Data loss prevention (DLP) is a method for preventing individuals from accessing sensitive information without proper access. Read on.
Data Loss Prevention software products utilize business rules to help enforce compliance to regulations and classify and protect sensitive information so unauthorized users cannot accidentally or maliciously share data that could put the organization at risk.
What is Data Loss Prevention?
Data loss prevention (DLP) is a method for preventing individuals from accessing sensitive information without proper access. It is also known with names such as data leak prevention, information loss prevention, and extrusion prevention. DLP also ensures that employees do not send sensitive or critical information outside the corporate network.
Data Loss Prevention products come in two types - dedicated and integrated. Dedicated DLPs are standalone products, with in-depth characteristics and complexities. Integrated DLP products work with other security tools and are more basic in nature. They focus on enforcing policies and are less expensive than dedicated DLP tools.
DLP software monitors, detect and blocks sensitive data from leaving organizations. Most DLP products are based on blocking actions such as permission denials.
Here are some of the steps businesses can take to implement a DLP program:
- Conduct an inventory and assessment.
- Classify data.
- Establish data handling and remediation policies.
- Implement a single, centralized DLP program.
- Educate employees
Furthermore, network data loss prevention covers a variety of data security techniques. These include:
- Data identification. DLP is only valid if it isn't of a sensitive nature. Businesses should use automated data discovery and classification tools to ensure accurate and reliable identification and categorization of data without human interference.
- Protecting data in motion. Data has moved internally - external breaches rely on this from time to time to reroute the data. DLP software help ensure that data is not routed elsewhere from its destination
- Protecting data at rest. This method secures data when it isn't moving, such as residing in databases, other apps, cloud repositories, computers, mobile devices, and other storage means.
- Endpoint data loss prevention. A DLP functionality that protects data at the endpoint device level. It can stop data from being copied or encrypt all the transferred data.
