DLP Data Loss Prevention
No-compromise data protection that stops data loss.
What is DLP?
The primary objective of a DLP solution is to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive data by preventing loss through accidental or malicious means. This may relate to where data is:
- Sent outside of the corporate network via email
- Uploaded to cloud services
- Transferred from a secure to an insecure location within the corporate network
- Moved on to removable storage device
As the name suggests, DLP has a focus on protecting data that resides inside the corporate network. It therefore looks to combat the risk from insider threats as well as malicious third parties infiltrating your network and trying to export data thereafter.
The term insider threat can relate to both bad actors with malicious intent as well as those staff who are negligent with their actions, with the consequences placing the organisation at risk.
DLP Challenges
DLP can also be regarded as a tool to help with achieving compliance. Some regulations and standards such as PCI DSS or HIPPA will specify that due to the sensitivity of the data, it can not reside in unsecured cloud environments. As such, through the use of well-applied defined policies, data can be forced to remain within the secure environment.
DLP efficiency can be greatly improved through the integration with a classification tool. By marking the metadata with detailed handling information, a DLP solution can read the further information and more accurately enforce corporate policies.
One of the major challenges with DLP is its ability to apply policies to encrypted data. In the past, organisations simply treated all encrypted data as trusted and therefore let it move around and in/out of the organisation freely.
However, with the development of malware now hiding in encrypted data or tunnels, DLP solutions have had to evolve. Many solutions are now able to decrypt the data for inspection purposes, re-encrypting if required. Alternatively, DLP can be configured to integrate with encryption solutions or have stand-alone SSL decryptors deployed.
Why choose SR Cloud Solutions?
SR Cloud Solutions has a 25-year track record of supplying managed security services to many organisations in different industries.
- The best technology – highest levels of accreditation with the world’s leading vendors such as Cisco, Fortinet, and Palo Alto.
- Skills and expertise with a UK-based 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC).
- We are a Joscar accredited business which means we are certified to work with leading defense companies who require the highest standards of cyber security.
- We are experts in Cloud infrastructures such as Microsoft Azure so we can provide expert security consultancy on hybrid cloud environments and how best to secure and monitor those environments including Cloud Governance.
Book a meeting with one of our consultants to learn more or read on more below to find out more about our DLP Solutions.
Data Loss Prevention Solution Benefits
Reduces the risk of a data breach
Companies that invest in a DLP solution reduce the risk of data breaches because they know exactly what information is being viewed.
Protects against ransomware attacks
Ransomware encrypts files and holds them hostage until a ransom is paid.
Prevents unauthorised sharing of documents
When a user shares a document containing sensitive information, the DSP engine instantly flags the document and prevents anyone else from opening it.
Protects against insider threat
A DLP solution helps prevent an employee from stealing sensitive information. It identifies any sensitive information contained in a file before the file is sent to the server. This prevents a malicious employee from viewing the information.
Prevents data theft
Data loss prevention systems identify when sensitive information is copied to another device. This allows you to take action immediately so that you don’t lose control over your organization’s most valuable assets.
Protects against phishing scams
Phishing scams attempt to steal sensitive information by sending users emails that appear to come from trusted sources.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Data loss prevention, or DLP, is a collection of technologies and processes that monitor and protect a company’s data from unauthorised access, malicious cyber threats, data loss and unintentional data leaks.
It does this by protecting data in three places:
- While it is being used by authorised personnel;
- while it is being transferred from one location to another;
- and while it is resting in a location on the company’s network.
To do this data loss prevention combines a variety of best practices, technologies (such as data discovery and classification software), processes and employee training to protect sensitive data from being lost.
Data loss prevention relies largely on data discovery to help an organisation gain visibility into its sensitive data, and from there other technologies, processes and best practices are implemented to improve data protection.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions can be divided into two major types: network DLPs and endpoint DLPs. Network DLPs prevent the loss of sensitive information over network communications such as web applications, emails, and different data transfer mechanisms of the company. These solutions allow organizations to monitor and control the flow of data over the network. Endpoint DLPs, on the other hand, identify and protect sensitive data on the endpoint. By deploying an endpoint DLP, organizations can also prevent data leakage through storage devices and safeguard data when a device is outside the corporate network. These solutions help to protect Intellectual Property and ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
Learn more about Data Loss Prevention (DLP).
In general, there are two common causes of data leaks:
- Insider threats: these incidents happen due to malicious insiders who abuse their permissions and attempt to transfer data outside the organization or negligent employees who disclose sensitive data accidentally.
- Exfiltration by outsider attackers who penetrate the security perimeter using techniques like phishing or malware, and gain access to sensitive data.
Endpoint security refers to the process of securing endpoints such as desktop PCs, laptops, mobile devices, and more. As more and more organizations adopt BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies and remote work strategies, endpoint security is becoming increasingly important. Endpoint security solutions may contain various features and functionality such as data loss prevention, encryption, insider threat protection, data classification, privileged user control, and more.
There are three main types of data loss prevention software.
Network DLP: Network DLP provides greater visibility into a company’s network, allowing them to monitor and control the flow of data from its network, email or web. Network DLP software allows organizations to analyse traffic moving through their network, and establish security policies to mitigate data loss risk and ensure compliant data processing.
Endpoint DLP: Endpoint DLP monitors endpoint devices, such as desktops, laptops, mobile devices and servers, where a company stores sensitive data. The aim of endpoint DLP is to ensure that a company’s sensitive data is not lost from these devices nor accessed by unauthorised individuals.
Cloud DLP: Organisations today are increasingly using cloud software to store data. Cloud DLP solutions are able to encrypt sensitive data and ensure that data is only sent to cloud applications that are authorised by the company.
Data loss prevention uses the combination of both technology and policies to protect company data. To make the most of DLP, organisations will benefit from ensuring they have employee training and protocols in place.
Some key data loss prevention best practices include:
- Gaining complete visibility into your company’s data and attack surface
- Evaluating your internal capabilities, and whether you need more resources or new technologies to fill the gaps
- Creating a system for data classification
- Ensuring you only keep data on file that you actually need
- Establishing company-wide policies for how to handle data
- Implementing different levels of authorisation for employees
- Measure the performance of your data loss prevention strategy, so you have the insights you need for continual improvement.
There are a range of benefits of data loss prevention, which largely come down to mitigating the consequences of data loss. Data loss prevention gives businesses improved compliance for personally identifiable information, helps better protect sensitive data and dramatically improves data visibility.
The result is the prevention of data loss consequences such as:
- The loss of credibility and brand reputation
- Loss of revenue and overall business profits
- Lawsuits as a result of breaking regulatory compliance laws
- Operational interruptions that impact efficiency and productivity
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