Microsoft Purview audit logging for compliance and investigation
Enable Microsoft Purview audit to record, search and retain organisational user and administrator activity across Microsoft 365 services, helping compliance teams and IT security professionals respond to incidents and meet retention requirements.
This service configures both Audit Standard and Audit Premium options, from turning on audit logging through to defining retention policies, exporting records and producing investigation-ready reports.
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Service Overview
Highlights
- Audit Standard searchable logs retained for 180 days
- Audit Premium extended retention up to one year or more
- Custom audit log retention policies
- High-value audit insights for forensic investigations
Business Benefits
- Support regulatory compliance with audit records
- Enable deeper investigation of user and admin activity
- Retain audit logs for longer durations where required
- Improved accessibility to audit data for security teams
Typical use cases
- Demonstrating compliance with audit retention regulations
- Forensic investigation into user or admin activities
- Exporting audit records for legal discovery
- Operational review of changes to critical settings
Objectives & deliverables
What Success Looks Like
- Verify audit logging is turned on organisation-wide
- Configure Standard vs Premium retention and roles
- Define bespoke retention policies
- Enable exportable audit reports for stakeholders
What You Get
- Audit logging enabled in Microsoft Purview portal
- Retention policies configured for required services
- Audit search jobs configured
- Exportable activity reports
How It Works
- Review existing audit status and licensing
- Enable auditing via the Purview portal or PowerShell
- Configure retention policies based on service and compliance needs
- Validate access and reporting settings with stakeholders
Engagement Options
- Standard Audit Setup - baseline audit enablement and role configuration
- Premium Audit Enablement - configure extended retention and insights
- Audit Policy Workshop - tailored retention policy definitions
- Reporting Enablement - audit log exports and dashboards
Additional Information
Prerequisites & licensing
To engage this service, your organisation must have appropriate Microsoft 365 licensing and admin roles.
- Global admin or audit role permissions
- Microsoft 365 subscription supporting unified audit logs
- For Premium features, E5 or equivalent add-on licenses
Security & Compliance Notes
- Audit records include sensitive activity data
- Access to logs should be restricted to authorised users
Common Bundles
Customers who use this service often bundle with these services
Documentation Packs & Runbooks
Create professional documentation packs and runbooks that make deployments, migrations and daily operations supportable, auditable and consistent teams.
Compliance Manager Assessments
Configure Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager assessments with clear ownership, prioritised improvement actions, managed evidence, and reporting that supports audits.
Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance Add-on Enablement
Enable Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance add-on capabilities so Purview-led information protection, DLP and insider risk become operational and governed.
Purview Compliance Enablement Workstream
Enable Microsoft Purview compliance capabilities across sensitivity labels, DLP, retention, eDiscovery, and auditing as part of structured E3 to E5 enablement.
Frequently Asked Questions
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