5 Data protection use cases using automation and integration between security technologies

Feb 28, 2022 | Secure Business Data

This article will dive into 5 use cases of data protection automation and integration between data-centric security technologies. These integration cases can make 1 + 1 > 2 in terms of the advantages to maximize protection compared to having a single isolated protection technology within the company.

Table of contents:

 

Towards a smarter and more advanced data protection

 
Users of data-centric security technologies are typically both the information security departments in the enterprise and the end-users. They are not tools focused solely on management by IT teams, but business users intervene when it comes to encrypting or protecting data.

This makes one of the most critical points of these solutions is the need to minimize friction in use by end-users. In this area, the automation of protection without user intervention is particularly interesting.

Not everything can be magically automated. Often, the data owner (the business owner) is the only one who knows when something should be protected and the level of sensitivity. However, there are cases where protection automation takes this responsibility off the users’ shoulders.

Before looking at integration cases between different technologies, let’s analyze the relevant use cases where data-centric protection or IRM (Information Rights Management) / E-DRM (Enterprise Digital Rights Management) can help.
 

4 use cases where IRM/E-DRM technologies can help

 
IRM/E-DRM technologies are focused on preventing data leaks and secure collaboration, applying a layer of protection on unstructured data that persistently accompanies it wherever it travels, beyond even the organization’s security perimeter. They can help, for example, in the following use cases:

  • Prevent unauthorized sharing of sensitive information (Secure Collaboration): The “Circles of Trust” approach ensures that only people included in the protection policy can access protected information. If the information reaches someone outside this circle of trust, they will not access the data.
  • Protection against internal threats: A good part of the information leaks of companies come from internal errors and threats. By protecting information with access control and specific permissions (e.g., only view, edit, print, etc.), the possibility of an internal user exploiting the documentation for purposes other than those marked by the organization is minimized.
  • Regulatory Compliance: EU-GDPR, PCI, and other regulations oblige to protect and keep under control the personal data of third parties, financial data, etc. This type of protection allows you to keep this information safe when it is in an unstructured format, wherever it is
  • Minimize the effect of external attacks such as ransomware and APTs: It is being seen how lately ransomware attacks not only encrypt data but extract it from the network and extort it by making it public. With IRM/E-DRM protection being encrypted, all the extracted data will be inaccessible to the attacker, which minimizes the effect of this type of attack.

In the following blog articles, we detail some other use cases of data-centric protection: 5 Critical use cases in Companies where Securing Information and 5 Weak Spots for Data Security in your Business.
 

5 Integration use cases with other technologies

 
Below, we highlight several use cases of IRM/E-DRM protection automation and integration with other data security technologies that minimize user usage friction and maximize the tool’s protection capability separately.
 

Case 1: Automatic Protection on File Servers or Documentation Repositories

It is possible to increase the security of the information stored in different information repositories, both On-premise and Cloud, so that it travels protected even when it leaves the repository.

The use case is as follows:

  • The user copies or moves documents to a corporate folder.
  • These are automatically protected with IRM/E-DRM, e.g., with View and Edit permissions, but not Print.
  • If the documents leave the folder, they are under the organization’s control.
  • You have a full audit on data access regardless of where they travel, and it is possible to revoke access remotely.
  • Valid for File Servers, SharePoint, O365, Alfresco, Box, etc.


 

Case 2: Automatic protection in email gateways

It is possible to automate the email and attachments protection without user intervention in the mail gateway. Based on the content, senders, recipients, and other elements, the correct type of protection is applied.

The operation is as follows:

  • The user sends documents with data of means of payment, personnel, etc.
  • A rule on the email server (Exchange, O365) detects sensitive information that is trying to be sent.
  • Attachments and/or message bodies are automatically protected.
  • It is also possible to scan encrypted files before being sent.
  • From there, they travel under the organization’s control, and their use can be monitored and audited.


 

Case 3: Automatic protection based on classification and metadata

It allows you to optimize the value of an investment in information classification tools, automatically protecting the documentation based on the classification applied with classification tools such as GetVisibility.

The operation is as follows:

  • The administrator joins a classification level, a protection policy. E.g., “internal use”: Policy All permissions except Full Control.
  • A user classifies a document on their computer with “Internal Use”: The file is automatically protected.
  • A file classified as “Internal Use” is detected on a file server: It is automatically protected.


 

 

Case 4: Integrated automatic protection with DLP and information discovery solutions

Data discovery tools give the administrator an overview of where sensitive or regulated data is located and what remediation action be taken. These solutions allow us to detect or discover sensitive information in endpoints, file servers, at the edge, etc. A DLP enables you to apply remediation actions on certain documentation to prevent data leaks.

The operation of DLP integration with IRM/E-DRM protection is as follows:

  • The administrator configures the protection of the file (e.g. document with personal or financial data) with IRM/E-DRM as a remediation action.
  • The file is protected on the endpoint file server automatically.
  • From here, it is controlled by the organization through the IRM/E-DRM solution regardless of where it is located.


 
Similar protection can be provided with tools for discovering or identifying sensitive information. You can create remediation rules based on detection events that allow you to apply security to specific documentation automatically.
 

Case 5: Increase the security of corporate applications

In this case, it is about protecting the information downloaded from ERPs or specific corporate applications. Through the IRM/E-DRM solution SDK, documentation downloaded from an ERP or certain applications is protected.

One of the possible integration use cases is as follows:

  • The user uploads the document to the CRM/ERP platform, etc.
  • Another user downloads sensitive documentation.
  • The download event is detected, and the SDK is automatically invoked to protect the file.
  • The file is protected, and the organization maintains control of it in any location (user endpoint, other networks, etc.

You can know about other possible integration scenarios with the SealPath SDK.

These are just a few examples where protection automation and IRM/E-DRM integration with other technologies can facilitate the application of corporate protection policies to maintain control of data anywhere.

SealPath’s data-centric protection and secure collaboration solution give you the ability to increase data security through the use cases described above and other similar scenarios.

This way, you can use the preferred corporate DLP, data discovery, information classification or data storage tools that best meet your needs. Through its integration capabilities and ease of use, SealPath will help optimize and maximize your data-centric protection capabilities.
 

 
Want to know about different integration cases and how SealPath minimizes user friction in secure collaboration scenarios? Contact us and we will explain how.