Remote Work Landscape Pushes Microsoft to Releases Endpoint DLP and Double Key Encryption Features for Added Data Security
Microsoft recently previewed the release of specific features to tackle data security and risk management for end users with Microsoft Endpoint Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Double Key Encryption, along with additional Insider Risk Management features and compliance capabilities that are bundled within the Microsoft Teams collaboration tools. The previewed release was distributed to existing Microsoft 365 E5/A5 subscribers. The reason for the launch? The increasing shift towards a remote work environment and an increasing need to mitigate the accompanying risks as employees’ unregulated home workspaces become a dominant source of risk.
For users already leveraging Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) for data classification purposes, Endpoint DLP adds a layer to Microsoft’s pre-existing infrastructure. User devices can have security policies applied directly to them to ensure sensitive or high-risk data is not transferred to specific devices (think USBs or external hard drives). What Endpoint DLP does is essentially bridge the gap between Microsoft’s previous DLP capabilities, which extended only to the services under their control, and instead now captures in its scope the full gamut of potential devices that employees could be leveraging to store and transfer corporate data. Agentless and integrated with Microsoft’s current security offerings, Endpoint DLP removes the need for additional third-party solutions to monitor user devices.
On the privacy and compliance side, Microsoft’s Double Key Encryption layers up the security of high-risk, highly sensitive corporate information. Two keys are used to protect this information, one of which is controlled by the business while the other is within Microsoft Azure. Organizations that are under heavy compliance obligations and regulations have increased freedom capabilities with where their data is stored, making cloud storage a less-risky option.
Source: TechTarget, DarkReading, Redmond
Our Take
The shift towards a remote workforce has been one that has forced many companies to adopt additional measures and precautions while still being flexible enough to enable employees to adapt their own working habits to this new landscape. Microsoft’s comprehensive set of service offerings are no longer inhibited by a lack of control over endpoint devices, helping to facilitate a more-secure remote work environment. While it will still require a set of governing policies to be adopted and enforced, Endpoint DLP provides organizations with increased control, limiting the likelihood of critical information loss.
The side-by-side release of Endpoint DLP with Double Key Encryption fully equips companies to eliminate both business and compliance risk when it comes to data security. An insightful move considering the numerous faults with other enterprise collaboration providers such as Zoom. Subsequently, this will help to position Microsoft as both a comprehensive and secure choice for companies relying on a permanent or semi-permanent remote work environment for the foreseeable future.
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