Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Detailed Review
Security Tools
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Product Overview
Introduction to Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP is a comprehensive data loss prevention solution developed by Fortra, aimed at protecting an organization’s most sensitive data from various threats. Here’s a breakdown of its primary function, target audience, and key features:Primary Function
The primary function of Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP is to monitor, control, and protect sensitive data across all endpoints within an organization. It ensures that sensitive information, such as personal identifiable information (PII) and intellectual property, does not leave the organization’s network without authorization.Target Audience
This solution is targeted at enterprises and organizations that handle sensitive data and need to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. It is particularly useful for organizations with a hybrid workforce, including those with remote workers, as it provides consistent security controls across different operating systems and environments.Key Features
Cross-Platform Coverage
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP supports Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints, ensuring comprehensive coverage across all major operating systems. This includes support for the latest versions of macOS, such as Apple Big Sur, and compatibility with multiple browsers and applications.Granular Control and Visibility
The solution provides deep visibility into system, user, and data events, both on and off the corporate network. It allows for granular controls to log, block, require justification, or encrypt sensitive data in various contexts, such as email, files moved to removable drives, cloud storage, or web activities.Real-Time Analytics and Alerts
Digital Guardian offers real-time analytics and alerts to information security teams and users. It prompts users to justify their actions and records these interactions for auditing purposes. The system can automatically block suspicious activities and track data movements to prevent data loss.Data Discovery and Classification
The platform includes features for data discovery and classification, which help identify and categorize structured and unstructured data based on content, context, and user input. This ensures that sensitive data is properly identified and protected.Endpoint Detection and Response
Digital Guardian integrates endpoint detection and response capabilities to detect, investigate, and mitigate suspicious activities and behaviors at the endpoint. This is powered by the Digital Guardian Managed Security Program.Cloud and Collaboration App Support
The solution extends its protection to cloud applications such as Office 365 and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, Skype, Slack, and Zoom. It prevents users from sharing sensitive information through these platforms and can warn, log, or block such attempts.Integration and Compliance
Digital Guardian integrates with other security tools, such as FireEye, and supports digital rights management for full data protection. It helps organizations comply with regulatory requirements by maintaining evidentiary-quality logs of all activities. By providing these features, Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP offers a comprehensive solution to protect sensitive data across various endpoints and environments, ensuring the security and compliance needs of modern enterprises. Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - User Interface and Experience
User Interface
The user interface of Digital Guardian is generally described as user-friendly, especially once users become familiar with it. Here are some key points:
Ease of Navigation
Users have noted that the interface is easy to navigate, particularly in finding events and insights. The layout is designed to show actionable information, making it easier for security teams to parse out the data quickly.
Graphical Representation
The platform uses graphical charts and analytics to display data, which helps in tracking log activities and data movement. This visual approach makes it easier for users to monitor and manage data security.
Ease of Use
While the interface is user-friendly, there are some challenges associated with the initial use and setup:
Learning Curve
There is a notable learning curve, especially for new users. The system can be complex to set up and configure, which may require assistance from professional services or clearer instructions.
Initial Setup
The onboarding process and initial setup are often described as difficult and time-consuming. Users have suggested that the process could be simplified to make it easier for new users to get started.
Overall User Experience
The overall user experience is mixed, with both positive and negative aspects:
Positive Aspects
Once users are familiar with the system, they find it easy to manage and monitor data protection. The platform provides extensive reporting capabilities and advanced analytics, which are highly appreciated by users. It also supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac, which is a significant advantage.
Challenges
Some users have reported that the system can be resource-intensive, potentially impacting the performance of older or less powerful machines. Additionally, the sheer volume of data and analytics provided can be overwhelming and may require additional time and resources to analyze.
In summary, while Digital Guardian’s Endpoint DLP offers a user-friendly interface with clear and actionable insights, it does come with a learning curve and some initial setup challenges. However, once users become accustomed to the system, it provides a powerful and effective tool for managing and protecting sensitive data.
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Key Features and Functionality
Digital Guardian Endpoint Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Digital Guardian Endpoint Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a comprehensive security solution that offers several key features and functionalities to protect sensitive data across various environments. Here are the main features and how they work:
Comprehensive Data Visibility
Digital Guardian provides deep visibility into all system, user, and data events on endpoints, whether they are on or off the network. This is achieved through an endpoint agent that captures and records all activities, giving security teams a broad perspective on data usage and potential threats.
