What is data loss prevention and how does it work?

Data loss prevention, or DLP, is a set of technologies and policies that detect and prevent unauthorized transmission of sensitive data outside the organization. DLP solutions monitor three channels: network DLP inspects data in transit across email, web, and file transfers; endpoint DLP monitors data on workstations including USB transfers, printing, and clipboard operations; and storage DLP scans data at rest in file servers and databases. DLP identifies sensitive data through content inspection using patterns, keywords, and data fingerprinting.