Now that larger companies are entering the DLP space, my company wants me to look into the technology. I've noticed it's quite pricey, especially with service added. Can DLP be done on a budget?

Recently my wife commented on the number of new cars in the neighborhood, suggesting it might be time for us to part ways with her 11-year-old Acura. Though I'm open to the idea, I had to remind my wife that her car is running fine and we would probably use our funds better by saving for our children's college education. That said, since your company asks you to evaluate data leakage prevention (DLP), make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. Sure, larger companies are entering the DLP space, but to look at the technology simply for this reason would be a waste of time, resources, and potentially, money.

The DLP market has matured a lot during the past four years, and that's why you're now seeing larger companies entering it. Until recently, you'd have done better panning for gold in the foothills of California to get rich than leveraging DLP technology to discover content leaving your organization. However, the technology and industry are a lot more seasoned now.

Now to the question, can DLP be done on a budget? Absolutely. If we focus on what the abbreviation stands for-data leakage prevention-and take our minds off of technology, we might be surprised how many components within our environment can actually prevent data from leaving our organization. These components include Internet firewalls and proxies, e-mail gateways, site and content filters, desktop firewalls, and more. In some cases, it's simply a matter of re-tooling these utilities. In addition, many existing technology providers are looking to bring DLP to future versions of their products. In such cases, DLP may come to us if we simply maintain our maintenance agreements.

If you are fortunate and have a little cash to spare (though I'm not sure many of us do, given the economy), take a look at the DLP providers; you might be surprised. Some providers have come to the realization that the price and configuration complexity of their products were too difficult for most organizations to swallow. To combat this, they've developed entry-level DLP products that are simpler to use and a heck of a lot cheaper. You may still be looking at a hefty price tag if you decide to enable all of a product's bells and whistles, but I'd seriously doubt you'd need to do that.