Granular Control of Data Movement
The solution allows for fine-grained control over data movement. You can automatically log, block, require justification, or encrypt sensitive data in various scenarios, such as email, files moved to removable drives, cloud storage, or web uploads. It also enables setting access permissions and encryption methods for removable devices and limiting file types and data transfer amounts by time intervals or device specifics.
Context and Content Awareness
Digital Guardian’s context and content awareness capabilities enable it to identify and protect both structured data (e.g., PII) and unstructured data (e.g., intellectual property). This comprehensive awareness helps in applying effective DLP controls across all sensitive data types.
Integration with Microsoft Teams and Other Platforms
The solution is integrated with Microsoft Teams, providing visibility and control over Teams messages and shared files. This includes coverage for one-on-one sessions, meetings, groups, and broadcast channels. It also applies Microsoft Information Protection sensitivity labels to confidential documents and ensures compliance with regulations like GDPR and PCI DSS.
Automated Policy Enforcement
Digital Guardian enforces company policies automatically by inspecting all network traffic for sensitive information. It can alert security teams and users to potentially risky data usage in real-time, prompt users to justify their actions, and record these interactions for auditing purposes. The system can also automatically block suspicious activities, encrypt or quarantine data as needed, and maintain evidentiary-quality logs.
Cloud and Endpoint Protection
The solution extends protection to cloud applications such as Office 365 and monitors all actions on endpoints, network traffic, and data in cloud storage. This ensures comprehensive coverage for all data use and egress to prevent data loss across the extended enterprise.
Data Discovery and Classification
Digital Guardian includes features for data discovery and classification. It can find sensitive data within the organization, classify it based on content, context, and user input, and monitor its usage to prevent unauthorized data loss.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
The platform combines DLP with EDR capabilities, allowing it to detect, investigate, and mitigate suspicious activities and behaviors at the endpoint. This is powered by the Digital Guardian Managed Security Program.
AI and Analytics Integration
While the sources do not explicitly detail the specific AI technologies used, Digital Guardian’s real-time analytics and automated remediation suggest the use of advanced analytics and possibly machine learning to identify and respond to potential threats. For instance, the solution performs keyword searches around all messages and attachments in Microsoft Teams to deliver broader context into potential insider threats and automate remediation for policy violations.
Conclusion
In summary, Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP offers a wide range of features that provide deep visibility, granular control, and automated policy enforcement to protect sensitive data across various environments, ensuring compliance and security.
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Performance and Accuracy
Performance
Digital Guardian’s DLP solution is known for its deep visibility into system, user, and data events, achieved through kernel-level agents on endpoints and network appliances. This granular insight is a significant strength, but it also comes with some performance implications. The use of kernel-level agents can impact system performance, particularly on endpoints with older hardware or limited resources, leading to slower performance or increased resource consumption. The cloud-native architecture of Digital Guardian, however, helps in efficient deployment and scalability, reducing the burden on an organization’s data center resources. This architecture, powered by AWS, enables better performance and higher efficiency compared to traditional on-premises DLP solutions.Accuracy
Digital Guardian’s classification engine is highly accurate, capable of identifying, tagging, and managing sensitive data in real time based on content, context, and user input. This multi-faceted approach minimizes false positives and false negatives, supporting automated content classification for over 300 file types and 90 languages, covering both structured and unstructured data. Despite these strengths, there are some potential issues with accuracy. For instance, the initial setup and tuning phase may still generate excessive false positives, which can overwhelm security teams and hinder productivity. However, Digital Guardian’s contextual classification tools are designed to mitigate this issue over time.Limitations and Areas for Improvement
False Positives
While Digital Guardian aims to minimize false positives, they can still occur, especially during the initial setup phase. This requires ongoing tuning and adjustment to optimize the system.System Performance Impact
The solution’s deep visibility mechanisms can affect system performance, particularly on less powerful hardware.Limited Monitoring Capabilities
Digital Guardian’s monitoring capabilities may be more limited for certain channels such as cloud applications or instant messages. Organizations with extensive cloud or mobile usage might need additional tools or integrations to ensure comprehensive coverage.No Remote Desktop Control
Unlike some other DLP solutions, Digital Guardian does not include built-in remote desktop control functionality, which can limit the ability of security teams to remotely access and manage endpoints for troubleshooting or incident response.No UEBA Support
Digital Guardian does not include native User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) capabilities, which are useful for detecting insider threats and anomalous user behavior. This may require integrating Digital Guardian with a separate UEBA tool.Additional Considerations
Digital Guardian offers flexible controls that allow organizations to enforce policies based on the sensitivity level of the data. These controls include monitoring, reporting, user justification, and blocking actions, all of which are tracked and maintained in evidentiary-quality logs. This comprehensive approach helps in preventing data loss across various egress channels such as network, web, data repositories, cloud, and endpoints. In summary, Digital Guardian’s Endpoint DLP solution offers high accuracy and deep visibility into data events, but it may come with some performance and operational costs. Addressing the potential for false positives, system performance impacts, and the need for additional tools for certain monitoring capabilities are key areas to consider when implementing this solution. Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Pricing and Plans
Licensing and User-Based Pricing
- For Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP, the pricing varies based on the number of users and the type of deployment:
- Windows, Linux or OSX Desktop or Server Agent: This requires a Data Visibility and Control license. The cost is $21.30 per user for 2,500 to 9,999 users, with a 22% DIR discount.
