Endpoint Protection is Key in Remote and Hybrid Work Environments

PKWARE

By Arif Khan, Vice President, Solutions Engineering, PKWARE

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Recently it was revealed that employee turnover is affecting the security of companies, as workers are—unwittingly or deliberately—exposing company data when they depart.

The Financial Times recently cited analysis by cybersecurity group Code42 that found approximately 65 million attempts by employees across 700,000 company devices to exfiltrate source code from their corporate networks. This is up from about 20 million attempts in previous quarters.

Outdated Security Tools

Even though many companies rely on them, traditional data loss prevention (DLP) tools are not the strongest solutions on their own. Not only can DLP make it harder to stop insider risk, but the tools are also not as effective in remote and hybrid work. In fact, according to a recent report from Code42, more than three-fourths of surveyed companies suffered a data breach despite having a DLP solution in place.

Remote working requires technology that makes it easier to move files across the organization. However, this technology increases insider risk: One report found employees were 85 percent more likely to leak company data today than they were before COVID-19.

In the face of this augmented risk environment, having an automated, end-to-end data security solution that protects data wherever it moves becomes essential.

The Need for Endpoint Data Security
The right endpoint security solution will help companies detect suspicious instances of data being moved around inside and outside of an organization. This can be accomplished through discovery, encryption, redaction, and classification tools—all of which PKWARE provides.

To secure endpoints, PKWARE's PK Protect product suite detects sensitive data as files are created and modified, and takes automated action based on company policy. When sensitive data is detected, PK Protect immediately applies the correct form of remediation, including classification, encryption, masking, quarantine, or deletion.

• PK Discovery locates, identifies, counts, and reports on all sensitive data across an enterprise, from data repositories and servers to endpoint files. Then even when that data is moved, the solution continuously monitors it.
• PK Encryption encrypts data at all endpoints, as well as in large-scale cloud storage systems, database systems, and file servers. That means if sensitive data is shared via email message or attachment, the tool incorporates encryption and decryption automatically. Documents, spreadsheets, and other sensitive files on endpoints or in the cloud remain safe from unauthorized access, even when saved to a message recipient's computer or shared in the cloud.
• PK Masking applies masking or redaction of sensitive information across petabytes of data on endpoints and beyond. It automatically and permanently removes it as soon as it appears on computers, file servers, or in other network locations.
• PK Classification classifies data based on custom or predefined policies to ensure sensitive data security and privacy. Classification tags stay with files and emails wherever they travel, thereby informing users and automated systems on the type of data being handled.

No matter where data is moved—whether an employee took it on purpose or by accident—PK Protect ensures that data stays protected. Learn more at PKWARE.com.