## Introduction
An ITMS data management plan (DMP) is a document that describes how an organization will manage its ITMS-related data. It includes the following:
– A description of the data to be managed
– An assessment of the risks associated with managing the data
– The steps to be taken to ensure that the data is managed in accordance with the organization’s data management policies and procedures.
The ITMS DMP is a key component of an organization’s data management strategy. It provides a framework for the organization to follow in order to manage its data effectively. It also provides a basis for the development of a data management policy, which should be developed in conjunction with the DMP. This policy should be used to guide the organization in its day-to-day data management activities and should be updated periodically to reflect changes in the organization’s business and data management practices.
## Prerequisites
Before you start writing your DMP, make sure you have the following information available:
– Your organization’s ITMS policies
– Information about the types of data that will be managed by the organization
– Details of how the organization currently manages its data
If you don’t have this information, you will need to gather it before you can begin writing your plan. You will also need to make sure that the information you gather is accurate and up to date before you begin writing the plan. If you have any questions about how to do this, please contact your organization’s information technology (IT) or data management team.
## Identify the Data to be Managed
First, you need to identify the data that you want to manage. This data will be the basis of your plan, so it’s important that you get it right. You can do this in a number of different ways. For example, you can use the following questions to help you decide what data to include in your plan:
– What data will the organization need to manage in the future?
– Will the organization continue to manage the data in the same way that it currently does? If so, what data will it need to continue managing? If not, how will it change the way it manages the data?
– If the organization will continue to use the same data management processes as it currently uses, then you don’t need to include it in the plan, but if it will use different processes, you should include it.
– Does the organization already have a plan for how it will manage data? If it does, what is the scope of the plan? If the plan is limited to a specific area of the organization, for example, a specific department, then it may not be relevant to the organization as a whole. If this is the case, you may want to exclude this data from the plan and develop a separate plan for it.
Once you have decided what data you will be managing, it is time to assess the risks that are associated with this data. This will help you to decide how you will manage it. For more information about assessing risks, see the [Assessing Risks](#assessing-risks) section.
## Assess the Risks Associated with Managing the Data
Now that you have identified the data you are going to manage and you have assessed the risks of managing it, it’s time to write the plan itself. The plan will include a description of how you intend to manage this data, as well as a list of the steps you will take to do so. The steps you take will depend on the risks you identified in the previous step. If there are no risks, then the plan will not include any steps. However, if there are risks, the plan should include steps that will mitigate those risks. The following are some examples of steps that you can include in a DMP:
– You may decide that you will use a different data management process than the one that you currently use. In this case, your plan may include steps to train your staff in the new process.
– If there is a risk that your data could be lost, damaged, or misused, you might decide to take steps to protect the data, such as by using encryption or data loss prevention (DLP).
– You might decide that it is necessary to keep the data for a longer period of time than you currently do. This could be because the data needs to be kept for regulatory reasons, or because the organization is required to keep it for a specific time period. In these cases, you could decide to store the data on a different type of storage medium than you are currently using, or you may decide to back up the data more frequently than you do now.
If you decide to use encryption or DLP to protect your data, it will be necessary to include information about how these technologies will be used, so that your staff will be able to use them effectively. You may also want to include instructions on how to encrypt or use DLP, depending on the type of technology that you are using.
## Next Steps
After you have finished writing your ITMS plan, you’ll need to review it and make any changes that you think are necessary. You should do this before you submit the plan to your organization’s ITMS team. If your plan does not include all of the information that your organization needs to manage its data, or if it includes information that is out of date, then your plan will be rejected.
When you have reviewed your plan and you are satisfied that it meets the requirements of the ITMS policy, you are ready to submit it for approval. To submit your plan for approval, follow these steps:
1. Log on to the Office 365 Admin Center.
2. In the left navigation pane, click Organizations.