Data Loss Prevention Software

What is Data Loss Prevention?

Data Loss Protection and Prevention software give enterprises visibility into and control over who accesses and shares their data. DLP solutions aid DLP strategies through pre-established policy controls and detection to track data movement and prevent any unauthorized transfer, sharing, or leaks.

DLP software is used primarily to prevent internal data leaks, also known as the “insider threat.” As policy regulations become more developed and demanding, DLP solutions also help companies maintain privacy compliance. Data loss prevention tools have also expanded from focusing on networks to preventing data loss in cloud-first environments.

Some DLP capabilities are more aggressive than others. For instance, many DLP solutions will automatically encrypt company data, preventing any data leaks from being harmful, and will alert administrators when there is a suspected or proven breach. Other approaches are more intrusive to end-users, such as Zero Trust policies that prevent them from sending data to any non-trusted users in the first place. Many DLP solutions offer both passive and interventionist capabilities that companies can tailor to their needs.

There is an overlap between data loss prevention and backup & disaster recovery tools. Often, the level of control DLP software has over data transfer necessitates a preexisting backup of company data. This backup, usually via a virtual machine, reduces any reliance on endpoints to host sensitive data.

Data Loss Prevention Software Features & Capabilities

• Fingerprinting of document files and document file sources (watermarks, etc.)

• Pattern matching capabilities allowing data to be easily and correctly identified even when encrypted.

• Monitoring of Internet, e-mail, and instant messaging protocols

• Archiving capabilities

• Multiple inspection modes, both proxy, and flow-based

• Remote device tracing and wiping if lost

• User and network behavior analysis

Some data loss prevention solutions focus on specific at-risk environments. The most commonly specialized software areas are:

• Email services

• Cloud applications

• Servers

Beyond standard protections (e.g. firewalls), advanced security may include machine learning or activity-based verification, user activity monitoring, and other methods of detecting and preventing malicious or accidental transmission of secure data.

Data Loss Prevention Solution Comparison

When comparing various DLP solutions, consider these factors:

• Predefined policy vs. customized policy development: Data loss prevention software will vary in both the predefined policy library available out-of-the-box and the customizability of DLP policies to fit unique business needs. Compare the extensiveness of policy libraries each DLP product offers, as well as other users’ experiences applying the policies to similar business cases.

• Integrations: DLP solutions, particularly traditional DLP, will need to be able to integrate with the company’s existing network stack and applications. Pay particular attention to how well a DLP software can integrate with the business’s database, email service, and web proxy. As cloud-first environments become the norm, also consider how well each product can provide DLP on an endpoint-by-endpoint basis.

• Compliance focus vs. sensitive data protection: Data loss prevention vendors will vary in their focus on supporting privacy compliance and extra robust or intrusive data loss mechanisms. The compliance-focused vendors will offer better reporting and auditing support, while data protection-focused software will provide stronger capabilities for inhibiting any unauthorized sensitive data transfers.

Pricing Information

Data loss prevention software is often provided as either on-premise or cloud deployments. Cloud software ranges in price from about $5 per seat to $50 per seat or more, depending on the number of users and the contract term. Enterprise deployments usually start at about 5,000 seats.