IRM is the set of policies and protections used to govern the actions that users can take on documents stored in SharePoint. IRM relies on some form of Rights Management Services. SharePoint Server, depending on the version, supports the use of Active Directory Rights Management Services (all on-premises versions) or the corresponding cloud version, Azure Rights Management (through the use of the Rights Management Services connector for SharePoint Server 2010, SharePoint Server 2013, and SharePoint Server 2016) to protect assets. Additionally, Azure Information Protection is a rights management-based protection that can be applied at the individual file level (whether a file is in a SharePoint library or not), making it an ideal method for protecting data across an enterprise.
Determining which solution is best for your organization depends on both your current infrastructure and knowing what the technology roadmap for your organization entails. Most organizations will...