Businesses implement security measures for many reasons. The most obvious are securing the physical premises and protecting expensive equipment. But there’s another very valuable business asset that needs the same protection–your electronic data.
The best way to protect business data is with data loss prevention software.
There are countless options on the market today, and finding the best one for your business needs can be a challenge. I’ve done the research and put together my list of the six best data loss prevention software for 2021.
Read on to discover the best choice for your business needs.
The Top 6 Best Data Loss Prevention Software Tools
- McAfee Total Protection – Best Overall DLP Software Tool
- Check Point – Best for Setting Up Data Loss Protection Policies
- Digital Guardian Endpoint – Best for Lots Of Locations And Devices
- Symantec From Broadcom – Best for Enterprise-Level Data Loss Protection
- SolarWinds – Easiest DLP Software to Use
- SecureTrust – Best for Risk-Specific DLP Management
#1 – McAfee Total Protection – Best Overall DLP Software Tool
- Strong overall protection
- Guards sensitive data well
- Low cost for new customers
- Protects data anywhere
Businesses will appreciate the versatility they find with McAfee Total Protection. It works as a simple DLP package that requires little to no customization. But it has extensive customization features that provide an exact match for businesses that need them.
One of its best features is its ability to use algorithms to determine which segments of the business’ data are the most important. It then gives that data the highest level of protection. General-use data receives less protection from Total Protection, conserving resources for sensitive data.
It offers the basics for a small business. But it also has advanced options that ensure Total Protection will work for a wide range of customers. Its data monitoring system can point out weak spots in the network that security personnel can monitor as needed.
With this DLP solution, businesses will receive protection of their data, no matter where it exists. McAfee Total Protection protects data in the cloud, on the network, and on endpoint devices.
Total Protection is available as an annual subscription in a few different pricing tiers. Businesses will probably select the Ultimate tier, which includes protection for an unlimited number of devices. New customers will receive a significant discount during the first year.
#2 – Check Point – Best for Setting Up Data Loss Protection Policies
- Helps set up data policies
- Focuses on educating users
- Alerts users about their errors
- Easy-to-use software
When it comes to protecting a business against data losses, running the best DLP software is important. At the same time, though, establishing policies for how network members should use and protect data is equally important.
Check Point is one of the best DLP software packages for helping network managers establish a workable strategy for data protection. It also has educational tools available that allow the network managers to give employees the information they need to use the data properly.
The software carries the educational aspect of data loss protection a step further. When a user commits a minor violation of one of the DLP software’s policies, it will issue a warning to the user the first time it happens. Check Point believes this reduces the number of violations over time by giving users education about simple errors they can correct.
When unusual data traffic enters the network from the Internet, Check Point automatically monitors it, alerting administrators if it detects further issues.
Despite offering some advanced data protection features, Check Point is easier to use than some other DLP options. It gives you the ability to customize as many or as few of the software’s settings as you want.
Check Point offers a free demonstration of the software, or you can contact the company for a pricing quote. For those businesses that need additional cybersecurity protection measures, Check Point has many more products available.
#3 – Digital Guardian Endpoint – Best for Lots of Locations And Devices
- Monitors wide range of devices
- Guards the most sensitive data
- Blocks odd activity
- Watches cloud and local storage
Some business networks consist of a wide range of devices running many different operating systems. They may store data in multiple places, such as the cloud, onsite, and on portable devices.
For data loss protection across a variety of locations and devices, the Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP software package is an excellent choice. It can monitor data stored on devices running Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and more.
Endpoint protects both incoming and outgoing data, searching for oddities. Should it find unauthorized data actions, it can automatically block those actions while notifying network administrators.
For businesses that are looking to protect highly sensitive data, such as medical records or intellectual property, Endpoint can apply advanced data loss prevention settings to these items for an extra layer of protection.
If desired, Endpoint is able to use algorithms to determine which types of data the business is using that needs the most protection. This saves you time versus having to select this data manually.
You can request a demonstration of the Digital Guardian Endpoint software, or contact the company for a price quote.
#4 – Symantec From Broadcom – Best for Enterprise-Level Data Loss Protection
- Offers maximum data protection
- Relies on data encryption
- Closely watches data access
- Monitors how apps use data
Larger businesses looking for maximum data loss protection will find a lot of the features they want in Symantec DLP software from Broadcom. This is a powerful DLP tool that provides high-end protection in a variety of areas for the business, including:
- Encrypting sensitive data
- Identifying exactly who accesses data
- Offering compliance with data protection standards like HIPAA and GDPR
Symantec can track and protect data stored anywhere within the business’ network. These areas may include local computers, network servers, mobile devices, and cloud storage accounts.
Whenever someone accesses sensitive data, Symantec tracks the movement of the data. Should one of the employees attempt to use the data in an unorthodox manner, Symantec can block the user’s access to such data.
Symantec can block certain types of files and data from use as email attachments. The software also monitors the activity of any apps in use on the business’ network, ensuring those apps don’t access data and files they shouldn’t have.
Through its encryption of sensitive data, the Symantec DLP adds a layer of protection for the data. Should a user manage to access some sensitive data he or she shouldn’t have, the encryption layer should prevent the user from being able to see or actually use it.
If you’re interested in Symantec, you will need to contact the company to receive a pricing quote.
#5 – SolarWinds – Easiest DLP Software to Use
- Very easy to use
- Focuses on rights management
- Watches data in the cloud
- Generates data usage reports
For a business that just wants to install a data loss protection software package and let it run, SolarWinds offers this capability.
