Enterprise Information Protection

Enterprise Information Protection (EIP) has become a top enterprise security priority as organizations move from controlled, on-premises environments to complex ecosystems where users access sensitive information from mobile devices (personal and corporate) and from outside corporate premises. This shift has made perimeter-based security insufficient and elevated the need for data-centric controls that manage user access while still enabling extensive internal and external collaboration. Key market drivers include the mass transition to remote work beginning in early 2020, increased sharing of protected information across partners and supply chains, and stringent regulations governing personal data, exports, and critical infrastructure.

EIP solutions address needs such as controlling access to structured and unstructured information regardless of storage location, enabling secure collaboration with internal and external parties, protecting intellectual property held by partners under legal agreements, and supporting new working models involving remote staff, freelancers, and service providers. Organizations are urged to prioritize these needs based on their specific context.

Core technical approaches include encryption (at folder or file level with corresponding key strategies), persistent information classification labels (e.g., public, internal, confidential, classified) that trigger protection policies, secure repositories (on-premises or cloud) with robust key administration (including HSM-backed key storage) and version control, and rights management (IRM/DRM) that enforces fine-grained permissions such as read, edit, print, and share—controls that travel with the document across infrastructure and cloud environments. Integration and interoperability remain challenges, especially linking classification with DLP and ensuring persistent protections across platforms. Proper information disposition is also critical to ensure sensitive data is securely disposed of when no longer needed or when retention limits are reached.

• Perimeter protection is no longer adequate for modern enterprise information security needs.
• Early 2020 marked the first time a vast portion of the global workforce was required to work remotely.
• Users commonly access corporate information from mobile devices, including devices they personally own.
• Enterprises increasingly share sensitive information with external partners as part of supply chains and joint projects.
• GDPR in Europe and CCPA in the US impose requirements on the collection, use, and ability to erase personal data.
• NERC CIP is a US regulation relevant to critical infrastructure protection.
• Encryption in EIP is commonly applied at the folder level (shared key) or the file level (per-document keys).
• Classification labels can be persistent and stored in metadata, traveling with a document wherever it is sent.
• Secure repositories can use HSM-backed key storage for strong key administration.
• Rights management can explicitly control actions such as reading, editing, saving, printing, and sharing.

• “The ‘post-perimeter’ age of security means that every interface with enterprise data is a potential attack vector.”
• “This wake-up call, as well as rising pressures on the climate from daily commuting and business travel will drive growth for this market.”
• “Access to information must be granular, meaning only authorized users on trusted devices should be able to read, modify, or delete it.”
• “Integration can be an issue here, as linking DLP solutions with classification solutions is difficult.”
• “Very often, these solutions are not used in isolation, but are offered in combination by a single vendor, or integrate with other vendors’ solution for a more robust protection scheme.”
• “As every organizational context is unique, an organization should critically assess and prioritize these needs for itself.”
• “Documents can be shared while at the same time remain protected from potentially harmful actions such as printing or sharing.”
• “Before any EIP solution can be effectively deployed, the employees who handle the sensitive data need to understand where the risks lie, and how they are the critical people to protect it.”
• “Knowing what kinds of assets your organization possesses and where they are… will help guide subsequent controls implementations.”
• “Sensitive information must be properly disposed of after it is no longer needed, or when the retention limit is reached on a secure repository system.”