Data loss prevention, or DLP, refers to technology or software developed to protect and prevent the potential for data loss or theft. Data loss protection software is designed to monitor, detect and prevent the loss of data while it’s at rest, either in on-premises storage drives or in the cloud, as well as when it’s in use or in transit.
DLP policies and technology are a key component is an organization’s comprehensive security procedures, and they help to ensure that confidential or sensitive corporate information isn’t accessed or transmitted without proper authorization.
Data Loss Prevention is almost always accompanied by other hardware and software security measures in an enterprise such as firewalls, antivirus and anti-malware software and intrusion detection systems (IDS).
Data Loss Prevention Policies and Software Options
Data loss prevention policies typically include the use of secure encryption for e-mail, secure connections to websites via HTTPS and other methods for classifying and protecting sensitive information from being accidentally or maliciously accessed or modified by unauthorized users.
Data loss prevention tools and policies have become more prevalent recently with the rise in corporate data breaches as well as state and national regulatory regulations and privacy laws such as HIPAA. Some of the more popular DLP vendors include Symantec, Mcafee, Trend Micro and Websense.
