17 Best Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Software

Based on our DLP benchmark & features, here are the top data loss prevention tools. See our rationale for these recommendations by clicking the links on the product names:

To comply with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS and strengthen your security with a DLP solution, you need to find the right vendor that meets your specific needs. Compare each vendor based on features & pricing:

Comparison of the top 17 vendors

VDI support: Agents can be installed or deployed in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments, in addition to physical devices.

User remediation: End users can safely override or resolve security policy blocks under controlled conditions, with all actions logged for admin review.

* Free trial duration is added in days for vendors that publish this information.

All the vendors compared in this article have common DLP features.

* The data was gathered from leading B2B review platforms.

** The data is collected from LinkedIn.

General requirements for inclusion in the table:

• 50+ employees
• Data loss prevention offering

Products are ranked by total number of reviews, excluding sponsored products.

Detailed analysis of the top 10 DLP software

Acronis DeviceLock DLP

Acronis, based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, claims to offer a range of data loss prevention solutions, including (as listed on its website):

• Endpoint security
• Data loss prevention (DLP)
• Disaster recovery
• Email security
• Workflow automation

Within Acronis’s product family, Acronis DeviceLock DLP is the on-premises endpoint DLP product covered in this section and benchmarked hands-on below.

Cons

• Acronis Cyber Protect is more expensive than other services, with additional charges for online storage and licensing.

Netwrix Endpoint Protector

Netwrix Endpoint Protector provides an automated Data Loss Prevention solution focusing on endpoint DLP, device control, cloud DLP, and network DLP. Endpoint Protector is based in North Carolina, USA.

Pros

• Endpoint Protector offers responsive customer support with prompt issue resolution.
• The product deploys within a day and exposes a usable administration interface.
• It integrates with third-party security stacks and SIEM tools for log forwarding.

Cons

• Endpoint Protector only supports selected virtualization platforms, lacks a network DLP component, and doesn’t support data discovery on the cloud or file shares.
• The console is not highly customizable, event logging lacks detail, and unclear labeling makes policy configuration challenging.
• Use cases like flagging clipboard pastes and restricting CLI commands need improvement, and licensing and email notification have been recurring pain points.

Trellix DLP (McAfee)

Based in the United States, Trellix provides data loss prevention solutions that identify, monitor, and secure sensitive information across endpoints, networks, and the cloud.

Pros

• Trellix DLP supports flexible creation and integration of sensitive information types.
• It has the most significant number of user reviews on review platforms
• It offers the 2nd longest free trial (60 days) among its competitors.

Cons

• Trellix DLP is priced above several DLP peers.
• The unified agent works in practice, but some advertised features fall short of the specification.
• Support response times can be slow, and there is no data restoration option after purging DLP incidents, despite the presence of customizable workflows and classification features.

Sophos Intercept X

Sophos is a British cybersecurity company headquartered in Abingdon, England. It was launched in 1985 and has been operating in the data security market since then. One of its key products is Intercept X, which includes a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution designed to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access, use, or sharing.

Pros

• Sophos provides visibility into multi-cloud platforms and helps identify potential security risks.
• The software offers features like real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, and ease of integration and use.
• Sophos Endpoint Protection is a cloud-managed solution with remote monitoring, management, and dedicated anti-ransomware controls.

Cons

• The framework and functionality require technical depth and hands-on expertise to operate fully.
• Slow report issuance and memory-heavy system scans are recurring performance pain points.
• Customer support and the setup process are friction points, and compatibility and customization options are limited in some scenarios.

Safetica DLP

Safetica claims to provide a DLP solution that prevents sensitive data from unintentionally leaving the company. Alongside its DLP offering, Safetica also offers solutions for monitoring and controlling user activity and data flow within organizations.

Pros

• Safetica DLP combines data leak detection with user behavioral analytics, with policy customization across content types, channels, and user groups.
• The software offers clear descriptions and transparency, facilitating easy implementation and monitoring, and the customer support is responsive.
• With Safetica, users can regulate data access, classify files, prevent unauthorized data sharing and printing, and gain insights into employee productivity.

