Proper Data Loss Prevention can get organizations fast results if deployed with a little bit of preparation, according to a recent blog post from security advisors Securosis, which also provides advice on how to successfully get quick DLP wins. ("Low Hanging Fruit: Quick Wins with Data Loss Prevention")

In addition to deploying technology, organizations need to put business processes in place for dealing with data leaks once they're uncovered by the technology:

Nearly every DLP reference I've talked with has discovered actionable offenses committed by employees as soon as they turn the tool on. Some of these require little more than contacting a business unit to change a bad process, but quite a few result in security guards escorting people out of the building, or even legal action. One of my favorite stories is the time the DLP vendor plugged in the tool for a lunchtime demonstration on the same day a senior executive decided to send proprietary information to a competitor. Needless to say, the vendor lost their hard drives that day, but they didn't seem too unhappy.

We have our own about a hospital that discovered an attack in progress on its network the day that it activated our PacketSure™ solution -- and that was just a free demo. They hadn't even bought the product yet. As you might imagine, they did buy it, though. ("PacketSure Detects Attack on Gibson General Hospital. And That Was Just the Demo.")

As DLP solutions uncover problems, companies will face two different kinds of data leaks: Those caused by business process failures, and those which are "egregious employee violations," Securosis said. As you might imagine, the two kinds of leaks need to be handled differently.

The Securosis post is part of a series; we're looking forward to the rest of it. That link again: "Low Hanging Fruit: Quick Wins with Data Loss Prevention"

Palisade's PacketSure™ Data Loss Prevention appliance can help secure confidential data on the network. View a video demo, or get a live demo, or get a free Secure Assessment.