Privacy is a data problem. Personal data used irresponsibly can damage customer relationships, trigger regulatory action, and put the business at risk. AI amplifies this issue. AI is a catalyst for business transformation, but it depends on access to trusted data. To adopt AI responsibly, organizations must have confidence that sensitive data is governed correctly. Privacy is a key part of this foundation of trust.
However, privacy teams have long faced a challenge: how to proactively detect events across the data estate that require privacy analysis and response. Often, they rely on other parts of the organization to notify them of such events, but those individuals may not have the same understanding of the obligations attached to personal data.
The result is privacy blind spots scattered across the data estate, introducing substantial risk of data misuse.
Closing the loop
The Privacy Risk Agent by OneTrust integrates with Microsoft Sentinel to reduce those blind spots and close the loop between detection and response. Sentinel has added new capabilities that unify security data into a single, enriched data lake to deliver graph-powered visibility and intelligent agent capabilities.
“Microsoft Sentinel offers deep context and connected insights, empowering security teams to act with precision and stay ahead of evolving threats,” said Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Security. “OneTrust’s integration of Sentinel allows privacy teams to act proactively when data events happen instead of reacting after the fact.”
This architecture provides the broad-scale detection that privacy programs have long needed. Signals collected across Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra, and other tools flow into the Sentinel data lake. Microsoft Security Copilot then orchestrates those signals and passes them to OneTrust, where the Privacy Risk Agent automatically initiates the appropriate privacy analysis and response.
This approach complements OneTrust’s existing data discovery capabilities by extending detection reach across the data estate.
How it works
Customers will start by deploying OneTrust’s Microsoft agentic integration through the new Microsoft Security Store or directly within Microsoft Security Copilot. Purview will scan data sources such as SQL databases or Azure Blob storage, classifying content to determine whether sensitive information such as personal identifiers or credit card data is present. When sensitive data is detected, the event will be logged in Sentinel data lake. Security Copilot agents will enrich the log with user information from Entra and transmit the event to OneTrust. The Privacy Risk Agent will then automatically launch the relevant actions, such as risk assessments or notifications, without needing to wait for manual initiation.
This closed loop will replace a historically manual and incomplete process. Instead of relying on someone to alert the privacy office, detection will occur automatically, accelerating privacy response.
What this means for our customers
By introducing a closed loop model that connects detection and response, OneTrust and Microsoft will enable privacy to scale at the speed of AI. When privacy teams can monitor and respond to data events in real time, organizations gain the assurance they need to advance AI initiatives. This makes privacy an enabler of data-driven innovation.
OneTrust’s Privacy Risk Agent represents a step toward embedding privacy into the fabric of enterprise technology, demonstrating how a unified approach to privacy and security can support responsible data and AI use.
Learn more about the Privacy Risk Agent by OneTrust and our work with Microsoft. Contact us here.
