Data loss prevention (DLP) is essential for businesses of all sizes today. We created this DLP security checklist to help you understand the key steps in improving data loss prevention, including:
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Developing a data handling policy
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Selecting and implementing a DLP software solution
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Promoting employee training and education
Before we discuss these steps in detail, let’s review what data loss prevention is.
What is data loss prevention?
Data loss prevention (DLP) is simple in concept but not always in practice. Organizations want to prevent their valuable data from being lost, compromised, or accessed by unauthorized users. The objective is to ensure that no sensitive or confidential data is used inappropriately by external or internal actors.
This sounds like it should be relatively easy to accomplish. In reality, it can be extremely challenging, as multiple processes and activities need to work together to implement an effective DLP solution that helps your business achieve cybersecurity compliance.
DLP security checklist: 3 steps to protect your data
A DLP security checklist must address the variety of factors that go into the process. Not all are addressable through software tools, as some will require the input and cooperation of your company’s workforce — including those who work remotely and on-site employees. The following DLP security checklist covers the key steps you must take to achieve better data protection.
1. Develop a data handling policy
Your company needs a data handling policy that aligns with its business requirements and objectives, and any applicable industry regulations. Data classification, which is an important component of a viable DLP solution, is performed based on organizationally-defined policies. These policies are used to determine the risk involved when handling different types of data.
The policies also define how data elements should be protected. For instance, a data handling policy may call for all high-risk data to be encrypted at all times. Less sensitive data can be transferred without encryption, saving resources that are not necessary to protect the information. A data handling policy needs to balance data sensitivity with the processes required to protect it.
2. Select and implement a DLP software solution
A DLP software solution should be capable of monitoring data flows to ensure that data handling policies are being followed. In cases where they are not, the DLP solution should take the appropriate actions to protect the information. This may take the form of automatically encrypting unencrypted high-risk data, clearing the Windows clipboard when sensitive data is copied from an unauthorized application, or alerting the security team to potentially risky user behavior.
3. Promote employee training and education
Data loss prevention cannot be fully successful without the cooperation of an organization’s employees. Employee training and education show end users how to handle data appropriately without taking unnecessary risks. The accidental disclosure of sensitive data is less likely with an educated workforce.
Using the right tools for effective data loss prevention
Next DLP’s comprehensive DLP solution, Reveal, addresses the needs of modern businesses with cloud and hybrid computing environments. The platform discovers risks to enterprise data, enforces data handling policies, and educates employees with incident-based training.
Reveal Cloud is designed to meet the needs of a hybrid-remote workforce and provides the full range of its functionality regardless of an employee’s location or network status. The software continues to collect information and enforce policies even if an employee in a remote location has disconnected from the network.
Reveal Cloud is a fully scalable solution that can provide DLP for companies of any size. It also employs lightweight agents that run on Windows, macOS, and Linux machines that can detect policy infringements and automatically take corrective actions.
Contact Next DLP and learn how your company can implement enhanced data loss prevention and gain increased visibility into your data resources with Reveal Cloud.
Your organization’s data is among its most valuable assets, and cybersecurity threats abound. This DLP security checklist covers the key steps in securing your data, from developing a data handling policy and conducting a thorough inventory, to implementing a data classification solution and a DLP software solution, to promoting employee cybersecurity awareness to enhance your company’s cybersecurity culture.
