In today's work climate, protecting Intellectual Property (IP) is more critical than ever. With the ongoing rise of insider threats and external cyberattacks, everyone should be seen as a risk to security, whether intentionally or not.
Organisations must implement data loss prevention (DLP) strategies to protect valuable assets, but not all products cover all angles. We often see legacy products fall short when it comes to DLP, from insufficient protection in the right areas to relying heavily on time-consuming manual input processes.
Next DLP changes this. Its innovative Reveal platform offers an effective solution to mitigate risks and ensure the integrity of sensitive information. This blog will explore the importance of protecting intellectual property, the threats organisations face, and how Next DLP can help businesses shield their critical data.
Understanding data loss prevention
Before we move onto the why and the how, it's always good to start with the what, so here’s a brief rundown of what DLP means. DLP refers to strategies and tools to ensure that sensitive information remains within the corporate network and does not fall into the hands of unauthorised users.
Next DLP specialises in insider risk management and DLP, providing organisations with the necessary tools to monitor and secure critical data from being leaked.
Why should businesses prioritise data loss prevention?
Data leaks are a top concern, but DLP needs to be a priority for more than just this, here’s why:
Regulatory compliance
Adhering to regulatory requirements is crucial for any business. A robust DLP strategy helps ensure compliance with laws and regulations surrounding data protection, reducing the risk of costly fines if found to be non-compliant.
Safeguarding client data
Protecting third-party data is a legal obligation and a business necessity. Clients trust businesses with sensitive information, and failing to safeguard it can lead to significant reputational damage and potential legal challenges.
Protecting intellectual property
Intellectual property is the backbone of many businesses, from projects being kept under wraps to driving innovation and plans and information that give businesses a competitive advantage. Effective DLP measures will help prevent unauthorised access and theft of these valuable assets.
Ensuring operational continuity
Data loss will, at the very least, disrupt business operations, leading to downtime. By implementing DLP measures, businesses can ensure their operations run smoothly without unexpected interruptions from data leaks and challenges.
Data loss: What businesses should be worried about
Various risks can lead to data loss within an organisation. As mentioned, insider threats are a growing concern. Here’s what businesses need to be concerned about regarding their data.
Current employees
Employers would like to think they can trust their employees, but this is only sometimes true. Some employees with privileged access may misuse their authority; whether it's for revenge or personal gain, their actions can be highly damaging to a business.
Former employees
When an employee leaves a company, the accounts and access to systems they had permission for can often be forgotten. Departing employees may retain access to critical systems and data, posing a potential security threat. Businesses must ensure that access is revoked promptly upon the end of employment.
Malicious actors
As always, external threat actors are a risk to any business. Targeting businesses and looking for gaps in security, threat actors can use a range of tactics to gain insider access through current employees.
Unintentional insiders
Finally, we have the threat of unintentional insiders. This scenario may remove malicious intent but doesn't eliminate the damage. Even well-meaning employees can pose a risk if they inadvertently violate security policies, and mistakes can lead to external threats.
How Next DLP protects intellectual property
Next DLP’s Reveal platform is designed to protect intellectual property at the endpoint level, where data is most vulnerable. By identifying and classifying IP in real time, Reveal prevents unauthorised downloads and data exfiltration through email, text messages, and browser uploads.
Real-time identification
Reveal employs machine learning to instantly identify and classify sensitive data whenever a user accesses a file. This proactive approach enables faster decision-making to thwart potential threats while maintaining user productivity.
Picture the scenario of an ‘unintentional insider risk. ' An employee has an issue with a work task that they know their friend could help with, but their friend does not work for the same company. The employee tries to send the sensitive data through a site like WeTransfer. Simple, right?
Not with Next DLP. For a business using Next DLP, in a scenario such as this, a notification immediately appears on the employee's screen, blocking the share and telling them they're violating a policy, reminding them how they should be sharing the data. The Next DLP agent will continue to scan and warn in the same way no matter the method tried, from email to social media platforms or through a browser.
Every attempt and alert is logged as a record of what was trying to be achieved, giving business owners complete visibility of any threat risks, whether intentional or not.
Incident-based user education
To minimise accidental data loss, Reveal offers incident-based user education. In the scenario above, when the user attempted to perform prohibited actions, the platform automatically provided reminders of company policies, requiring acknowledgement to reinforce compliance.
Machine learning on the endpoint
The platform allows businesses to understand where their company is most at risk. Through machine learning, Next DLP identifies typical vs. unusual behaviours, continually building a picture of what is a risk and what isn't for an organisation.
Strengthen your security offering with Next DLP
Protecting intellectual property is a vital concern for any organisation, and with the increasing prevalence of data breaches, implementing effective DLP measures should be non-negotiable.
Next DLP’s Reveal platform provides comprehensive solutions to monitor, secure, and educate users about data protection and insider threats. By prioritising safeguarding sensitive information, businesses can protect their intellectual property, enhance their reputation, and ensure operational continuity.
If you’re looking to strengthen your data security posture and offer clients a true solution, Next DLP is a good choice; this article provides a quick overview of what the product can achieve.
Why not book a demo with our product specialist today to discover everything it offers?
