Forrester’s first Data Loss Prevention Wave of 6 years highlights the resurgence of DLP

Forrester is set to release the report, titled The Forrester Wave^TM: Data Loss Prevention Solutions, Q4 2016, in mid-November. A valuable resource for security professionals, the report provides Forrester’s evaluations of leading DLP solutions along with an overview of the current market for DLP.

This marks the first DLP Wave since Q4 of 2010. Given that Forrester is doing another Wave now it’s a clear indication of the resurgence of demand for DLP – and quite a bit has changed in the DLP market since the previous report was published.

Even at a glance you’ll notice that there have been some big changes in the DLP market landscape over the past 6 years. For one, the industry players have changed shape somewhat through merger and acquisition activity – McAfee was purchased by Intel and became Intel Security while Websense was purchased by Raytheon and became Forcepoint. RSA announced end of life for its DLP product line and effectively left the market, and, of course, we rebranded from Verdasys to Digital Guardian and expanded our DLP offering through our acquisition of Code Green Networks.

DLP solutions have grown more advanced since Forrester’s previous Wave report as well, with leading DLP solutions bolstering their capabilities for detection, policies, and overall management features, while including new cloud capabilities. On the detection front, leading DLP solutions have incorporated features akin to the methods used by endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions. Policy-making features have grown more advanced to protect data in new forms and use cases, such as in cloud file sharing and productivity apps. From a management perspective, DLP solutions are now expected to provide more consolidated visibility and control from a central management console, and there’s increased emphasis on simplified event flows and reporting.

So what changes will we see in Forrester’s 2016 edition of the DLP Wave? We won’t know for another two weeks or so, but be sure to check back on our site when the report is released to get your copy!