<p>The world of Microsoft messaging recently took over Orlando, Florida, for the Microsoft Exchange Conference 2012. MEC 2012 was the first conference Microsoft has hosted that's completely dedicated to Exchange in 10 years, and it brought a lot of big newsespecially around protecting and managing the sensitive data that passes through Exchange.</p><p>As a central hub of messaging, Exchange Server is the primary conduit of information for most companies. Data flows in and out in the form of email messages and file attachments. The challenge for businesses is to establish and enforce policies about what types of information can be sent via email, to have the tools in place to monitor data flowing out, and to ensure sensitive information isn't intentionally compromised or inadvertently exposed.</p><p>While most computer and network security initiatives revolve around blocking unauthorized access and preventing attacks from third-party evil-doers, the vast majority of data breaches result from authorized users either intentionally or inadvertently sending out sensitive information. A report on the cost of data breachesfrom the Ponemon Institute earlier this year declared, "As we wrote about last year, insider threats are still huge and their negligence is still the root causeand biggest costof many breaches."</p><p>Microsoft has taken notice, and it's stepping up the data protection features of Exchange Server to give IT admins the tools to keep sensitive data safe and secure. Companies need to have data protection policies in place, and users need to be educated in proper data handling procedures. But it also helps to have DLP (data loss prevention) tools in place to prevent sensitive information from falling through the cracks before it becomes a data breach.</p><p><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010902/microsoft-bakes-data-protection-into-exchange-server.html">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.windowsitpro.com/blog/cloud-computing-7/cloud-computing2/email-cloud-avoid-pitfalls-144385">Email in the Cloud: Avoid the Pitfalls</a> (Windows IT Pro (blog))</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&ned=us&ncl=d_aBaQDSc3_9MAMiCKYdQaZzoPYzM">2 additional articles.</a></p>