Protecting What’s Yours: Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Emerges as a Critical Component to Organizations’ Overall Information Protection and Control (IPC) Strategy, IDC Says

FRAMINGHAM, MA.- Information has become the world’s new currency, and like any valuable commodity it must be guarded carefully to protect against unauthorized disclosure, loss, or theft. The increased value of digital information, coupled with more stringent government regulations, industry recommendations, and intellectual property protection is driving the adoption of information protection and control (IPC) solutions to protect sensitive information and comply with privacy regulations.

According to a new IDC survey, 81% of respondents view IPC as an important part of their overall data protection strategy. IPC includes solutions that monitor, secure/encrypt, filter, and block sensitive information contained in data at rest, data in motion, and data in use. These survey findings – presented in a special study by IDC – reinforce IDC’s prediction that data loss prevention (DLP) and encryption would become features of a more comprehensive IPC solution. The results of the study are further segmented by company size and vertical industry.

“A number of high-profile incidents have raised awareness of the growing data-leakage problem,” said Brian Burke, program director for IDC’s Security Products and Services group. “The leaking of customer records, confidential information, and intellectual property has caused explosive demand for solutions that protect against the deliberate or inadvertent release of sensitive information.”

Additional findings from the IDC survey include the following:

* Close to three quarters of organizations are currently using IPC solutions and 64% are planning to invest in new IPC solutions.

* The highest priority IPC solution is data leakage prevention deployed at the perimeter and endpoints.

* Budget and complexity are the largest barriers to IPC investment.

* The most common type of information leaked is intellectual property.

* Over half of all respondents think IPC should be a feature of another security solution.

The IDC Special Study, Information Protection and Control Survey: Data Loss Prevention and Encryption Trends (Doc # 211109), was conducted to measure adoption of IPC solutions. More specifically, the study examines current and future deployment plans, factors driving purchase decisions, satisfaction with IPC solutions, preferred IPC features, the impact of compliance regulations and more. IDC’s IPC survey was conducted between September 6, 2007 and October 12, 2007. A total of 378 respondents completed the survey.