GigaOm Radar for Data Loss Prevention (DLP)v4.0

1. Executive Summary

Data is a precious resource for today’s enterprises, and preventing its loss is of paramount importance. The cost of data loss is significant, and its impact wide-ranging: it can be technical (with loss of services impacting operations), reputational (impacting relationships and future business opportunities), or financial (both loss of business and regulatory fines).

At the same time, organizations can’t just lock their data away. Data needs to be in the right location at the right time. It must be portable and remain available for internal use and external collaboration. However, any location that makes data available is a potential vector for data loss.

The tension between the demand for using data and the potential impact of its loss present significant challenges, and those challenges continue to grow. Adding to the evolving threats and changing regulations faced regularly by organizations is the mounting use of AI inside organizations, especially generative AI. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot have become everyday tools, creating new places where sensitive data can be shared. Add the rapid adoption of AI solutions that are scanning business data repositories, and it becomes clear organizations must adopt new controls to ensure that only the correct data is shared with these platforms.

To face these challenges, organizations must focus on three areas: appropriate data usage policies, awareness training for employees, and technology to help enforce policies and secure data.

Data loss prevention (DLP) solutions are one way to meet these challenges. These tools are not new, but they continue to evolve to tackle the broad range of threat vectors, from internal repositories and endpoints to the cloud and rapidly developing AI services. DLP solutions have moved from complex, primarily on-premises tools to cloud-based solutions that can work seamlessly with existing infrastructure via integrations and APIs. They can also be part of broader security tooling such as firewalls and developing technologies such as secure access service edge (SASE).

Data loss impacts the entire business, and IT leaders must find the right balance of people, processes, and technology to ensure that doesn’t happen. While people and processes are an essential part of protecting data from compromise, it is technology such as DLP that underpins this effort.

This is our fourth year evaluating the DLP space in the context of our Key Criteria and Radar reports. This report builds on our previous analysis and considers how the market has evolved over the last year.

This GigaOm Radar report examines 15 of the top DLP solutions and compares offerings against the capabilities (table stakes, key features, and emerging features) and nonfunctional requirements (business criteria) outlined in the companion Key Criteria report. Together, these reports provide an overview of the market, identify leading DLP offerings, and help decision-makers evaluate these solutions so they can make a more informed investment decision.