- Windows Multiuser VDI: For concurrent users, the cost is $30 per concurrent user for 11 to 249 users, also requiring a Data Visibility and Control license.
SaaS and Managed DLP Options
- Through AWS Marketplace, Digital Guardian offers the following plans:
- SaaS DLP: Up to 1000 users, priced at $80,000 for a 12-month contract.
- Managed DLP: Up to 1000 users, priced at $100,000 for a 12-month contract.
- Custom Pricing: Available with coverage and terms defined in a Private Offer, starting at $79,999.
Additional Costs and Services
- Data Visibility and Control: This is a prerequisite for the Endpoint DLP license and costs $14.20 per user for 2,500 to 9,999 users, with a 22% DIR discount.
- Annual Maintenance & Support: This varies by product but generally ranges from $3.12 to $6.60 per agent or concurrent user, depending on the specific product and deployment type.
- Professional Services: A daily rate of $2,000 is available for professional services, with a 2% discount.
- Training: Various training programs are offered, such as Public Training for Data Loss Prevention, Data Visibility and Control, and Supporting DG, priced between $1,600 and $2,400 per student.
Features and Plans
- Comprehensive Data Protection: Digital Guardian provides features like data discovery and classification, endpoint detection and response, and unified protection across internal and external threats via a single agent, network appliance, and management console.
- Centralized Management: The product includes a centralized management console and robust policy management, which streamlines administration and enhances visibility across devices and environments.
No Free Options
There are no free options available for Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP. The pricing is structured around various licensing models and additional services to ensure comprehensive data protection.
This information provides a clear overview of the pricing and plans available for Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP, helping you make an informed decision based on your organization’s needs.
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Integration and Compatibility
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP Overview
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP is designed to integrate seamlessly with various tools and systems, ensuring comprehensive data protection across a wide range of platforms and devices.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP supports Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems, providing full coverage for the most common platforms used in enterprise environments. This ensures that sensitive data is protected regardless of the operating system in use.
Integration with Existing Tools
Digital Guardian operates interoperably with existing data classification tools, allowing for granular policies and advanced detection. This integration helps reduce false positives and adds context to the data, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the data protection program.
Network and Cloud Integration
The solution monitors and controls data across various egress channels, including network traffic, web activities, data repositories, cloud applications, and endpoints. This comprehensive coverage ensures that sensitive data is protected whether it is in transit over the network, stored in cloud applications like Office 365, or accessed through endpoints.
Endpoint Coverage
Digital Guardian’s endpoint agent captures and records all system, user, and data events on laptops, desktops, servers, and virtual environments, both when connected to the corporate network and offline. This agent provides full visibility, controls, and analytics for all data movements, including file copy/move, save as, upload/download, email attachments, USB usage, and printer activity.
Data Classification and Managed File Transfer
Digital Guardian integrates with data classification tools and managed file transfer solutions to ensure that data classification labels are recognized and the appropriate policies are enforced as data moves throughout the network or leaves the organization. This integration extends security beyond the endpoint to secure collaboration software and managed file transfer processes.
Cloud Data Protection
The solution includes cloud data protection capabilities, stopping the loss of data in cloud applications. It supports various cloud services such as Box, OneDrive, Egnyte, and others, ensuring that data is protected even when it is stored or accessed through cloud platforms.
Conclusion
In summary, Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP offers broad compatibility and integration capabilities, making it a versatile and effective solution for protecting sensitive data across diverse environments and systems.
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support
Digital Guardian provides several channels for customer support:Live Support
Available via phone, with dedicated numbers for the U.S. (1-800-558-5305) and international callers ( 1-781-902-5792).
Online Support Portal
Customers can access support through the online customer support portal, which is staffed by security experts with extensive product knowledge.
