Data breaches and cyber threats are becoming increasingly common in this digital era, and protecting valuable information is the top priority for data-driven organizations. To curb the constant issues of data being compromised, lost, and misused, a Data Protection Officer (DPO) and their teams can implement a data loss prevention (DLP) strategy and tools that will continuously monitor and analyze data to identify potential violations of security policies and stop them from evolving.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the seven steps of DLP strategies and tools that will help in enhancing the security of your IT structures.

Seven-Step Framework in Deploying DLP Strategy

If any business is handling sensitive data and operating in a regulated environment or suffers from repeated cybersecurity threats, it’s time that needs to add DLP strategies.

Proofpoint’s 2024 data loss landscape report indicates that 84.7% of enterprises have encountered data loss, with an average of 15 incidents per organization per year. This implies the importance of appropriately implementing DLP strategies.

Therefore, without any further ado, let’s understand the seven-step strategic framework of DLP:

Execute Regular Security Audits

Regular security audits are a crucial component of any thorough DLP strategy. Stringent security audits focus on renewing security policies, procedures, and controls, allowing security auditors to identify any potential vulnerabilities and recommend remediation actions to address them. The audit is not limited to data prevention but also to safeguarding software, hardware, and network infrastructure.

However, the regular auditing process can be a tedious task; therefore, security auditors can automate the process by using tools such as Palo Alto Networks, Tufin, and ManageEngine, which will analyze the dataset or network and identify compliance and provide detailed reports with patch recommendations.

Once vulnerabilities have been identified, you can take the necessary actions to address them before attackers can manipulate them to access sensitive data; this action includes patching software, updating hardware, implementing new security controls, or revising security policies and procedures.

Educate Your Employees

Many of the worst threats to an organization start with minute human error, and neglecting the threat gradually starts the real damage, such as ransomware attacks or misinformation. According to Proofpoint’s Insider Threats Global Report, the majority of insider threats, i.e., estimated around 56%, resulted from negligent insiders. Therefore, educating employees is a vital task for creating an effective DLP strategy.

Educating employees about data security and data privacy organizations can reduce the risk of data loss or theft caused by human error. This also includes training on how to pinpoint phishing emails, methods to avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments, using secure passwords, and implementing MFA in every file.

To Know More, Read Full Article @ https://ai-techpark.com/data-loss-prevention-techniques-of-2024/

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