Traditional DLP Is Dead - It’s time for an alternative

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) has been around for nearly 30 years but really started to hit its stride in the early 2000s. It seemed complex and comprehensive then, but it was primarily geared at protecting email and network traffic.  

DLP has continued to evolve since then, but step-function changes in technology infrastructure and cybersecurity over the last several years has challenged its ability to actually protect the things it’s meant to protect. Given that DLP was created prior to the advent of big data and AI, and today’s modern security solutions (for cloud, as an example), it's questionable if DLP still has a place in the enterprise tech stack today.  

What is DLP? 

First, let’s define DLP for those who aren’t familiar with the term. DLP is a security solution that identifies and helps prevent unsafe or inappropriate sharing, transfer, or use of sensitive data. It can help organizations monitor and protect sensitive information across on-premises systems, cloud-based locations, and endpoint devices. It is all about protecting sensitive information from loss, corruption, misuse, or unauthorized access by anyone or anything that comes in contact with it. This includes confidential information like customer data, financial statements, intellectual property, employee records, and other proprietary company information. 

The Role of DLP in Businesses Over the Last 20 Years 

Over the past two decades, businesses have increasingly recognized the importance of DLP. The global data loss prevention market size was valued at $1.84B in 2022 and is projected to grow to $10.1 billion by 2030. This growth reflects the critical role that DLP plays in today’s enterprise security stack. 

DLP has been instrumental in helping businesses improve data visibility, secure data in remote and BYOD environments, protect intellectual property, promote brand reputation, prove regulatory compliance, and prevent cyberattacks and data breaches.  

For instance, DLP solutions include reporting features that can simplify the process of proving compliance with data privacy laws and regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA. 

However, the use of DLP has not been without challenges. There’s been a 47% increase in incidents over two years, including accidental and deliberate data loss by employees or contractors. Moreover, 39% of data breach costs occur more than a year after the incident. 

DLP - A New Generation? 

Despite its importance, DLP is not a static concept. As a necessity, it has evolved and the technology continues to attempt to meet the changing needs of businesses and the increasing sophistication of cyber threats. DLP vendors must continue to do so in order to remain relevant and retain its deep customer base. 

One of the key trends in this new phase of DLP is the shift towards cloud-native infrastructure. DLP solutions leveraging cloud-native infrastructure and APIs can see and control data usage without interfering with devices. This includes web apps, messaging apps, and other data exfiltration channels that were not prevalent when legacy DLP platforms were initially designed. 

Additionally, the changing work environment has also impacted DLP. The shift towards remote work and the increasing use of personal devices for work have created new challenges for data security.  

Including Artificial Intelligence 

DLP was developed before today’s AI was a reality. While creators of DLP may claim that their platforms have evolved to monitor AI content, the results tend to fall short.  

For instance, DLP solutions are typically based on predefined rules, string matches, and keyword phrases. They are not capable of using logic and context-aware detection of risk beyond those capabilities, introducing risk to content intended for external audiences. Because today’s content is developed using a mix of Generative AI (GenAI) technology and human inputs, an oversight tool (in this case DLP) must be able to compare the final product with a host of requirements: organizational policies, compliance requirements, and hard data. It just cannot. 

A New Way 

Unlike traditional DLP solutions, new solutions are needed that can leverage business context and logic to adaptively identify content conflicts. It must go beyond the aforementioned predefined rules, string matches, and keyword phrases, to provide precise, context-aware detection. It must be purpose-built for the modern business, working seamlessly with AI-driven technology and current collaboration and communication platforms.  

These new solutions can augment or replace DLP, which can be more palatable for companies that have invested millions of dollars into their existing DLP solutions.  

For those considering augmenting their DLP instance, there are several key benefits to a new AI-focused solution to manage content security: 

• Lower the total cost of ownership: Reduce the propensity for false positives or negatives and the time and resources spent on investigating and resolving those security alerts. 

• Added layer of security: Content can contain sensitive information and hallucinogenic content that has not been vetted by another person. 

• Reviewing all content: With today’s AI tools, content can be created at such a large volume that human intervention or review is just not scalable. An AI-driven solution will allow businesses to review content at a much faster and more accurate rate.  

Solutions that will augment or replace DLP solutions must be designed to address these challenges by providing enhanced visibility and control over data usage in these evolving environments. 

TL: DR 

While DLP is not entirely dead, it certainly needs to evolve to stay relevant in today’s rapidly changing landscape. The evolution of DLP is not just about adopting new technologies or adapting to new work environments. It’s about rethinking how we approach data security and developing more effective and flexible strategies to protect sensitive data, regardless of where it is housed, how it is transmitted, and how it is created. As businesses continue to grapple with the speed of technology evolution, new solutions that augment or replace DLP entirely will be critical to their ability to protect their most valuable assets - their data and content.