Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions are complementary methods of protecting an organization’s valuable information and intellectual property. Companies can achieve enhanced data security and control over their information with a combination of these two methodologies.

What is a Cloud Access Security Broker?

A CASB is an on-premises or cloud-based software tool or hardware appliance deployed between cloud service customers and cloud service providers (CSPs). The CASB enforces an organization’s security policies when employees access cloud-based services or resources. Multiple types of security policy enforcement can be incorporated into a CASB including credential mapping, authorization, authentication, logging, alerting, and malware detection.

CASBs address gaps that may increase the attack surface through which sensitive data can be put at risk. As the use of cloud services has risen, it has become increasingly difficult for organizations to fully monitor their environment to enforce data handling policies and prevent the unauthorized and unsafe use of sensitive information.

CASB solutions are generally seen as being built on four foundational pillars:

• Visibility - CASB provides visibility into the entire cloud environment. It helps companies discover Shadow IT and how data is being used with cloud apps and services.

• Data security - CASBs enforce data security through measures such as encryption. It can also redact file content in the cloud to eliminate risks to an organization’s sensitive information.

• Threat protection - Threat protection is implemented through the use of User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA). This machine-learning technology assesses employees to detect compromised accounts and remediate threats initiated by attempts to exfiltrate data or use it with unsanctioned applications.

• Compliance - CASBs allow organizations to ensure that cloud-based data remains in compliance with regulatory standards. The CASB can enforce DLP policies on high-risk data to protect against data breaches and unintentional disclosure of sensitive information.

What is data loss prevention? 

DLP is a method of protecting a company’s data resources from being misused through a combination of processes and tools. Traditional, on-premises DLP solutions require time and expertise to implement efficiently. Modern DLP as a Service solutions are also available and offer organizations a streamlined approach to implementing data loss prevention.

A viable DLP solution involves multiple steps that are necessarily tailored to an organization’s unique data resources and business objectives. The following components form the foundation of a DLP solution:

• Creating a data handling policy - The creation of a data handling policy is the first step in implementing DLP. This policy will inform the data classification procedures that are at the heart of DLP. Companies must align their data handling policy with business objectives and regulatory requirements. The measures necessary to comply with security and privacy standards such as GDPR or HIPAA must be incorporated into data handling policies.

• Classifying data - Data classification categorizes all information based on the guidelines defined in the data handling policy. In general, data is classified as low-risk, moderate-risk, or high-risk based on the damage its loss would inflict on the company. Legacy DLP tools required computing environments to be inventoried so data could be pre-classified before being exposed to a DLP tool. Modern DLP solutions like Next DLP’s Reveal can classify data on-the-fly as it is created, for more effective and efficient protection.

• Enforcing data handling policies - A DLP software tool uses data classification and enforces the appropriate handling policies on specific data elements. Automated enforcement can take actions such as encrypting high-risk data before allowing it to be transmitted or restricting unauthorized users from accessing sensitive information. The tool should provide reporting capabilities that can help identify problem users or applications that consistently attempt to subvert data handling policies.

• Educating employees - Employee education and training are important parts of data loss prevention. A workforce educated regarding the company’s data handling policies will result in fewer data breaches. Modern DLP tools can offer suggestions and tailored education based on specific user actions. For instance, pop-up warnings can inform a user why they cannot access a particular data element and what action they should take to address this issue.

Key differences between a CASB and DLP

The main difference between a CASB and DLP is in the scope of the resources they are designed to protect. A CASB is focused on cloud services and applications, whereas a DLP tool strives to address all of an organization’s internal data resources, whether in the cloud, on-premises, or stored in endpoints.

A CASB addresses the question of how to handle an organization’s data that is being used with any cloud application, including unsanctioned tools that may form a Shadow IT environment. A CASB can prevent users from transferring company data to unapproved cloud applications that are beyond the scope of a DLP solution.

DLP is focused on how data is used in approved business applications. These can include cloud-based data protection or legacy, on-premises databases and tools. By its nature, DLP cannot address the use of data resources in unapproved applications as they could not have been incorporated into data handling policies.

A modern approach to comprehensive DLP

Next DLP offers customers a cloud-based approach to DLP that can work with a CASB to provide enhanced data protection. Our Reveal product provides full visibility into data resources to prevent data loss and mitigate risks. It also furnishes real-time context-based education and training so employees understand why certain actions are not permitted and can better protect company resources.

Next DLP can also be purchased as  a DLP Managed  Service offering that lets companies start protecting data immediately. With a lightweight agent compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, the tool covers the endpoints that can be susceptible to data loss. Book a demo today and see how easy it is to protect your company’s valuable data.