# SEC 7  How do you classify your data?
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Classification provides a way to categorize data, based on criticality and sensitivity in order to help you determine appropriate protection and retention controls.

**Topics**
+ [SEC07-BP01 Identify the data within your workload](sec_data_classification_identify_data.md)
+ [SEC07-BP02 Define data protection controls](sec_data_classification_define_protection.md)
+ [SEC07-BP03 Automate identification and classification](sec_data_classification_auto_classification.md)
+ [SEC07-BP04 Define data lifecycle management](sec_data_classification_lifecycle_management.md)