Data Loss Prevention

Running head: Data Loss Prevention (<= 50 CHARACTERS)

Week 2 Individual: Data Loss Prevention

John Westbrook

CMGT/441 – Martin Horman

Abstract

The article that the author chooses will discuss data loss prevention (DLP) best practices. The article will illustrate the best practices and the author will discuss his opinion based on work experience.

Data Loss Prevention

The article reviews what is data loss Prevention (DLP), best practices, technical overview of DLP and ends with case use. The first step into truly understanding what is considered DLP is to define the term: "products that, based on central policies, identify, monitor, and protect data at rest, in motion, and in use through deep content analysis." (Mogull). Mogull discusses in his article that data in use aspect is a constant moving target and extremely difficult area to have a confidence that the data is protected. The author feels free previous experience that Mogull hits the nail on the head with the facts due to the fact that the usually encounters involvement with an application manipulating the data or even a cut and paste of data into an application. The data is difficult to know that the application has not changed the integrity of the information.

Mr. Mogull steps into an area that the author tended to disagree with due to the cost. Mr. Mogull states that he has a bias for purchasing full suites for DLP software to ensure full coverage but from the author experience buying a full suite could blow the budget of the project. From the author's experience, each piece of the suite has an additional cost so a software configuration that was budgeted for only $250,000 could cost over $1 million. The author feels to truly implement a successfully solution is to understand the criticality and "big picture" of the company not just to "put lipstick on a pig".

Mr. Mogull begins discussing the four areas where protection is need the most and they are:

1. The discovery of the content and discovery of violations of this content.

2. Protecting file systems by such areas as blocking CD/DVD writing and USB usage.

3. Protecting