In Activity 4.5.1, “Implement DRM and Protection Tools Part 1,” we focused on deploying Data Rights Management (DRM) and other protection solutions specifically for our identified high-risk data objects, ensuring these met compliance requirements. Now, in Zero Trust Activity 4.5.2: Implement DRM and Protection Tools Part 2, we scale that commitment, extending data protection to cover all required data objects across the enterprise.

Activity Implement DRM and Protection Tools Part 2 mandates that DRM and protection coverage is expanded to cover all required data objects. This includes all data types subject to internal policy, regulatory mandates (like CUI, PII, PHI, etc.), or business criticality, moving beyond just the “highest risk” as addressed in 4.5.1. Furthermore, it emphasizes that protection mechanisms are automatically managed to meet best practices (e.g., FIPS), ensuring not just coverage, but a high standard of cryptographic assurance. The implementation of extended data protection attributes based on the environment classification allows for nuanced, context-aware protection based on the data’s location or operational context.

This activity ensures that every piece of data that needs protection, regardless of its specific risk level (as long as it’s “required”), is automatically governed and secured according to defined enterprise and regulatory standards.

The desired end state signifies compliance and data control: No data object bypasses the compliance requirement. This means every piece of data in the enterprise that should be protected, is protected.

Solutions for Achieving Implement DRM and Protection Tools Part 2 (Zero Trust Activity 4.5.2

Implementing Activity 4.5.2 requires scaling your DRM and data protection capabilities, automating their management, and ensuring meticulous application across a vast and diverse data landscape:

1. Comprehensive Data Identification and Classification – Prior to deploying DRM/protection, ensure all data objects that fall under “all required” categories (whether by regulation, policy, or business criticality) are accurately identified and classified using data classification and tagging tools (from Activity 4.4.2/4.4.3). This is the foundation for defining policies.
   
2. Scaling DRM and Data Protection Tool Deployment – Leverage the DRM tools and encryption solutions implemented in Part 1, ensuring they can scale horizontally to meet enterprise-wide demands. This expands the deployment of DRM solutions (controlling data usage) and encryption solutions (protecting data confidentiality) beyond high-risk data repositories to cover all applications, services, and repositories where required data resides.
   
3. Automating Management of Protection Mechanisms (Meeting Best Practices like FIPS) – Ensure that the deployment, configuration, and ongoing management of DRM policies and encryption mechanisms are largely automated. This supports consistent application and adherence to strict standards. This could include utilizing:
   1. Enterprise Key Management Systems (KMS) for automated key lifecycle management (generation, rotation, revocation) for encryption
   2. Security Configuration Management (SCM) tools or policy-as-code (PaC) to automatically configure and verify that data protection solutions meet specific security best practices, such as FIPS
   3. SOAR platforms for orchestrating and automated protection workflows
      
4. Identify and Implement Extended Data Protection Attributes – Given that you are expanding protection to more objects, there may be an opportunity to define and implement additional attributes for data protection based on the environment classification (e.g., “data residing in a high-security enclave,” “data replicated to a specific geographic region,” “data in a dev/test vs. production environment”). These attributes allow for more adaptive and nuanced protection policies.
   
5. Continuous Compliance Monitoring – Implement continuous monitoring to verify that all required data objects are indeed protected and that “no data object bypasses the compliance requirement.” This involves auditing policy enforcement, reviewing logs from DRM and encryption solutions, and feeding this data into your SIEM/XDR platforms for real-time visibility and alerting on any gaps.

Key Items to Consider:

• Data Volume and Diversity: The sheer scale and variety of data across “all required” repositories will present significant challenges in discovery, classification, and applying consistent protection.
• Performance Impact: Applying pervasive DRM and encryption across the enterprise can have a substantial performance impact on applications and infrastructure. 
• Key Management at Scale: Securely managing encryption keys for potentially millions of encrypted data objects requires a highly robust and automated KMS.
• FIPS Compliance: Ensuring cryptographic modules and implementations meet specific standards like FIPS requires careful selection of solutions and rigorous configuration.
• Integration Complexity: The success of this activity hinges on seamless, API-driven integration between data classification, DRM, encryption tools, KMS, SCM, and your broader security operations (SIEM/SOAR).
• Policy Granularity: Defining and managing nuanced policies based on data classification and extended environmental attributes requires powerful policy management capabilities.
• Legacy Data/Applications: Older systems may not readily support advanced DRM or modern encryption, requiring alternative strategies or migration.

For the Technical Buyer:

Activity 4.5.2 achieves pervasive and automated data protection across your entire enterprise within the Zero Trust framework. It’s about expanding DRM and encryption coverage from high-risk assets to all required data objects, ensuring protection mechanisms are automatically managed to meet stringent best practices like FIPS. For technical buyers, success here demands scalable deployments of DRM and encryption solutions, a highly automated Enterprise Key Management System, and a robust integration strategy leveraging SCM and SOAR platforms. This activity ensures that no data object bypasses the compliance requirement, establishing a comprehensive and resilient data security posture that actively protects every piece of sensitive information across your enterprise, cementing the “Data” pillar of your Zero Trust architecture.

Pillar: Data

Capability: 4.5 Data Encryption & Rights Management

Activity: 4.5.2 Implement DRM and Protection Tools Part 2

Phase: Target Level

Predecessor(s): 4.5.1 Implement DRM and Protection Tools Part 1

Successor(s): None