Aberdeen Group Sees Classification As Key To Successful Data Loss Prevention
A recent Analyst Insight report from Aberdeen Group Vice President and Research Fellow Derek Brink outlines the benefits to organizations of classifying data in order to effectively protect it. The report, titled Does Your Enterprise Classify Its Data? analyzes over five years of data loss prevention (DLP) research by Aberdeen, and concludes that data classification is a capability that is consistently linked with the best performing organizations in the area of data loss prevention.Nearly 2 million TITUS users around the world have proven that in order to have a successful enterprise data loss prevention solution, it is critical to involve users as the first line of defense. A user driven DLP strategy starts with the user, alerting them to potential data loss at the desktop while they work, and giving them the tools to fix policy violations before they happen. Users are responsible for their own data, and are educated on corporate policy while they work. Aberdeen’s research reiterates this by noting that end-user involvement is a critical component of a successful data loss prevention initiative.
“Aberdeen’s research has consistently shown that there are several general steps which are associated with top performance when it comes to protecting sensitive enterprise data,” said Brink. “These include identification and classification of your data – because you can’t protect what you don’t manage, and you can’t manage what you don’t know about.”
Through its research, Aberdeen has found that classifying enterprise information helps to “ensure not only that the appropriate levels of policies, controls and resources are in place, but also that these investments are delivering an appropriate level of value to the business in return.”
Aberdeen’s report states that “the majority of data loss or data exposure incidents are the result not of the malicious actions of outsiders, but of the inadvertent and well-intentioned actions of insiders. Most incidents are the result of basic human error and legitimate users who are simply focused on getting their jobs done.”
Ben Carr, Global Manager for Corporate IT Security at Nokia, notes in the report that DLP solutions, which vendors have focused on primarily for regulatory compliance, have not been able to stand on their own. They are successfully complemented and enhanced when used in combination with a data classification solution.
TITUS Classification Solutions help identify sensitive data and give your data a voice. TITUS provides a user-friendly way to classify every piece of information in order to prevent data loss, raise security awareness, and comply with regulations.
On February 23, join Aberdeen’s VP and Research Fellow for IT Security, Derek Brink, Ben Carr from Nokia and data classification experts from TITUS in a live and interactive eSeminar.
