Gartner names Symantec the Only 7-Time Leader* in DLP

By Robert Hamilton, Director Product Marketing, Symantec

One of the most damaging events a business can experience is the loss or theft of sensitive information, be it proprietary information about the organization itself of personal details of its customers – either way a data breach can cause millions of dollars in damages. Reducing the risk of data breach is a board-level priority for organizations. Much of the focus has always been on preventing external attacks. But, it’s not just bad people doing bad things that organizations need to worry about. On a daily basis, employees take inadvertent risks while trying to get their jobs done. With the massive growth in tablets and smartphone adoptions, security organizations have struggled with how to better support their businesses in adopting these new technologies, while also maintaining strong protections for their sensitive information.

More than ever, CISOs and security organizations want to be seen as business enablers who embrace new productivity devices and services, but first they need to be able to ensure the business data on these devices will be protected. Organizations are looking for security vendors that can protect their sensitive data completely – no matter where it’s used or stored. Use cases for Data Loss Prevention solutions now go beyond the basics, as organizations need to mange sensitive data on mobile devices and in clouds and virtual environments.

Gartner, Inc. evaluates vendors of data loss prevention solutions in its annual Magic Quadrant report, and the 2013 Magic Quadrant for Content-Aware Data Loss Prevention positions Symantec in the Leaders quadrant for the seventh year running*. Leaders are recognized for their ability to execute and completeness of vision, according to the report:

Leaders have products that work well for Gartner clients in midsize and large deployments. They have demonstrated a good understanding of client needs and generally offer comprehensive capabilities in all three functional areas — network, discovery and endpoint. They have strong management interfaces, and have tight integration with other products within their brand or through well-established partnerships and tight integration. They offer aggressive road maps and usually deliver on them. Their DLP products are well-known to clients and are frequently found on RFP shortlists.

We believe our position as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant report for content-aware DLP is well deserved and affirms Symantec’s vision, focus and lasting commitment to stand as a partner and trusted advisor in protecting our customers’ information and infrastructure. Not only is our current offering strong, but our long-term vision is clearly recognized as well.

DLP Developments in 2012

This past year, we saw high-profile data breaches making headlines. We also continued to see mobile devices penetrating nearly every aspect of our lives. For many the line between personal and business devices has been blurred, or erased altogether, with a single device used for both personal and business activities. The security challenges mobile devices create weigh heavily on CISOs’ minds. The rapid adoption of smart mobile devices is leaving organizations vulnerable to data loss from insiders, both malicious and well-meaning. Protecting information on mobile devices is a must-have, and DLP technology is the leading choice here.

Symantec, a recognized world leader in Data Loss Prevention, delivers a comprehensive, content-aware solution to discover, monitor and protect confidential data wherever it is stored or used – across network, storage and endpoint systems. The solution allows organizations to measurably reduce the risk of a data breach, establish broad-based security awareness and safeguard customer privacy, brand equity and intellectual property.

In 2012, Symantec launched Symantec Data Loss Prevention for Mobile, which added support for the iPhone. The solution helps CISOs monitor and control the transmission of confidential data from mobile devices without restricting users’ access to applications. Combined with the recent release of Symantec Mobile Management, Data Loss Prevention for Mobile provides the industry’s most comprehensive solution to enable organizations to support business productivity and personal use concurrently. By adding iPhone support to existing support for iPad, Symantec provides comprehensive DLP for one of the most widely deployed enterprise mobile operating systems.

For more information on Symantec Data Loss Prevention visit: www.symantec.com/data-loss-prevention.

About the Magic Quadrant

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

* Vontu was acquired by Symantec; previous titles include Magic Quadrants for “Content Monitoring and Filtering” and “Data Loss Prevention”.