Email Support
Users can also reach out via email at specific addresses, including for general inquiries and for Digital Guardian Secure Collaboration (formerly Vera).
Additional Resources
To help customers effectively use and manage their Endpoint DLP, Digital Guardian offers several resources:Comprehensive Self-Service Knowledge Bases
These knowledge bases provide detailed information and guides to help users align their data protection strategies, policies, and programs across their enterprise.
Customer Portal
This portal contains helpful resources, including documentation, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides to assist users in resolving issues quickly.
Webinars and Webcasts
Digital Guardian hosts webinars and webcasts that provide in-depth information about their DLP solutions, including how to enable compliance with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI.
Datasheets and Product Overviews
Detailed datasheets are available that outline the features, benefits, and deployment options of the Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP, helping users make informed decisions about their data protection needs.
These resources and support options are designed to ensure that customers have the necessary tools and assistance to effectively protect their sensitive data using Digital Guardian’s Endpoint DLP solution.
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Pros and Cons
Pros of Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP offers several significant advantages that make it a strong choice for data protection:
Comprehensive Visibility and Control
The platform provides deep visibility into system, user, and data events through kernel-level agents on endpoints and network appliances. This allows for effective detection and response to potential data breaches from both insiders and external threats.
Automated Policy Workflows
Digital Guardian simplifies the creation and enforcement of data protection policies with automated incident management workflows. This ensures consistent and timely reactions to policy violations, reducing the workload on security teams.
Pre-built and Customizable Policies
The solution comes with pre-configured policies for data covered by regulatory standards such as PII, PHI, and PCI. Additionally, a policy wizard enables the creation of customized policies to meet specific organizational needs.
Contextual Classification
Digital Guardian’s classification engine can identify, tag, and manage sensitive data in real-time based on content, context, and user input. This approach minimizes false positives and false negatives and supports over 300 file types and 90 languages.
Flexible Deployment Options
Organizations can deploy Digital Guardian’s DLP solution either on-premises or in the cloud, offering flexibility and scalability. The cloud-delivered option reduces the need for maintaining data protection infrastructure, allowing for faster deployment and reduced complexity.
Enhanced Data Management
The platform efficiently reorganizes access rights and categorizes sensitive data, providing better control over data access. It also offers thorough management of data exfiltration channels and stringent control measures for accessing data on cloud platforms.
Multi-Platform Endpoint Monitoring
Digital Guardian provides robust monitoring of endpoint activity across major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Cons of Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP
While Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP is highly effective, there are some notable drawbacks:
Excessive False Positives
Despite efforts to minimize them, the solution can still generate excessive false positives, particularly during the initial setup and tuning phase. This can overwhelm security teams and hinder productivity.
High System Performance Requirements
The kernel-level agents and network appliances can impact system performance, especially on endpoints with older hardware or limited resources. This may result in slower performance or increased resource consumption.
No Remote Desktop Control
Unlike some other DLP solutions, Digital Guardian does not include built-in remote desktop control functionality. This limits the ability of security teams to remotely access and manage endpoints for troubleshooting or incident response.
No UEBA Support
Digital Guardian’s DLP solution does not include native User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) capabilities, which are useful for detecting insider threats and anomalous user behavior. This may require integrating with a separate UEBA tool.
Limited to DLP Functions
While highly effective for data loss prevention, Digital Guardian falls short of offering the full range of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) functionalities.
By considering these pros and cons, organizations can make an informed decision about whether Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP aligns with their specific data protection needs and resources.
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Comparison with Competitors
When Comparing Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP with Competitors
Unique Features of Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP
- Comprehensive Visibility and Control: Digital Guardian offers deep visibility into system, user, and data events, both on and off the network. This includes the ability to monitor and control data movement across various channels such as email, cloud storage, and removable devices.
- Content and Context-Aware DLP: The platform can classify and protect both structured and unstructured data, including PII, intellectual property, and financial information, using advanced content and context-aware mechanisms.
- Automated Policy Workflows and Pre-built Policies: Digital Guardian simplifies policy creation and enforcement with automated workflows and pre-configured policies for data covered by regulatory standards like PII, PHI, and PCI.
- Built-in MDR Capabilities: The platform includes built-in Managed Detection and Response (MDR) capabilities, providing advanced threat detection and response services, even in the absence of known indicators of compromise (IOCs).
- Forensic Data Collection: It records detailed forensic data, which is crucial for incident investigations and compliance audits.
Alternatives and Competitors
Endpoint Protector
- Data Discovery Mechanisms: Endpoint Protector uses mechanisms like fingerprinting, RegEx, and keyword search to scan and classify data. It offers contextual inspection and solutions to remediate false positives.
