Data protection has become a major concern in the aftermath of the mass shift to the remote work due to the pandemic as many organizations have fallen victim to overwhelming data breaches, and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has driven costs of data breaches up with stricter regulations to ensure complete user privacy and data protection toward users' personal data.
Organizations need to employ the right GDPR data protection tools to improve data management, security, and compliance overall. Those that fail to do so will be required to pay up to 4 percent of their global turnover or €20 million as penalty should their users' data fall into the wrong hands.
So far, all major cyber attacks have exploited network vulnerabilities to muddle organizations' productivity and deal extra damage through encrypted or stolen data. In fact, most vulnerabilities are only days old when attackers take advantage of them. Managing all these complex and time-sensitive vulnerabilities across numerous endpoints is already challenging and time-consuming. Things may get even trickier when GDPR data protection officers and IT administrators need to work together to manage third-party vulnerabilities in their network.
Pinpointing the location of various sensitive documents is the first step to enforcing steadfast data security. Endpoint DLP Plus swiftly scans endpoints within your network to find the whereabouts of all sensitive items so that they can be further analyzed and classified according to their type, importance and priority. The classification feature in Endpoint DLP Plus has numerous pre-defined templates that can be used to collect specific types of sensitive data including PII (personally identifiable information), financial records and other common forms of confidential data that would require compliance with GDPR mandated measures. Additionally, in order to find organization-specific information, administrators can also utilize customizable templates that can be created using provisions such as keyword search, regEx and document matching. As GDPR regulations require that the data subjects have the right to request the information about them that is being processed as well as to have any inaccuracies about them rectified or even any data about themselves completely erased, the data discovery and classification capabilities in Endpoint DLP Plus can aid admins in quickly gathering all information pertaining to a specific data subject, so that any requested changes can then be made promptly.
As new data is constantly being generated across a variety of applications, it is important to establish a way in which sensitive data is confined to a select few, trusted applications. The data containerization feature in Endpoint DLP Plus can be leveraged to select exactly which applications can be used to create and process business-critical information. Applications that are distributed by reputed vendors and are consistently upgraded with security fixes and are leaders within their niche can be labeled as enterprise-friendly and sanctioned for office-related tasks. All data created within these applications will then automatically be marked as sensitive and cannot be copied to non-enterprise friendly applications. This is an effective way to implement application security as well as streamline sensitive information.
After sensitive data is identified, tagged and vaulted within specific apps, policies to restrict the movement of information can also be configured using Endpoint DLP Plus. The policies include cloud upload protection that limits browser usage, web posting or uploading sensitive information to unverified third-party cloud storage services, email security that prevents users from sending emails containing sensitive content or attachments to unverified email addresses or domains as well as device control that stops the transfer of sensitive information via unfamiliar external and in-built peripheral devices. To prevent users from sharing screenshots of sensitive content, clipboard tool restrictions can also be applied. These measures enhance data security and help take a preventative approach in safeguarding sensitive information from loss, destruction or damage.
In order to limit exposure of confidential items, it is also paramount to ensure that sensitive files are only accessible to a few trusted individuals and blocked for everyone else. To aid in meeting GDPR standards that require access permissions to be limited to essential and relevant personnel, Endpoint DLP Plus policies can be tailored to match each user based on their security clearance as well as their task-specific needs. Role-based access control can be implemented by creating target groups of custom computers/users that can be formed based on department, designation, security hierarchy and project-related collaborations. This helps affirm that all employees only have access to the files related to their tasks or roles and that sensitive information is protected from unauthorized intrusions.
Endpoint DLP Plus provides extensive audit data of sensitive information and the policies applied to them in order to safeguard them from disclosure. Endpoint activity reports include details surrounding events that involve data access and transfer. The user and computer details will be recorded as well the medium through which the data was relayed. There are also reports that show requests and reasons for policy alterations. The administrators can review said requests and reasons to see if there is valid need for policy modification and they can subsequently change their data protection measures, if deemed neccesary. As user requirements often change with respect to data access, policy flexibility is vital. However, to help satisfy GDPR requirements that emphasize the maintainence of records related to sensitive data and the security measures applied to them, the smart audit capabilities in Endpoint DLP Plus is an asset.
Disclaimer:
Fully complying with the GDPR requires a variety of solutions, processes, people, and technologies. As mentioned above, endpoint security and management serves as the foundation for complying with the GDPR. Together with other appropriate solutions, processes, and people, endpoint management not only helps reinforce your IT security but also prevent data breaches. This material is provided for informational purpose only and should not be considered as legal advice for GDPR compliance. ManageEngine makes no warranties, express, implied, or statutory, as to the information in this material.