Cons

• The user interface is unintuitive and split across two consoles, which makes configuration complex.
• The Safetica agent has shown performance problems, high resource consumption, and uninstall difficulty.
• Linux and macOS support is limited, and customer support response times can be slow.

Teramind DLP

Based in Florida, Teramind also claims to offer a DLP solution focusing on user behavior analytics, providing insights into user activities and potential data breaches. The company also offers employee monitoring, insider threat detection, and user activity tracking solutions.

Pros

• Teramind installs quickly with a usable interface and supportive customer service.
• Monitoring, analytics, discreet installation, and remote control are core strengths of the platform.
• Teramind monitors employee productivity, surfaces real-time insights, and supports custom policies tailored to specific business needs.

Cons

• Teramind is priced above its peers and has a complex setup, which limits accessibility for small businesses.
• Linux and macOS support is limited, the screen recording frame rate is low, and email-platform recognition is partial.
• Technical issues include occasional system glitches, connectivity problems, and antivirus software detection, which can disrupt workflow.

Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP

Digital Guardian, part of Fortra, claims to offer endpoint data loss prevention to protect confidential business data. Its DLP suite also includes solutions for network and cloud data protection, as well as data discovery, catering to businesses of all sizes.

Pros

• Digital Guardian provides strong analytics, fast deployment, and a user-friendly interface for data visibility and event navigation.
• The platform supports custom report creation, broad DLP channel coverage (endpoint, network, cloud), and multiple operating systems.
• Digital Guardian ships an advanced tracking system for leak resolution, strong encryption, and detailed reporting.

Cons

• Custom report generation and UI navigation can be difficult due to interface complexity.
• Setting up and configuring the software can be time-consuming, and it may impact system performance on less powerful machines.
• Customer support can be slow to acknowledge and resolve issues, and the software may cause conflicts with other programs, such as Outlook and Excel.

Proofpoint Enterprise DLP

Proofpoint Enterprise DLP is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. It claims to offer a DLP solution alongside other endpoint protection solutions. Here is a list of its offerings as mentioned on its website:

Pros

• Proofpoint DLP exposes a user-friendly interface backed by responsive technical support.
• Implementation is straightforward, with built-in email encryption and centralized DLP policy management.
• The product offers good visibility, easy integration with other apps, and effective user administration.

Cons

• Proofpoint Enterprise DLP is limited to email, requiring additional tools for browsing.
• Integration with other Proofpoint products requires many separate web interfaces.
• The product lacks Endpoint DLP scans, agent-based deployment, and tamperproof features.

Microsoft Purview DLP

Microsoft Purview claims to offer a DLP solution that protects sensitive information across Microsoft 365 services, endpoints, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams.

Pros

• Microsoft Purview DLP provides easy and flexible options for creating sensitive information types and policies.
• The product helps secure compliance data, detect private data across Microsoft 365, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and Windows endpoints, and offers flexible governance action options.
• Purview offers a user-friendly interface, data governance mechanisms, and end-to-end monitoring, tracking, and protection across data flows.

Cons

• Microsoft Purview DLP’s activity explorer limits extraction to 10,000 activities at a time.
• False positives can occur when Sensitive Information Types are built with regex, and configuring the Endpoint Data Loss Prevention policy is non-trivial.
• The software is expensive for individual use, setup is complex, and memory consumption is substantial.
• Defender endpoint alerting for sensitive data is being retired.¹

Symantec DLP by Broadcom

Symantec is now a part of Broadcom and is headquartered in California. The company offers a DLP solution that covers endpoint, network, storage, and email channels. Its other cybersecurity products include endpoint security, web and email security, and identity protection solutions.

Pros and cons identified from our analysis:

• Symantec DLP delivers strong security coverage and user education, but configuration is challenging and Network Protect features have known limitations.
• The platform protects social security numbers effectively across the enterprise, although it occasionally flags files outside the defined scope.

