Best Practices for Organizations to Strengthen Their Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Strategy

Recent high-profile data loss incidents should serve as a lesson to companies handling sensitive data. Securing sensitive data should be a shared responsibility of the whole security team.

Every firm handles sensitive data, regardless of the industry, whether it’s storing payroll files with Social Security numbers or bank information or securely tracking payment information.

As a result, businesses of all sizes ought to implement a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) strategy that covers the whole enterprise. Organizations should regularly update their Data Loss Prevention strategies to reflect changes in cybercrime and how data is stored, managed, and moved.

While some businesses have added information security specialists to focus solely on Data Loss Prevention, the entire cybersecurity team should be responsible for safeguarding sensitive data. A robust Data Loss Prevention strategy safeguards customers and the integrity of data operations.

Here are some best practices that can help firms as they implement new Data Loss Prevention strategies or enhance current ones:

Also Read: Top Five Strategies for Boosting Data Security and Privacy

Identify Sensitive Data

Businesses may be tempted to implement a universal standard for data security throughout the entire company, but putting barriers in place for every data and every operation can be a costly and time-consuming undertaking.

Leaders can identify which data qualifies as sensitive and then modify their strategy to secure the data that is critical by analyzing the various types of data that employees work with and can access. Leaders can identify the teams and people that need to prioritize cybersecurity measures by becoming familiar with the data flow across their firm.

Regular Back is Crucial

When it comes to sensitive data, prevention can even be more valuable than cure in the event that an organization’s data is held for ransom or results in an expensive loss of intellectual property. Employees should back up sensitive data in several locations using secure techniques once companies have defined the exact types of data that are deemed sensitive.

Backups shield the organization from loss due to corrupted files and unintentional deletion and from extortionists who might try to hold data for ransom. The most secure backups are those stored on air-gapped servers or storage systems since they are physically isolated from the Internet and can be adequately secured.

Empower the Employees

A successful phishing effort or a weak password can undermine even the most robust Data Loss Prevention setup. Employees unaware of the current scams or forms of social engineering may unknowingly expose their company’s data to criminals.

Data loss and theft can be prevented when leaders encourage employees at all levels and across the organization to participate actively in security initiatives. Consistent training on cybersecurity risks is essential to ensure that all employees, from the CIO to the intern, are informed of the latest threats to data.

Account for the Whole Data Journey

Even when an organization invests in building a highly secure data infrastructure, those safeguards can break down if sensitive data leaves that environment. Sensitive data might become vulnerable, especially for companies using cloud storage, as soon as employees use unprotected public Wi-Fi. A strong data security strategy should consider how employees share sensitive information in various ways, both inside and outside of recognized platforms.

Also Read: Why The Board Needs to be the First Line of Defense Against Cybersecurity Threats

Create a Rapid Response Plan

Best practices for data protection can reduce the likelihood of breaches and data loss. However, since there is always a chance that they could occur, companies must have a strategy in place in the event something does go wrong.

Having a strategy in place allows leaders to react quickly to minimize damage. The specifics of each rapid response plan vary depending on the type of compromised data, but a plan might entail initiating a data recovery process, remotely rescinding access to shared storage, promptly informing customers and employees of a vulnerability, or notifying the relevant authorities that a data breach has occurred.

It is crucial to have a rapid reaction team to conduct forensics quickly, identify any potentially compromised data, adhere to regulations for notifications, and allocate the right resources to ensure the patching of any discovered cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

While the particular rules of a Data Loss Prevention strategy should be created to match the needs of each organization, they should always work toward the same objective: maintaining professional and personal privacy and preventing data breaches.