Microsoft made a bold move today to solidify its position at the forefront of enterprise data privacy and compliance. The tech giant announced a sweeping expansion of its Priva platform, introducing five new automated products to help organizations globally grapple with rapidly evolving privacy regulations.

The stakes for businesses to prioritize data privacy have never been higher. Individuals are demanding more transparency and control over how their personal data is collected and used. Governments are cracking down, drafting stringent new laws like the AI Accountability Act signed last year.

Paul Brightmore, principal group program manager for Microsoft’s Governance & Privacy Platform, framed the challenges, telling VentureBeat, “As we work with our customers to update and modernize their privacy posture, we often see companies taking an incredibly reactive approach to their privacy work.” He added, “It’s very common for us to see that customers have not been able to prioritize knowing what data they have, where exactly it is located, and the conditions around its permissible use.”

Microsoft hopes the new Priva products can shift enterprises from reactive to proactive data privacy operations through automation and robust risk assessment. The AI-powered offerings ...