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Protect your documents with sensitivity labels in Microsoft 365

With sensitivity labels, you can set the confidentiality of your documents. This ensures that information is only accessible to people with whom you want and are allowed to share it. This applies to documents you share both within the university and externally.

The ability to add labels will be made available per faculty and organisational unit. When it is your organisational unit's turn, you will be informed about this.

Determine sensitivity, then set label

The labels in Microsoft 365 align with Radboud University's Information Classification Model (currently only available in Dutch). This model determines how sensitive certain information is and to what extent it is allowed to share certain information. This classification applies to information in documents, in applications, in databases, etc. Depending on the sensitivity of the information, you determine what level of protection is needed.

The moment you use Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), the confidentiality labels allow you to distribute your information as you have determined according to the information classification model.

Four main labels

There are four main labels, these labels correspond to the classification levels in the information classification model:  

  • Public: data that can be shared internally or externally without risk.  
  • Internal: data for internal use, without sensitive information.  
  • Sensitive: sensitive data that requires protection due to privacy or security risks, such as personal, financial, medical or business sensitive data. 
  • Secret: strictly confidential information, only accessible to authorised persons due to high security risks.  

Within a main label (except ‘Public’), you can select a sub-label that takes care of the security of the document.

The selected label 'travels' when a document is shared: the security settings remain active, regardless of where the document or email is located.

More information about sensitivity labels and how to apply them can be found in the SelfServicePortal (connection to VPN is required).

Contact information

Do you have questions about applying the labels? Please take a look at the Selfserviceportal.

Do you have questions about the sensitivity of information you want to share or classification? Please contact the security officer of your faculty or organisational unit. 

Organizational unit
Information & Library Services