AIP, or Azure Information Protection, is a cloud-based service provided by Microsoft that helps organizations protect sensitive information and control access to their data. AIP is part of Microsoft’s broader information protection and governance solutions and is designed to help organizations classify, label, and protect data, both within and outside their corporate network. Here are some key aspects of Azure Information Protection:

1. Data Classification: AIP allows organizations to classify data based on its sensitivity and importance. You can create custom data classification labels and policies to automatically classify documents and emails.

2. Data Labeling: Once data is classified, you can apply labels to documents and emails to indicate their sensitivity. Labels can be configured to display visual markings, such as watermarks or headers, to inform users of the data’s classification.

3. Data Protection: AIP provides data protection features such as encryption and rights management. You can apply encryption to sensitive data to ensure that only authorized users can access it, even if it’s shared outside the organization.

4. Access Control: AIP integrates with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) and allows you to define access policies for documents and emails. You can specify who can view, edit, print, or share protected content.

5. Integration with Office 365: AIP seamlessly integrates with Office 365 applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Users can apply labels and protection directly within these applications.

6. Data Tracking and Monitoring: AIP provides auditing and tracking capabilities, allowing organizations to monitor how sensitive data is being used and shared. You can generate reports to gain insights into data usage.

7. Rights Management: AIP includes Azure Rights Management (Azure RMS), which extends protection to a wide range of file types, including PDFs and images. It also supports rights management for emails and attachments.

8. Third-Party Integration: AIP can be integrated with other third-party applications and services to extend data protection beyond Microsoft’s ecosystem.

9. Compliance and Governance: AIP helps organizations meet regulatory and compliance requirements by enforcing data protection policies and tracking data usage.

10. User-Friendly Experience: AIP is designed to be user-friendly, with minimal disruption to users’ workflows. Users can continue working with protected documents and emails as usual.

11. Hybrid Deployment: AIP supports hybrid deployments, allowing organizations to protect on-premises data as well as data stored in the cloud.