The McAfee Host Data Loss Prevention system is a high-powered endpoint data leakage machine consisting of device control and data leakage prevention of confidential and sensitive data through networks and applications.
Device control monitors and restricts data copied from or to removable media, while the network DLP prevent feature allows for policies to be set to prevent data transmission over email, web or instant messages.
Installation of this product comprises setting up the various network evidence folders then installing the base application, which is the ePolicy Orchestrator. At the completion of installing the Orchestrator the application is launched that brings up a configuration wizard. This initialises the system and helps configure basic system functions. The Orchestrator also becomes the management application for the DLP system. We found this interface to be easy to navigate and well organised.
Aside from managing data loss through device and network transmission, this product also has integrated encryption services and plugs in directly to Adobe LiveCycle for complete enterprise rights management of documents and sensitive data. Policies can be easily configured and pushed out to agents seamlessly by sending an agent wake-up call that alerts agents that there is a policy update.
Documentation consists of an installation guide and product manual. Both are in PDF format and are well organised, with many step-by-step instructions. However the majority of the documentation is step-by-step with little visual illustrations, which makes finding various buttons or menus difficult at times.
McAfee provides several levels of support each with various options. One year of gold support is included in the purchase price of the product and offers 24/7 phone and email support. Also available on the website at no cost is a knowledgebase, FAQ section, user forum and product documentation downloads.
At a price just under £60 without the Adobe LiveCycle functionality, this product can be pricey for some environments. However, we do find it to be good value for customers looking for a lot of features and flexibility in both data leakage control and enterprise rights management.