City of Kawartha Lakes: Modernizing Security with Microsoft Purview

Fragmented policies, limited visibility, and growing compliance demands created operational blind spots across collaboration tools.

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The City of Kawartha Lakes needed a structured uplift of its Microsoft 365 security and compliance posture to gain control of sensitive data, reduce risk, and modernize identity protections. With 1,200 users across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams, the environment required a coordinated assessment and rollout plan that balanced rigor with minimal end-user disruption.

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This was not a policy tweak. It was a posture uplift built to strengthen data protection, improve compliance alignment, and restore confidence in how information flows across the organization.

BITSUMMIT delivered a complete Microsoft Purview deployment program with an assessment-to-execution model focused on clarity, control, and safe enablement. Each phase of the engagement was executed with discipline to ensure measurable outcomes and operational readiness.

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Discovery and Assessment Accelerator
• Conducted kickoff sessions to align stakeholders, timelines, and access prerequisites
• Assessed Identity Security (MFA, Conditional Access, sharing), Data Loss Prevention, Information Protection, and Compliance configurations
• Reviewed collaboration patterns and regulatory drivers and documented personas and risk categories

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Policy Design and Staging
• Converted assessment findings into a focused design guided by the four-day design window
• Developed Conditional Access and authentication method policies, and sharing constraints
• Designed DLP and Sensitivity Label policies mapped to financial, PII, health, and custom data

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Validation and Low-Risk Rollout
• Implemented simulation and pilot groups to validate policies before full deployment
• Monitored Help Desk activity to ensure minimal user impact
• Incorporated feedback, remediated issues, and completed re-testing cycles

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Operational Readiness and Change Enablement
• Produced as-configured documentation for Entra ID, Purview, and SharePoint
• Delivered knowledge transfer sessions and Help Desk readiness covering MFA, Conditional Access, labeling, and DLP
• Assisted with user communication strategy and executive presentation to drive understanding and adoption

The project delivered a consolidated and governed Microsoft 365 environment designed for sustained compliance and user trust. BITSUMMIT’s methodical approach ensured policies were validated, communicated, and adopted without disruption.

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• Assessments completed across four domains with Identity, DLP, Information Protection, and Compliance baselines established and recorded
• Prioritized Purview controls implemented with pilot-first validation to minimize disruption
• Comprehensive documentation and final presentation commended for clarity and quality
• Help Desk readiness achieved with support playbooks and end-user narratives prepared
• Timeline protected and engagement completed from November to early January as planned

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The Path Forward

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With Purview foundations in place, the City of Kawartha Lakes is positioned to extend DLP coverage to endpoints and additional applications, refine external collaboration guardrails, and automate labeling for key data domains. Quarterly reviews for policy effectiveness and compliance alignment are now part of the roadmap, creating a sustainable governance model that evolves with the city’s needs.

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BITSUMMIT’s delivery established a long-term foundation for secure collaboration, consistent enforcement, and measurable data protection maturity.

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Security maturity starts with clarity, not complexity

Partner with BITSUMMIT to design governance that scales with your organization.