Inquiry Spotlight: Data Leak Prevention, Q1 2009

Data security in general and data leak prevention (DLP) in particular are growing concerns among security professionals. Forrester's data indicates that while firms are interested in DLP's future, they are taking a "wait and see" approach to adoption. Between October 2007 and September 2008, Forrester's IT security and risk management team fielded 1,816 inquiries on a variety of security-related topics; 179 of them were end user IT professionals asking about DLP and other associated technologies, such as encryption. The most common DLP inquiry topics focused on the future of the DLP market, the DLP market landscape and vendor selection, and a general understanding of the technologies associated with DLP. Although these topics are only the tip of the iceberg for data leak prevention, they illustrate the common concerns that Forrester's security and risk management clients have around securing their data.