4/8/2008 -- Until recently, Cisco Systems Inc. had a not-so-glaring hole in its self-defending network vision: a credible data leakage prevention (DLP) strategy. Last week, the company moved to fill that hole, expanding its existing alliance with storage giant EMC to develop an integrated set of DLP solutions.

EMC, of course, is the parent company of security stalwart RSA, which first made its name in cryptology circles and which today is a major force in the security software and services segment. It's for this reason that most analysts see the expanded Cisco/EMC partnership as a very big deal.

"[T]he collaboration, which includes leveraging both companies' DLP, PCI compliance, data center security, data encryption and key management technologies, helps to strengthen Cisco's product offerings within its self-defending network architecture," said Charlotte Dunlap, a senior analyst for enterprise security with Current Analysis.

Initially, Dunlap pointed out, Cisco plans to focus its DLP integration efforts on the Cisco Security Agent (CSA), its client security offering.

"[This] move provides customers with technology that addresses a growing concern around the potential loss of sensitive customer information and intellectual property," she said.

It also gives Cisco a competitive leg-up -- provided it can deliver its planned DLP integration sooner rather than later.

"Cisco is looking to beat the competition in adding DLP to its endpoint solution," Dunlap said. "Cisco has not provided a timeline for the project. Competitors such as McAfee and Symantec have acquired their own DLP technology and could beat Cisco to the punch in integrating the emerging technology with endpoint solutions."

The ins and outs of DLP protection can be confusing. For example, Dunlap noted, a handful of endpoint security providers already claim to offer DLP support. This is true, to a degree, but it's also misleading, she said.

"In the meantime, while endpoint security providers may claim outbound or DLP protection, these solutions protect against structured data -- e.g., social security and credit card numbers -- and not unstructured data...[such as] intellectual property...which is where Cisco is looking to differentiate," she said. --Stephen Swoyer