What this covers
Data protection is where obligations become controls. The framework has to be specific enough that an engineer can implement it and an auditor can test it — a policy that says "appropriate technical measures" is not either.
- Data classification scheme tied to concrete handling rules
- Encryption at rest and in transit, with key management that survives an audit
- Access control design — RBAC, privileged access, and reviews against actual usage
- Data loss prevention, masking, de-identification and synthetic data for non-production
- Retention and secure deletion, enforced rather than stated
- Breach detection and the evidence pipeline that supports notification
Working with what you have
Most organisations already own more capability than they use — Purview, Sentinel, DLP modules bundled with existing licences. The first pass is usually configuration and coverage rather than procurement.
What you get
A control set mapped to the obligations that require it, evidence that each control operates, and a clear statement of the residual risk that remains.