Microsoft has acquired BlueTalon for an undisclosed sum. BlueTalon is a data privacy and governance service that helps enterprises set policies for how their employees can access their data.

BlueTalon works with leading Fortune 100 companies to eliminate data security blind spots, and gain visibility and control of data.

The company provides a customer-proven, data-centric solution for data access management and auditing across the diverse systems resident in modern data estates, Microsoft said in a statement late on Monday.

"The IP and talent acquired through BlueTalon brings a unique expertise at the apex of big data, security and governance," said Rohan Kumar, corporate vice president, Azure Data.

"This acquisition will enhance our ability to empower enterprises across industries to digitally transform while ensuring right use of data with centralized data governance at scale through Azure," he added.

BlueTalon recently raised about $27.4 million. The BlueTalon team will become part of the Azure Data Governance group.

Data privacy is one of the defining issues of our time, as evidenced by the introduction and evolution of privacy laws across the globe.

"Together with BlueTalon, we are committed to help enterprises become data-driven companies in a secure and compliant manner," Mr Kumar added.