Market presence criteria we used for the comparison

AIMultiple has selected three key criteria that companies can use to narrow down their options when searching for the right DLP tool for their business.

1. Number of reviews

The volume of reviews for a DLP vendor is a key indicator of its user base and, therefore, the maturity of its solution.

2. User ratings

High user ratings from B2B platforms like G2 and TrustRadius indicate user satisfaction.

3. Number of employees

A larger number of employees is correlated with more mature solutions.

Some common features your DLP software must have:

• Data Discovery (+ optionally Data Classification): Without this, your DLP software won’t be able to identify and locate sensitive data within an organization’s network, systems, and storage repositories.
• Supported OS: Without support for widely-used operating systems, your DLP software will face compatibility issues, reducing its overall effectiveness and reach across organizational environments. Universal support for Windows is critical, as it dominates enterprise environments and safeguards the majority of endpoints. MacOS compatibility is equally essential, serving creative industries and organizations where Apple devices are prevalent and helping prevent data leakage from an increasingly significant user base. Similarly, Linux support is crucial for securing sensitive data on servers and systems used in technical and operational environments. Without cross-platform compatibility, critical gaps in data protection could expose enterprises to vulnerabilities and compromise their security posture.
• Content Inspection and Analysis: Without this feature, your DLP tool cannot examine data content to detect sensitive information or policy violations.
• Endpoint Protection: Without this, your DLP software won’t be able to secure data on user devices, leaving endpoints vulnerable to data breaches and unauthorized access.
• Network Monitoring and Control: Without this feature, your DLP tool won’t be able to monitor and control data in transit across your network, making it difficult to prevent data leakage over network channels.
• Cloud Data Protection: Without this, your DLP software will be unable to safeguard sensitive data stored or processed in the cloud, thereby exposing it to potential threats.
• Data Encryption and Masking: Without this feature, your DLP tool will be unable to protect data by encrypting or masking sensitive information, leaving it vulnerable to unauthorized access.
• Policy Management and Enforcement: Without this, your DLP software won’t be able to define, implement, and enforce data protection policies across your organization.
• User Behavior Analytics (UBA): Without this feature, your DLP tool will be unable to analyze user activities and detect anomalous behaviors that may indicate insider threats or compromised accounts.
• Data Movement Monitoring (USB, Email, Web, etc.): Without this, your DLP software cannot track and control how data is transferred via removable media, email, or web uploads, thereby increasing the risk of data exfiltration.
• Incident Response and Reporting: Without this feature, your DLP tool won’t be able to provide alerts and reports on data security incidents, hindering your ability to respond promptly to breaches.
• Compliance Management: Without this, your DLP software won’t be able to help your organization meet regulatory compliance requirements by enforcing relevant data protection standards.
• Integration with SIEM/SOC Tools: Without this feature, your DLP tool will be unable to integrate with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) or Security Operations Center (SOC) tools, thereby limiting your overall security visibility and response capabilities.
• Contextual Data Protection: Without this, your DLP software won’t be able to consider the context (such as user role, data type, and location) when protecting data, leading to less effective data security measures.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Without this feature, your DLP tool won’t be able to restrict data access based on user roles, increasing the risk of unauthorized data access within the organization.
• User remediation and Quarantine Mechanisms: Without this, your DLP software won’t be able to automatically isolate or block access to sensitive data when threats are detected, delaying incident containment. And without the user remediation feature, specific users (Who have the power to remediate) will not be able to bypass particular policies that do not apply to them.

Guidelines to narrow down your DLP software options

1. Decide the focus of the solution

There are DLP solutions suitable for Endpoint, Cloud, or Network DLP. Identify which environment in your organization needs to be prioritized, and evaluate solutions accordingly.

2. Prepare a shortlist

The feature and market presence metrics, as well as a summary of user reviews, featured above, can help you narrow the list to 3-5 best-fit solutions for your business. You can use the common features checklist we created.