The SolarWinds DLP solution focuses on managing the network’s access rights management. By monitoring exactly which users should have the right to perform certain actions involving the business’ data, SolarWinds can spot suspicious activity on the network before a breach occurs.
Protecting the network’s data through access rights management in SolarWinds should be easy to put into practice.
The SolarWinds access rights manager segment of the software gives you regular reports about the data permissions for employees. If you find that some of the permissions need tweaking, you can easily take care of that through the access rights manager interface.
You can also have SolarWinds constantly monitor the network, creating alerts for things like unusual data transfers or copies. It also can monitor the usage of data across the network and cloud at the same time. Should one of your employees be using data in an unconventional way in more than one storage location, this could be a sign of a data breach or a violation of permissions.
SolarWinds offers a 30-day free trial period. You can contact the company for a pricing quote.
#6 – SecureTrust – Best for Risk-Specific DLP Management
- Simple setup process
- Lets users customize their desired risk levels
- Watches network traffic closely
- Auto-blocks odd Internet traffic
Those businesses that want an easy setup process in their data loss protection software will appreciate SecureTrust. With SecureTrust, businesses that have basic needs for data protection will be able to operate the software with its preconfigured settings. They won’t need past experience with DLP software to deploy SecureTrust successfully.
For those who want a bit of customization in the DLP software, SecureTrust does allow customers to adjust a large number of settings. However, even without taking this step, many customers can rely on the preconfigured settings and receive a high level of data protection.
SecureTrust allows users to enter their desired levels of risk. The software then automatically adjusts its settings to accommodate for this risk level. Additionally, customers can use the dashboard to select the desired level of protection for sets of data stored in different locations.
One of SecureTrust’s greatest strengths is its ability to monitor all interactions between the business’ network and the Internet. If the DLP software measures any oddities in these interactions, it can block access to the data.
Potential customers will need to contact SecureTrust to determine their pricing options.
How to Find the Best Data Loss Prevention Software for You
DLP software has a wide range of features available for potential customers. Matching those features to the needs of the business simply takes a bit of time.
Here are some features to consider in data loss prevention software.
Analyzing Data Network Weaknesses
Although data loss prevention software can protect data in a variety of situations, it may not be perfect. A common weakness occurs when an employee chooses to circumvent the data protection protocols for the business, potentially causing data losses.
For example, some companies don’t want employees to move data from the network through a USB port to a thumb drive. However, if employees are not following this policy, the use of USB ports represents a weakness in network security. The business could seek a DLP software package that blocks the use of USB ports for data transfers.
Additionally, the DLP software should be able to keep track of any threats to the data. With a log of these threats, the network manager can determine areas of weakness in data protection and fix them.
Data Locations
Data loss prevention software should be able to protect the data the business uses, no matter where employees use it. As data moves from mobile devices to desktop computers to the company network to the cloud and back, the DLP software should protect it.
As an added advantage for businesses, DLPs often will track the movement of data. If the business is struggling with data breaches or with lost files, the software’s tracking features can help managers find whether one employee’s actions are leading to the breaches.
Full-Feature DLP Products
Some businesses may only need minimal data loss prevention features, such as are available through email security. If so, these businesses may not need a well-rounded DLP software tool. They may be able to obtain the data protection features they need from antivirus or firewall software.
Those who need a far greater level of data protection will want to select a DLP tool with wide-ranging features. A full-fledged DLP software tool will have quite a few features aimed at actively monitoring the system. Additionally, it will protect data stored in multiple locations, and it will monitor data movement.
User Experience Needed
Some DLP software packages require a lot of experience with this type of software to set it up properly. The business may need to hire a security expert who can customize the software to make it work properly.
Some types of data loss protection software can require as long as several weeks to complete the installation and implementation. This level of complexity may be far more extensive than a particular business needs.
For those who want to keep the installation as simple as possible, look for a package that requires very little time for setup. Understand that a simple package probably won’t provide the customization options that are available with more complex DLP software packages. But the upside is the business probably can rely on existing network security personnel to deploy it, rather than having to hire DLP experts.
Comparison To Data Security Software
Businesses looking to decide between installing DLP and data security software will receive extra benefits from DLP software.
The primary difference between data security software and DLP software is in how they handle potential data breaches. Security software tends to be reactive to problems with the data.
Data loss prevention software, meanwhile, tends to be proactive. It actively monitors the network and the system, seeking potential issues with the protection of the data.
Many data loss prevention tools will use artificial intelligence to perform the necessary monitoring functions. It seeks out any odd situations in the network, looking for activities that are occurring outside of the normal, expected parameters. It then can react to these abnormalities and alert IT personnel about them.
Summary
It’s tough to overestimate the value of data to a modern business. Setting up a system that protects this data should be a priority for any network administrator and security team.
The best data loss protection software can accomplish this goal. Through our testing and research, we like McAfee Total Protection as the best all-around DLP software tool. However, we acknowledge that it may not meet the needs of every business.
Those with highly sensitive data may prefer to go with Symantec and its enterprise-level security measures. Check Point is a smart selection when the business needs to create data protection policies for employees at the same time it’s installing a DLP package.
Digital Guardian works especially well for businesses that store and use data on a wide range of devices. SolarWinds and SecureTrust have features aimed at those who need a simple, plug-and-play DLP solution.
DLP software tools are available in a wide range of features and options, meaning any size of business can find just the right package at just the right price. Think about the type of data the business uses and how it uses that data to figure out which DLP software is the ideal selection.
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