Happy Monday!
Data Loss Prevention. or DLP for short, is a series of software technologies designed to help protect sensitive data. It does this by classifying data and then applying a set of rules which allow/disallow certain actions on that data.
For instance when using Microsoft Office 365, you can apply a set of DLP rules that automatically prevent an email from being sent that contains a number matching the pattern of a social security number. Different actions can be taken based on the quantity of the sensitive information as well as the destination.
Why is this important? It can help prevent issues such as the W-2 phishing scams which were prevalent earlier in the year. A DLP rule in those instances could have detected and alerted the user that sensitive data was being sent to an external email address. At it's strictest the rule can prevent the email from being sent all together. With the settings dialed back a bit the user can override DLP by providing a reason for overriding it. A message requiring the user to contact the person to whom they are sending the email prior to sending may be enough to prevent a catastrophic data loss.
DLP is not perfect but it's an effective tool when implemented correctly as a part of an overall security plan. Office 365 DLP is included with most NeoCloud Consulting managed service plans as part of our multi-layer security model. If you'd like more information about DLP, our security model or the services we provide, please contact us today!
Until next time!
--Jay
