Implementing a comprehensive Data Loss Prevention (DLP) program is essential for today’s working environment in order to address the challenge of insider security threats. Organizations cannot risk the harmful implications due to loss of data, or suffer the penalties from a regulatory requirement violation. Unfortunately, these deployments can quickly become multi-year projects as IT administrators attempt to translate the business process and policies into automated rules for every data loss scenario. IT administrators quickly find that it is impossible to accurately identify every type of sensitive document, just as it is impossible to predict the behavior of every type of user.

Additionally, business executives typically have significant concerns about putting in place systems that interrupt user workflow or business agility. As a result, the majority of businesses that have deployed DLP systems run them in “watch-mode”, where they are monitoring for leaks, and never realize the true benefits of actually preventing data loss.

For a successful DLP deployment, it is it is crucial to make users the first line of defense. A user driven DLP strategy will start with the user, alerting them to potential data loss at the desktop while they work, and give them the tools to fix policy violations before they happen. This user driven approach makes users responsible for their own data, and educates them on corporate policy while they work. It also significantly reduces data loss incidents, and frees up IT departments for more targeted security enforcement and education.

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"The TITUS Document Classification solution compliments McAfee Data Loss Prevention, and the joint solution provides our mutual customers greater control over managing the movement of their sensitive documents."
— Ed Barry, Vice President of McAfee Security Innovation Alliance