What is data loss prevention? Data loss prevention (DLP) is a solution or process used to prevent data breaches and ensure that sensitive data is not lost, accessed by unauthorized users, or otherwise misused.
DLP tools and software monitor and control endpoint activities, filter data streams, and monitor data to protect and secure it when it is in motion or at rest. Additionally, it is used to ensure compliance with regulations. DLP software classifies the data and identifies whether compliance policies have been violated. Once violations have been identified, the DLP software enforces remediation with protective actions such as alerts and encryption in order to prevent the sharing of the data.
DLP is typically used to:
Data breaches are more likely to happen than ever, with so many people working remotely from so many different devices. While large organizations have more data to steal from, smaller ones can be an easy target because their networks are often less secure. Most organizations deal with data loss incidents every single day.
In addition to protecting your data and ensuring compliance, data loss prevention (DLP) is important because a data leak can cost your company financial loss and loss of reputation. It can also disrupt your business continuity. For all these reasons, a DLP security strategy will yield a significant return on investment (ROI).
The terms “data leak” and “data loss” are often used interchangeably. However, while data loss prevention focuses on the prevention of data being lost or stolen by someone outside of the organization, data leakage includes the risk of data flowing between your organization’s critical systems, such as human resources or CRM. When data is leaked, it is not necessarily lost.
Other associated terms include information leak prevention (ILP), information leak detection and prevention (ILDP), information protection and control (IPC), content monitoring and filtering (CMF), and extrusion prevention system (EPS).
There are three types of data loss prevention (DLP):
Data loss prevention (DLP) tools monitor, detect, and block the transmission of sensitive data while it is in use, in motion, and at rest, in order to ensure that your organization’s data is not misused, accessed by unauthorized users, or lost (inadvertently or maliciously). They do this by providing visibility into your company’s data landscape, its patterns of utilization, and correlations with other enterprise systems, instituting measures to ensure that your company has consistent access to all of its data and to ensure that data’s integrity.
Features of data loss prevention software include:
1. Content Analysis: The solution should be able to analyze deep content and segregate into groups, which helps in applying the security measures necessary in order to protect the data. A powerful DLP solution should also be able to analyze encrypted files as well..
2. Data throughout its Lifecycle:
3. Admin management: A central management server or a central administration interface allows security administrators to manage the entire solution. The interface should have a customizable dashboard.
The solution should also offer hierarchical management, directory integration, and an option for role-based administration. Features should be able to be managed by technical as well as non-technical staff.
4. Policy management: This feature will help you to create and enforce security policies so that you can modify the overall security of your data according to your company’s requirements. This must also be able to cater to both technical as well as non-technical staff. You should be able to choose what data to protect and the data’s sources and destinations; what actions should be taken if a policy is violated; which users the policy applies to, and which users or admins can view or make changes to the policy.
5. Real-time analytics should alert you about incidents so that you can take action immediately whenever required. They should also allow you to keep an eye on both the performance of the solution as well as the security of your data.
The benefits of data loss prevention software include:
1. Knowing where your data is - DLP software can help find your data wherever it may be by monitoring the network, scanning known data repositories, and scanning employees’ devices. Using DLP software you can also prove where your data isn’t.
2. Understanding where your data goes - DLP software can help your organization keep track of its data in three ways:
3. Knowing how your data is being used - Different DLP tools offer you different features in terms of monitoring your data. You might be able to track when users print or fax information or when they cut and paste data between applications. Some DLP tools integrate with file monitoring tools and can track when files are accessed. Then you can track which business units are using the data and where it is being communicated externally, etc. The more you know, the more you can adjust your business processes appropriately rather than just blocking access to data.
4. Proactively preventing unwanted activities - Most data leaks are accidental and come from employees not knowing better. When a DLP solution catches an issue, you can notify and educate your employees so they know what not to do next time. Hundreds of companies that use DLP solutions have reported a drop in unwanted activity after they notified employees of their mistakes. This means you’ll have fewer issues to deal with in the future.
