Memo to IT department
Data: 11 October, 2013
Dear all,
In light of the recent attack on your patient information system, we would recommend that you invest in a data loss prevention (DLP) system. A DLP system helps in securing data. Through a DLP system, the IT department will be able to identify critical data, monitor how it is being accessed and protect it from unauthorized parties.
There are four main components of a DLP system. The first is the central policy server. Here we define which information is sensitive. The next component is called ‘data in motion’. This monitors the network traffic and blocks it if it seems to be malicious or unauthorized. The third component is ‘data at rest’. This scans the storage infrastructure for sensitive information by plugging on to different devices connected to the network. It scans for data that is stored at places where it shouldn’t be. The last component is the ‘data in use’. This prevents unauthorized people from printing information or transferring information to a flash drive. (Roebuck, 2011)
This system will not only prevent data loss in PDA again, but will also help in monitoring the data and raising red flags.
If PDA is interested in investing in this system, we recommend that it first start by identifying the data it wants to protect, and how you want to protect it. One way to do this is to have a meeting of all the heads of the different business units and ask them to identify critical information as they are best positioned in the company to know what is important. Then the IT department should research different vendors and ask for a presentation. The ones that seem to fill your requirements should be asked to give a risk assessment, where the vendor will install this system in a specific part of the company and show you the result.
We at BRSC aim at protecting your data as if it was our own. You can contact us again if you have more questions. Thank you!
References
Ciampa, M. D. (2011). Security+ guide to network security fundamentals (4 ed.). Boston, Mass.: Cengage Learning.
Maiwald, E. (2001). Network security a beginner's guide. New York: Osborne/McGraw-Hill.
Roebuck, K. (2011). Data loss prevention (DLP). Newstead: Emereo.