- Granular Control: Similar to Digital Guardian, it provides granular control over data movement but with a focus on data discovery and classification.
Forcepoint DLP
- OCR Capacity: Forcepoint DLP includes Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to detect sensitive data in image files, a feature not explicitly mentioned in Digital Guardian’s offerings.
- Pre-packaged Policies: Forcepoint offers user-friendly, pre-packaged policies categorized by country, state, and industry, which can streamline policy implementation.
- Incident Hazard Ranking: It includes an incident hazard ranking system to help admins prioritize reviews and identify small data leaks over time.
McAfee DLP
- Network Gateway, Discovery, and Endpoint DLP: McAfee DLP is generally known for its comprehensive coverage across network gateways, discovery, and endpoints. It is a strong contender but may not offer the same level of MDR capabilities as Digital Guardian.
Trellix DLP
- Behavioral Analytics: Trellix DLP focuses on behavioral analytics to identify risky insider behavior and potential data theft attempts in real-time. It also includes features like optical character recognition and monitoring of data movement on endpoints even when users are off the corporate network.
Key Differences
- Deployment Flexibility: Digital Guardian offers both on-premises and cloud deployment options, appealing to organizations with different infrastructure preferences. This flexibility is not always a standard feature among all competitors.
- Advanced Classification: Digital Guardian’s classification engine can handle over 300 file types and 90 languages, providing a broad and accurate classification of both structured and unstructured data.
- MDR Capabilities: The built-in MDR capabilities in Digital Guardian set it apart from some competitors, as it provides advanced threat detection and response services integrated into the DLP solution.
Conclusion
In summary, while Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP stands out with its comprehensive visibility, automated policy workflows, and built-in MDR capabilities, alternatives like Endpoint Protector, Forcepoint DLP, and Trellix DLP offer unique features such as advanced data discovery mechanisms, OCR capacity, and behavioral analytics. Each solution has its strengths, making the choice dependent on the specific needs and preferences of the organization.
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP
What is Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP?
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP (Data Loss Prevention) is a security solution that protects sensitive data from being lost, leaked, or misused at the endpoint level. It provides deep visibility, fine-grained control, and broad coverage to stop sensitive data from leaving the organization through endpoints such as laptops, desktops, servers, mobile devices, and IoT devices.What types of data does Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP protect?
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP protects all types of data, including structured data like Personal Identifiable Information (PII) and unstructured data such as intellectual property. It has comprehensive context and content awareness, enabling effective visibility and DLP controls for all sensitive data.How does Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP monitor and control data movement?
The solution automatically logs, blocks, requires justification, or encrypts sensitive data in various scenarios, such as email, files moved to removable drives, cloud storage, or web. It also allows for assigning access permissions and encryption methods to removable devices or media, and restricts data movement based on device type, brand, model, or serial number.Can Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP be deployed across different environments?
Yes, Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP can be deployed across traditional endpoints, mobile devices, and cloud applications. It supports both on-premise deployment and outsourced managed security programs (MSP), making it flexible for various organizational needs.How does Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP handle automated classification of data?
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP performs automated classification of data without the need for predefined policies. This feature scales to large user bases, supporting up to 250,000 users on a single console.What are the key benefits of using Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP?
Key benefits include the broadest visibility and control over data, automated classification without predefined policies, scalability to a large number of users, and flexible deployment options. It also ensures that data protection does not impact productivity.How does Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP protect data at different stages?
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP protects data at three stages: data in use (while being accessed, modified, or processed), data in motion (during transmission through networks), and data at rest (stored in devices, databases, or servers). It uses methods such as authentication, authorization, identity access control, and encryption to safeguard the data.Is training and support available for Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP?
Yes, training and support are available. Digital Guardian offers public training sessions, such as a 2-day class on Data Loss Prevention, and provides annual maintenance and support packages for the solution.Can Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP be integrated with other security tools?
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP can extend its data loss protection with add-on modules, allowing for integration with other security tools and enhancing the overall security posture of the organization.How does Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP handle BYOD policies?
Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP is particularly useful in environments with Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policies. It monitors all endpoints, including personal devices, to ensure data loss, leakage, or misuse does not occur, making it a crucial component of an organization’s security strategy.What is the cost structure for Digital Guardian Endpoint DLP?
The cost structure includes per-user licensing fees, which vary depending on the number of users and the specific features required. For example, the cost for a Windows Desktop Agent can range from $14.20 to $21.30 per user, with discounts available for bulk purchases. There are also annual maintenance and support fees.