McAfee Releases Comprehensive DLP Suite
The McAfee Total Protection for Data offers comprehensive protection with full visibility and control of confidential data -- including endpoint encryption, device control and host DLP -- in an all-in-one security platform.
"What organizations are looking for is having a solution that's overarching -- protecting them from all possible ways data can get lost," said Vimal Solanki, vice president of worldwide solution and competitive marketing for McAfee. "You must have something holistic in nature."
The new Total Protection product leverages a wide range of technologies, allowing businesses to avoid a piecemeal approach to their security solution, Solanki asserts. The offering, which spans the market from the SMB space to large-scale enterprises, protects with comprehensive monitoring and protection of all communication channels, which include corporate and personal e-mail, instant messaging, file transfer, peer-to-peer file sharing and Web mail as well as other applications. In addition, the product includes end-point encryption that protects information on mobile devices.
Customers will be able to pick and choose a security suite according to their needs. The product features centralized policy management and enforcement, strong encryption for mobile devices and laptops, prevention of unauthorized data access, rendering data useless in the event of loss or theft, prevention of accidental exposure of sensitive data, continuous user behavior monitoring and regulation for types of data that can be transferred to external files.
In order to help businesses comply with PCI and governmental disclosure regulations, the product features auditing and reporting capabilities, enforcement of authorized devices and regulatory and internal policy requirements.
McAfee execs say that the new suite was created in response to several economic and social drivers, such as increasing data loss on devices such as laptops, Blackberrys and iPhones. While the explosion of mobile devices has made conducting business more efficient and accessible, the information itself has become increasingly more susceptible to loss and theft, execs say.
"We all embrace these interesting gizmos, but these devices are very easy to lose," said Solanki, adding that, "less than five percent of these devices are encrypted."
Execs also maintain that the new comprehensive offering will help businesses become compliant with privacy and data confidentiality regulations, which have been increasingly adopted and enforced by federal and local governments. Solanki said that in addition to adapting to escalating privacy regulations, businesses fear financial loss and brand damage associated with data breaches, which include falling stocks, customer attrition, humiliation and general lack of confidence in the company.
"Most of these regulations force disclosure of data loss and force embarrassing and often costly disclosure to customers," said Solanki, adding that "Last year was the biggest for data protection. It's a top business priority."