Drawing on years of experience, our analysis of ∼ 20 features offers you a guide to our DLP software benchmark. With this experience, we picked the top DLP software based on email DLP-specific features:
Top Email DLP software comparison
| Vendor Name | Focus* | DPI*** | User ratings** | # of Employees | Free Trial (in days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Comprehensive | ✅ | 4.5 from | 132 | ✅ |
|
Trellix DLP | Comprehensive | ❌ | 4.2 from | 5,569 | ✅ 30 |
Acronis Cyber Protect | Comprehensive | ✅ | 4.5 from | 1,974 | ✅ 30 |
Sophos | Comprehensive | ✅ | 4.5 from | 4,686 | ✅ 30 |
Safetica DLP | Comprehensive | ❌ | 4.7 from | 88 | ❌ |
Teramind DLP | Comprehensive | ✅ | 4.5 from | 138 | ✅ 7 |
Symantec DLP | Comprehensive | ✅ | 4.3 from | 13,212 | ❌ |
Digital Guardian Endpoint | Comprehensive | ✅ | 3.7 from | 204 | ❌ |
Microsoft Purview | Comprehensive | ❌ | 4.4 from | 244,900 | ✅ 90 |
Forcepoint DLP | Comprehensive | ✅ | 4.3 from | 1,939 | ❌ |
Incydr by Code42 | Comprehensive | ❌ | 4.2 from | 224 | ❌ |
Cyberhaven DLP | Comprehensive | ❌ | 4.8 from | 157 | ❌ |
Avanan Email | ❌ | 4.8 from | 74 | ✅ 14 |
|
Tessian Email | ✅ | - from | 60 | - |
|
Egress Intelligent | ❌ | 4.5 from | 341 | - |
Notes
* Focus: Comprehensive solutions prevent data loss by blocking uploads to all possible environments: Cloud services, removable devices, email, etc. In other words, they also include cloud DLP and endpoint DLP capabilities.
** Data is sourced from leading B2B review platforms.
*** Deep packet inspection (DPI): Data is transferred in the form of packets, and DLP solutions offering DPI examine the contents of these data packets. We checked if the vendor mentioned deep packet inspection features on their websites.
Here is a comparison of prices & packages of DLP tools listed in this article.
Top 5 best practices to implement an email DLP solution
1. Comprehensive data classification and policy creation
To effectively implement an email DLP solution, organizations must first classify their data. Identifying and categorizing sensitive information such as financial data, personally identifiable information (PII), and intellectual property is crucial. Once classified, security teams should develop and enforce DLP policies tailored to protect this data.
- Sensitive data classification: Use machine learning and advanced algorithms to automate the classification of sensitive data within email content and attachments.
- Policy development: Create specific policies that define what constitutes a sensitive email and outline the actions to be taken when such data is detected. For instance, block emails containing credit card numbers from being sent outside the organization or enforce encryption on emails with confidential information.
2. Robust content inspection and filtering mechanisms
Implementing advanced content inspection and filtering mechanisms within the DLP tools is essential to detect and prevent data exfiltration through emails. Understanding the data in different departments of your organization is a prerequisite to implementing DLP software. Pre-determining data classes makes creating data classification policies/rules much more efficient.
- Content inspection: Utilize automated data classification features capable of inspecting the content of emails and attachments for sensitive information. This includes scanning for keywords, patterns (such as social security numbers or credit card numbers), and context-based analysis to identify potential data breaches. DPI capabilities can help examine email data in transit.
- Filtering: Set up rules to automatically block, quarantine, or encrypt emails that contain sensitive data. For example, if an employee attaches a file containing corporate data to an email address to a personal email address, the DLP solution should intercept and block the email.
3. Employee training and awareness programs
Human error is a significant risk factor for accidental data loss. Therefore, conducting regular security awareness training is essential to educate employees about the importance of email security and the role it plays in preventing data breaches.
- Security awareness training: Regularly train employees on identifying phishing attempts, recognizing misdirected emails, and understanding the implications of sending sensitive information to unauthorized users. Ask the vendor to provide a demo of the solution.