3. Understand pricing

Understanding the pricing structure of DLP software involves examining usage-based pricing, annual subscriptions, and custom pricing options. The costs should align with the organization’s budget and data protection requirements, and should grow reasonably as the organization expands.

4. Take advantage of the free trial

Most DLP solutions offer free trials, which allow hands-on experience with the DLP tool to assess its suitability in protecting data across multiple systems, including unstructured data and cloud DLP needs. If the vendor doesn’t offer a free trial, a demo can help understand the software’s capabilities in content inspection, adhering to DLP policies, and meeting specific data loss prevention criteria.

Best practices for implementing a DLP solution in your business

Once you have found the right product and vendor, consider the following best practices while implementing it in your system.

1. Data understanding

It is essential to comprehend the data within various departments within the organization. The information security teams need to communicate with multiple departments to understand the types of data that require protection and which documents are considered confidential. This will help the implementation team in creating policies and rules for data classification.

2. Policy development across all data flows

Now that you understand the data types, ensure that the DLP policies in the solution cover all aspects of data protection, including data classification, user roles, and access levels. They should also address how data is handled, transmitted, and stored. Policies must be clear, enforceable, and regularly reviewed to ensure they remain practical and relevant.

3. Employee training and awareness

Employee training and awareness drive day-to-day DLP outcomes more than tool selection alone. Employees should be educated about the importance of data security, the specific policies in place, and their roles in protecting sensitive information. Regular training sessions and awareness programs can help ensure that employees understand and adhere to DLP policies. For the product implementation, you can ask the vendor to provide demos.

4. Monitoring and incident response

Continuous monitoring and a defined incident response workflow are required for a working DLP program. DLP software should be configured to monitor data flows and detect potential data breaches or policy violations. An effective incident response plan should be in place to quickly address any data loss incidents, mitigate damage, and learn from these incidents to prevent future occurrences.

5. Regular audits and updates

Regular audits and software updates keep the DLP rule set aligned with current threats and changing business processes. Regular audits help identify any gaps or weaknesses in the DLP implementation and ensure that policies are being followed. Updating the DLP software and policies based on audit findings, emerging threats, and changes in business processes keeps the DLP program effective against current risks.

Why is it important to use DLP software?

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) software helps protect sensitive data, including financial data, personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information, and intellectual property.

1. Data protection from external threats

DLP solutions are designed to prevent data breaches and data leaks, thereby safeguarding this sensitive data. By utilizing data classification and exact data match techniques, DLP tools ensure that critical information is not inadvertently exposed or accessed by unauthorized parties.

2. Regulatory compliance and auditing requirements

As privacy regulations tighten across regions, DLP supports compliance by enforcing policies that match local rules (GDPR for the EU, HIPAA for US healthcare, PCI DSS for cardholder data).

Compliance and auditing requirements can vary significantly depending on the industry and location; however, many DLP solutions, including those from vendors such as McAfee Enterprise and Trellix DLP Endpoint, are equipped to handle a diverse range of standards.

These solutions facilitate content review and enforce DLP policies based on predefined criteria, which is crucial for complying with regulations and avoiding potential legal consequences and fines.

3. Preventing data loss and mitigating insider threats

Data loss can occur not just through external attacks but also due to insider threats, whether malicious or accidental. DLP software solutions, such as Digital Guardian and Endpoint Protector, offer comprehensive monitoring of data movement within an organization’s network, including multiple systems and cloud storage.

Data visibility and exfiltration control are how DLP tools reduce both insider risk and accidental data loss.

FAQs for DLP software

Further readings

• Top Sophos Competitors & Alternatives
• DLP Pricing

Reference Links

1.

Microsoft365-Upcoming-Deprecations-and-Changes/Microsoft 365- Upcoming Changes and End-of-Support Milestones.md at main · admindroid-community/Microsoft365-Upcoming-Deprecations-and-Changes · GitHub

Technical Advisor

Adil Hafa

Technical Advisor

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Adil is a security expert with over 16 years of experience in defense, retail, finance, exchange, food ordering and government.

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