot ensures enterprises get true, persistent protection and governance, not just superficial coverage. 
  • AI-Powered Risk Detection: Contextual understanding of data, automated risk scoring, and real-time policy enforcement prevent data loss before breaches happen—even for complex GenAI use cases. 
  • Entity Risk Management: Bonfy quantifies risk for every employee, partner, and third party, automating mitigation for high-risk actors to address insider and external threats. 
  • Simplified, Transparent Controls: Intuitive, workflow-aligned policy editing and real-time GenAI explanations make enterprise adoption faster, while automated labeling aligns with Microsoft’s compliance architecture. 
  • Superior Performance & Accuracy: Bonfy reduces false positives and negatives, increases security event throughput, and minimizes SOC investigation times, all while lowering overall cost of ownership. 
  • Comprehensive AI/Compliance Coverage: Bonfy ensures organizations can safely leverage Microsoft 365 and Copilot, remaining compliant and secure without losing productivity, visibility, or control. 

Comparative Table: Purview vs. Bonfy ACS 

 

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Bonfy ACS precisely addresses the cybersecurity shortfalls encountered by Purview users, making it the strategic choice for security teams that want to combine powerful AI adoption with resilient, real-time protection and governance.   

TL:DR 

Microsoft Purview offers broad data governance across Microsoft ecosystems but struggles with complexity, limited non-Microsoft coverage, performance bottlenecks, and weak AI-era threat protection. For CISOs, its reactive posture and manual-heavy workflows leave critical security gaps. Bonfy ACS closes these gaps with deep Microsoft 365 integration, real-time AI-powered risk prevention, insider risk scoring, and intuitive controls, delivering stronger protection, faster adoption, and lower cost of ownership.