Maximizing Data Security: How to Successfully Implement a New DLP Solution

When implementing DLP projects, organizations often find it challenging to strike the right balance between security and business operations. While the implementation phase may be brief, it can take a while for the solution to become effective and deliver the expected value within the anticipated timeframe.

The following are necessary steps for a successful implementation of an effective DLP solution:

1.       Planning and Preparation

• Identify Stakeholders: Engage key stakeholders, including IT, compliance, legal, HR and business unit leaders, to gather insights on regulations, business processes,

  
  
  
  

  and sensitive data categories.

• Resource Assessment: evaluate internal resources available to support DLP operations.

• Define Goals and Strategy: Establish clear objectives for the DLP initiative, focusing on regulatory compliance and intellectual property protection.

2.       Data Classification

• Categorize Sensitive Information: Classify data based on its sensitivity and the potential impact of its loss. Common categories include financial, medical, and personally identifiable information (PII).

• Data Discovery: Utilize automated tools to identify where sensitive data resides across the organization.

3.       Risk Assessment

• Perform a risk assessment to identify applications, people, processes, systems, and protocols that handle sensitive data.

• Evaluate potential risks to the organization's sensitive data, including the likelihood and impact of data loss scenarios.

4.       Policy Development

• Create Data Handling Policies: Develop policies that dictate how different classes of data should be handled, including access controls and encryption requirements.

• Regulatory Compliance Assessment: Ensure that policies align with relevant regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS.

5.       Implementation

• Software installation and configuration: Set up DLP software to have access to monitor and protect predefined targeted assets.

• Policy configuration – Configure applicable policies to ensure that the solution addresses the priorities defined in stages 3 and 4.

• Pilot Testing: Run policies in simulation mode to assess their impact and set up a baseline that can be referred to later when evaluating the policy effectiveness. This allows for adjustments before full deployment to ensure that the priorities are set properly, the workload is manageable and the disruption to business activity is acceptable.

6.       Training and Awareness

• User Education: Conduct training sessions for employees to understand DLP policies and their roles in protecting sensitive information.

• Ongoing Communication: Maintain awareness through regular updates about the importance of data protection and compliance.

7.       Monitoring and Maintenance

• Continuous Monitoring: Implement ongoing monitoring of data access and usage to detect potential policy violations or vulnerabilities.

• Policy Review and Adjustment: Regularly review and update DLP policies based on changes in regulations, business needs, user behaviour or emerging threats.  

8.       Incident Response

• Develop an Incident Response Plan: Prepare a plan for responding to data breaches or policy violations, including remediation steps and communication strategies. As a guideline be consistent with the priority and the allocated action. If you defined an incident as critical, a prompt action must follow.

As usual, the devil is in the details though.

• In many cases, some of the steps will have been completed or partially done as part of the usual business operation (data governance, labeling, etc). Have you made sure they are still consistent with the project objectives and requirements?

• Have you done the work to identify properly your assets and risks?

• Are you sure your process flows are comprehensive and representative of your organisation?

• Have you structured a process to address the various incidents according to the assigned priority?

• Have you structured your incident response operation to match the workload?

• Feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss your company specific requirements and challenges.