What Is a Data Loss Prevention Company?

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) companies help protect sensitive data and confidential information from being leaked, lost, misused or destroyed. DLP companies provide services and solutions to identify and classify sensitive data assets, create DLP security policies, monitor how sensitive data is used and take steps to block activity that could result in data being lost, leaked, destroyed or accessed by unauthorized individuals.

Most Data Loss Prevention companies provide a combination of software solutions and best practices that allow businesses to protect information like customer records, credit card information, personally identifiable information (PII), personal health information (PHI), login credentials, financial records, business plans, intellectual property, trade secrets and other highly confidential information.

The results can be extremely damaging when sensitive data and business-critical files are lost or leaked. For example, the loss of private customer information through a data breach can result in regulatory fines, legal action, damage to a business’s reputation and loss of customer trust. 

When intellectual property or confidential business plans are maliciously leaked to competitors, it may result in a significant loss of revenue and competitiveness. Legal cases may be lost when a confidential legal strategy is accidentally emailed to opposing counsel.

Protecting sensitive information from leaks and loss has grown more complex as digital transformation reshapes IT environments. Adopting cloud services, hybrid cloud environments, work-from-anywhere workforces and BYOD trends increase the risk of data being lost or leaked. At the same time, regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA, PCI DSS and GDPR impose stricter requirements for Data Loss Prevention and stronger penalties for failing to comply. 

The solutions offered by a Data Loss Prevention company can help overburdened IT teams to automate many aspects of a DLP program.
 

A Data Loss Prevention company will typically offer solutions that provide capabilities in one or more areas of DLP security.

• Network DLP. Data Loss Prevention solutions for the network monitor data in motion within an IT environment, searching for data movement or user activity that may signal a potential leak or loss. Network DLP solutions enforce security policies that govern the use of or access to certain types of sensitive data. When a policy violation occurs, network DLP technology may block the activity, enforce encryption, flag behavior for review or remediate the issue in other ways.
• Cloud DLP. With more information moving to and from the cloud, cloud DLP solutions help to prevent sensitive data from being misused or sent outside the organization. Cloud DLP technology may ensure that protected data is encrypted before being transferred to cloud storage and transmitted only to authorized cloud systems or applications.
• Endpoint DLP. Data Loss Prevention software for endpoints protects sensitive information on servers, computers, mobile phones, IoT networks and other devices. Endpoint Data Loss Prevention solutions provide visibility into the sensitive data stored on or accessed by a wide range of endpoints – including BYOD devices – and prevent users from accidentally or purposefully accessing, altering, copying, printing, transferring or deleting protected data.
• Email DLP. Email Data Loss Prevention solutions inspect email traffic flowing in and out of the organization to prevent sensitive and confidential data from being inadvertently or maliciously exposed in email copies or attachments. Email DLP technology can also help to identify and block threats like phishing scams that lead to data leaks or cyberattacks that result in data exfiltration.

The solutions a Data Loss Prevention company provides typically combine several cybersecurity functions.

• Discovery. To protect sensitive information, security teams must first discover and identify the various types of data that may pose a risk to the organization if lost, leaked, misused, or destroyed. Data Loss Prevention companies provide tools that help security teams scan systems and devices to uncover sensitive assets within an IT environment and wherever it resides.
• Classification. After discovery, security teams must organize sensitive material into different classes based on the level of risk each class of data represents, the severity of impact if it were lost or leaked, how it should be protected and who should have access to it. This allows teams to set granular policies for different data classes, providing higher protection for more valuable information while allowing users to access the data they need to remain productive.
• Monitoring. Once security policies have been established for each data class, DLP solutions monitor data in motion, at rest and in use to identify potential policy violations. DLP monitoring technology is designed to search for anomalous or suspicious behavior and trigger protective actions.
• Protection. When a potential data loss or leak is identified, DLP technologies can perform actions like blocking a user’s activity, enforcing encryption for data being transmitted, flagging an incident for review by security teams, or remediating the incident in other ways.

Forcepoint is the leading user and data security cybersecurity company entrusted to safeguard organizations while driving digital transformation and growth. As a Data Loss Prevention company, Forcepoint offers protection on-premises and in the cloud with DLP solutions built for today’s most challenging data security risks.
Forcepoint DLP enables organizations to intuitively discover, classify, monitor, and protect data while introducing zero friction to the user experience. With Forcepoint, organizations can:

• Control all sensitive data with a single DLP policy. Drive productivity by replacing broad, sweeping rules with individualized, adaptive security that doesn’t slow down employees.
• Streamline compliance. Rely on Forcepoint’s pre-defined policy library – the industry’s largest – to view and control data while ensuring regulatory compliance across 80+ countries.
• Protect critical intellectual property. Protect trade secrets, credit card data, PII and PHI, even in images, with unparalleled accuracy.
• Prevent data breaches automatically. Block actions based on a user’s risk level with Risk-Adaptive Protection.

Forcepoint solutions can also enhance Data Loss Prevention in Google products and augment Data Loss Prevention in Office 365.