Whatever your role at Government of Saskatchewan (GOS), you likely produce or work with sensitive and confidential information. We each have a responsibility for helping to keep that information secure.
To do this, we need to be able to identify which data is sensitive, what kind of protection it requires, how to apply protection, and how to track who's using data that's been shared.
Information Protection Sensitivity Labels
The Government of Saskatchewan will enable the Microsoft Information Protection Sensitivity Labels toolbar that will help employees both classify and protect government information.
After it launches, users will see it appear in their Microsoft Outlook and other Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). This is what the toolbar looks like:
Outlook
Word
How the toolbar works
The toolbar offers sensitivity labels – Class A, B, C, Public, and Not Classified – so you can set the right level of access to protect your documents and emails. By default, all documents are labeled “Not Classified”, meaning the content has not been classified and anyone can open, edit and read them as normal.
Levels of access (permissions) determine what the recipient of the document can do with it. Examples include whether recipients can forward it, print it, save it, remove encryption from it, share it beyond the original recipients or share it externally.
Higher class labels define content as having higher information sensitivity and generally have more security controls in place (with “Class A” being the highest). View the Sensitivity Labels Classification Taxonomy tables for emailsand documents for a full overview of the labels and their security controls.
The use of the new toolbar with sensitivity labels and controls is optional at this time. If you currently are not comfortable using the tool or do not understand the sensitivity labels and the associated controls, you can simply do nothing, and it is business as usual. If you are working on sensitive documents, consider using the sensitivity labels toolbar to properly classify and protect information.
Sensitivity Labels Classification Taxonomy for Documents
Use the table below to understand how each sensitive label classifies and protects documents.
Sensitivity Label
Encrypted
Remove Encryption
Read View Only
Edit
Copy and Extract
Print
Save Content
Send Externally
Class A
Restricted
Yes
No
Yes
No*
No*
No*
Yes
Encrypted
Yes
With Audit
Class B
Restricted
Yes
No
Yes
No*
No*
No*
Yes
Encrypted
Yes
With Audit
Class C
General Business
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Public
No
N/A
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Not Classified
No
N/A
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Note: Those who apply a sensitivity label are a label "owner." Owners have full control over the label and content rights and can provide access or change the label with justification.
* When labelling a document (Word, Excel or PowerPoint) as Class A or Class B, a label owner can use permission controls to allow a recipient to edit, copy or print content. But as a best practice, Class A and B documents should be avoided from printing hard copies.
Sensitivity Labels Classification Taxonomy for Emails
Use the table below to understand how each sensitive label classifies and protects emails.
Sensitivity Label
Encrypted
Remove Encryption
Reply or Reply All
Forward
Copy and Extract
Print
Save Content
Send Externally
Class A
Restricted
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Encrypted
Yes
With Audit
Class B
Confidential
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Encrypted
Yes
With Audit
Class C
General Business
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Public
No
N/A
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Not Classified
No
N/A
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Notes: Those who apply a sensitivity label are a label "owner." Owners have full control over the label and content rights and can provide access or change the label prior to sending.
When including an attachment, unencrypted files (ie., labelled as Public or Not Classified) will inherit the permissions of a Class A, B or C label when applied to the email.
Contact Information
If you or someone you sent a file to cannot open a protected document, the owner of the document will have to change the security settings in the toolbar or contact the IT Service Desk at 306-787-5000.
For all other questions about the new toolbar, call the IT Service Desk at 306-787-5000.
