Data is the lifeblood of any modern business, regardless of its size. Small businesses rely heavily on their data to operate efficiently and make informed decisions. They typically outsource their analytics to an external agency, as well as the cybersecurity and IT operations, which is what we do here at Carmichael. And now, with the growing threat of data breaches, leaks, and accidental loss, safeguarding your valuable information has become more critical than ever, with small businesses such as legal or financial firms being the most profitable targets for intruders. This is where Data Loss Prevention (DLP) comes into play.
What is DLP?
Data Loss Prevention, often abbreviated as DLP, is a set of practices and tools aimed at protecting sensitive data from being shared, transferred, or accessed by unauthorized users. It is a combination of people, processes, and technology that works to detect and prevent the leakage of sensitive data from your business. A DLP solution harnesses tools such as antivirus software, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to spot unusual actions by comparing content against your organization’s DLP guidelines. These guidelines dictate how your organization classifies, shares, and safeguards data while preventing it from falling into the hands of unauthorized individuals.
There are three primary objectives of DLP:
1. Preventing Data Leakage: DLP tools help prevent sensitive data from being unintentionally or maliciously shared outside your organization.
2. Risk Mitigation: Minimize the risks associated with data breaches, which can result in financial losses, reputational damage, and legal consequences.
3. Compliance: Ensure your business complies with relevant data protection regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA.
Business organizations go through major financial losses and reputational damage when they experience the loss of sensitive data and other forms of enterprise information. Companies are now very much aware of these dangers and hence data protection has become a seriously trending topic, however many organizations fail to completely understand the business case for Data Loss Prevention (DLP) initiatives. That’s where a managed service provider like Carmichael can help.
Carmichael can provide your business with the best software and service solutions from our team of experts. With our 24/7 support desk, you will never have to worry about dealing with DLP on your own. For most of our M365 customers, the most common and reputable recommendation in general for businesses is the Microsoft Purview DLP software.
Our data landscape has evolved, and data loss prevention (DLP) solutions need to evolve too. That’s why Microsoft has adopted a new cloud-based system to help individuals and businesses alike. Some key features of this software include:
- Single location for policy management: Create, manage, and enforce data loss prevention policies from the Microsoft Purview compliance portal.
- Integration with Microsoft Purview Information Protection: DLP is integrated with Information Protection classification and labeling capabilities, including out-of-the box, customer, or advanced SITs and trainable classifiers.
- Unified alerting and remediation: Configure, triage, and track alerts through the Data Loss Prevention (DLP) alerts page. Extend DLP alerts to the Microsoft 365 Defender portal and Microsoft Sentinel.
- Getting started quickly: Get started easily with no configuration necessary for cloud workloads. You’ll have visibility into sensitive data across apps and devices with data classification.
Data Loss Prevention is not a luxury but a necessity for small businesses in today’s data-centric world. By implementing the right DLP solution, such as Microsoft 365 DLP or other reputable options, you can safeguard your sensitive data, maintain compliance, and protect your business from potential risks and threats. Invest wisely in data protection, and your small business will reap the benefits of enhanced security and peace of mind.
