Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • IT Management
    • Networking

    Artificial Intelligence Enables Next-Gen Data Loss Prevention

    Zscaler discusses how AI is evolving its DLP strategy, which is particularly challenging with today's distributed data.

    By
    Zeus Kerravala
    -
    May 4, 2022
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      the future

      Data management and security practices are changing rapidly as data becomes fully distributed and fully situated in the cloud today.

      Every organization is using hundreds of software-as-a-service (SaaS) apps—many that aren’t company approved. SaaS apps allow users to access them from anywhere at any time, boosting productivity and collaboration, which is why “shadow IT” has become one of the biggest headaches for corporate IT.

      Also see: Top AI Software 

      Distributed Data Creates Data Loss Prevention Challenges

      While the cloud has enabled businesses to not skip a beat during and post pandemic, this shift is creating the new IT challenge of managing fully distributed data, which is no longer on-prem. Data is everywhere. The traditional hub and spoke security model is not sufficient for securing data in the cloud. Every organization should be thinking about implementing modern data loss prevention (DLP) practices.

      I recently did a ZKast with Moinul Khan, VP of Product Management for Zscaler, discussing the importance of data protection in the cloud. Khan explained why DLP doesn’t have to be a long, laborious process that consumes the security team’s time and resources. Highlights of the ZKast interview, done in conjunction with eWEEK eSPEAKS, are below.

      Also see: Secure Access Service Edge: Big Benefits, Big Challenges

      • Zscaler is a pioneer in leveraging the cloud to deliver security. Now it’s leveraging the cloud to deliver data protection. Zscaler believes a platform strategy is key, where data protection, secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security brokers (CASB), and zero trust network access (ZTNA) are integrated into one platform.
      • All these elements come together in security service edge (SSE), a concept introduced by Gartner in 2021. SSE secures access to the web, cloud services, and private apps. Conceptually, Zscaler has been doing SSE from the start with its cloud-native Zero Trust Exchange platform, which securely connects users, apps, and devices over any network.
      • Zscaler later raised the bar for app monitoring with the Zscaler Digital Exchange (ZDX), a subscription-based service delivered on the Zero Trust Exchange platform. ZDX focuses both on improving the user experience and providing robust security by identifying various bottlenecks. The two go hand-in-hand. If the user experience suffers as a result of security, the end users won’t be happy.
      • In the cloud era, organizations must have a strong security play focused on external and internal threats, as well as accidental data loss. Insider threats are a big problem for organizations. They can come from anywhere, such as when employees leave a company and take sensitive data with them. Zscaler is different from other vendors in this space since it doesn’t simply provide an overlay proxy like traditional DLP.
      • The traditional DLP approach isn’t effective in inspecting structured and unstructured data. It requires continual policy tweaking, ongoing management by large teams, and a great deal of overhead. That’s why Zscaler focuses on contextual DLP and the different types of files that are leaving the premises. If users upload encrypted documents, Zscaler can pinpoint where the data is coming from, where it’s going, and the activity of cloud-based apps.
      • Organizations should be paying attention to the type of data being shared. Therefore, Zscaler has automated data classification using machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to cut down on the false positives. It has also introduced advanced data classification techniques like exact data match (EDM), indexed document matching (IDM), and optical character recognition (OCR).
      • OCR is important for DLP to inspect screenshots that contain sensitive information. There are instances where a disgruntled employee may take a screenshot of a company file with their phone and steal the data. OCR can extract data from an image file, while DLP protects the data and/or the company’s intellectual property. Zscaler can detect and block these types of transactions.
      • Zscaler uses ML/AI algorithms to build predefined dictionaries and to classify data, as noted above in the OCR example. Additionally, ML/AI helps identify user behavior. For instance, if an employee starts downloading an excessive number of files, it’s a deviation from their normal behavior and an indication that they may be stealing company data. AI/ML identifies such anomalies and triggers alerts.
      • Data protection is a gradual journey. The first step is to have full visibility, that is, being able to view all Internet-bound traffic. Step two is to block any risky apps that aren’t company-approved. Step three is to focus on zip files that users may be sending out since the leading exfiltration points for organizations are personal cloud storage and email apps. Lastly, the data that’s already in the cloud should be secured and not exposed to the outside world.

      Also see: The Successful CISO: How to Build Stakeholder Trust

      Zeus Kerravala
      https://zkresearch.com/
      Zeus Kerravala is an eWEEK regular contributor and the founder and principal analyst with ZK Research. He spent 10 years at Yankee Group and prior to that held a number of corporate IT positions. Kerravala is considered one of the top 10 IT analysts in the world by Apollo Research, which evaluated 3,960 technology analysts and their individual press coverage metrics.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×