- Simulated phishing attacks: Conduct periodic simulations to test employees’ responses to phishing and social engineering attacks, thereby reinforcing good practices and identifying areas needing improvement. Free trials can be useful for this.
4. Integration with existing email infrastructure
Seamlessly integrating the solution with existing email infrastructures, such as Microsoft Exchange and various email clients, ensures comprehensive coverage and effectiveness.
- Integration: Ensure that the Email DLP solution is compatible with and fully integrated into the organization’s email servers like Microsoft Exchange to monitor and manage outbound email traffic effectively.
- Email client compatibility: Verify that the DLP solution supports the diverse email clients used within the organization to prevent leaks across all platforms.
5. Real-time monitoring and incident response
Establishing real-time monitoring and a robust incident response mechanism is critical to promptly addressing potential data breaches and minimizing their impact.
- Real-time monitoring: Implement real-time monitoring of email activity to detect and respond to suspicious behaviors, such as unauthorized attempts to send sensitive data or frequent emailing of confidential information.
- Incident response: Develop and maintain an incident response plan that outlines the steps to be taken when a data breach is detected. This includes immediate actions like blocking the email, notifying the security team, and initiating an investigation to mitigate the risk and prevent future incidents.
FAQs
What is Email data loss prevention?
Email DLP (Data Loss Prevention) is a critical security measure designed to protect sensitive data and prevent data loss through email communication. Security teams use email DLP solutions to detect and block unauthorized access to confidential data, such as financial data, personally identifiable information, and intellectual property, in outbound emails. These solutions help mitigate the risk of data breaches and data exfiltration, whether due to malicious emails, human error, or insider threats.
By implementing email DLP technology, organizations can enforce encryption, prevent data leaks, and ensure that only authorized users have access to sensitive information. Email DLP tools monitor email activity, detect misdirected emails, and apply DLP policies to prevent accidental data loss and ensure emails reach the intended recipient. This is crucial for managing insider threats, especially when employees attach wrong files or send emails to the wrong person or personal email addresses.
Organizations benefit from email DLP by enhancing their overall email security, protecting corporate data, and maintaining business communication integrity.
These solutions integrate with email clients like Microsoft Exchange and leverage machine learning to detect and respond to various threat vectors, including social engineering attacks and compromised accounts. Security awareness training complements email DLP by educating employees on recognizing security risks and minimizing human errors, ultimately reducing the risk of data breaches and ensuring robust data protection.
Email DLP vs Network DLP
Email DLP (Data Loss Prevention) and Network DLP both aim to protect sensitive data, but they operate in different areas. Email DLP focuses on email communication, preventing data loss by monitoring and controlling email activity to detect and block unauthorized access to confidential information, such as financial data, personally identifiable information, and intellectual property. Security teams use email DLP solutions to prevent email data loss, data exfiltration, and data breaches, often integrating with email clients like Microsoft Exchange. These solutions enforce encryption, detect misdirected emails, and apply DLP policies to ensure that only authorized users can send and receive sensitive information, thus protecting corporate data and mitigating security risks.
Network DLP, on the other hand, monitors data across the entire network, including endpoints, servers, and cloud resources. It aims to prevent data leaks and data breaches by detecting unauthorized access and data transfer activities across various channels, not just email. Network DLP solutions provide comprehensive data protection by securing data in transit and at rest, detecting and blocking attempts to steal data, and addressing threats from various vectors, including social engineering attacks and compromised accounts.
Both Email DLP and Network DLP play crucial roles in an organization’s data loss prevention strategy, with email DLP focusing on email security and preventing accidental data loss through emails, while network DLP provides broader protection across the entire network, safeguarding sensitive data and confidential information from a wider range of threats and vulnerabilities. Effective DLP work requires integrating both solutions, alongside security awareness training, to ensure robust data protection and insider threat management within the organization.
Further reading
- LLM DLP Guide, 12 Best Practices & Techniques
- Top 7 AI DLP Best Practices with Case Studies
- Tackling Critical Data Protection Challenges
If you need further help in finding the right vendor, we would like to help:
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