Personally Identifiable Information (PII) scanners are privacy protection tools that search for and classify Personal Identifiable Information (data-at-rest) such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and credit card numbers. Once this information is found, the admin can make further decisions such as moving or encrypting the data. By regularly conducting PII scans, organizations can ensure that their data is safe and secure.
This article will go through the ten best PII scanner tools on the market. This article will help you choose the right PII scanner tool for your specific needs. Let’s get started!
Why Use PII Scanning Tools
You might want to use PII scanning or PII data discovery tools for a few key reasons. Maybe, you’re worried about a data breach or theft and want to ensure that all of your PII is secure. Perhaps you want a clearer idea of what data could be easily collected about the employees in your organization.
In either case, PII scanning tools can be a valuable resource. These tools can protect your privacy by giving you greater visibility into the data collected and stored about you (or employees). And by helping you understand what information could be easily collected, these PII scan tools can also empower you to make more informed decisions about how to protect your data.
Furthermore, proper auditing and compliance are vital to protecting people’s personal information if you work with sensitive data. For instance, PII scanning tools can help you fulfill requirements and pass regulations like PCI DSS or HIPAA. In addition, with PII scanning tools, you can also conduct Privacy Impact Assessments to help specify PII classification, collection method, where it is stored, how it is moved, or how it is disposed of.
So, if you’re looking for a way to explore and protect your Personally Identifiable Information, consider using PII scanning tools.
PII scanning tools help you locate and identify PII data so you can take appropriate steps to protect it.
Here is our list of the best PII scanners on the market:
- ManageEngine ADAudit Plus – EDITOR’S CHOICE This software package provides data access logging, protection for AD objects, and reporting for compliance with PII and other standards. Runs of Windows Server, Azure, and AWS. Get a 30-day free trial.
- ManageEngine Device Control Plus – FREE TRIAL A user-friendly platform that grants administrators comprehensive control over data ports, file access, and access history. Get a 30-day free trial.
- Netwrix Auditor A complete visibility platform designed for risk mitigation and behavior analytics. It provides robust PII scanning and discovery.
- Azure Information Protection (AIP) The Azure AIP provides scanning and classification capabilities for your sensitive labels.
- Endpoint Protector A cross-platform DLP solution capable of discovering, monitoring, and controlling PII on endpoints.
- Nightfall A cloud-based DLP with powerful PII scanning features and outstanding integration capabilities.
- Digital Guardian A DLP solution built to stop data breaches at the endpoint. It provides data scanning and classification.
- Egnyte Business A security and governance solution to help you manage and control all your content, including PII.
- Teramind DLP An endpoint and user activity monitoring solution that focuses on DLP and insider threat detection.
- Varonis A data security and threat detection platform that uses Machine Learning to identify abnormal user behavior or discover vulnerable PII data.
- Netwrix Data Classification A solution that discovers sensitive information, including PII, automatically reduces its exposure.
Methodology for selecting the Best PII Scanning Tools
Today, many businesses are using PII (Personally Identifiable Information) scanning tools to protect the privacy of their customers. With the help of these tools, an organization can not only detect threats but also prevent the misuse of personal information such as addresses, emails, phone numbers, etc. Businesses may make sure they are not gathering or storing any private information that could be used to identify a person by using PII scanning tools.
Additionally, these tools can also assist firms in adhering to data protection laws like the CCPA and GDPR. With the help of PII scanning tools, businesses may make sure that their customers’ data is secure and safe from cybercriminals.
No doubt, there are many benefits of using PII scanning tools, but selecting the best one can be a daunting task. With so many options available in the market, it is important to consider the various factors that will help you make an informed decision.
The methodology for selecting the best PII scanning tools should include evaluating security features, ease of use, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, you should follow a structured approach when selecting the best PII scanning tool.
- Check if your selected tool provides data discovery and classification services.
- Does it allow scanning your Active Directory and file system? Does it support an access rights auditor?
- Does it provide free trials or an assessment period for free?
- Can it identify data exfiltration points?
- Can it spot anomalies in real-time?
- Does it offer alert options and activity logging features?
- Does it support file integrity monitoring with encryption?
- Check if the tool can be preconfigured with templates to cover a particular data privacy standard
- Does it have the ability to monitor peripheral devices, email, etc., constantly?
The Best PII Scanning Tools
1. ManageEngine ADAudit Plus – FREE TRIAL
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is a software system that collects log massage and then scours them for records of file access events and content changes. The system compiles information in each user account as listed in Active Directory. If sudden changes occur in an account’s pattern of behavior, administrators need to investigate.
Why do we recommend it?
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus offers extensive features designed specifically for monitoring and managing file access events, content changes, and activities within Active Directory. It provides an extra layer of security by ensuring that suspicious changes in account behavior are flagged for investigation. This can help administrators act swiftly in the face of potential security breaches or insider threats. The added bonus of being able to audit for compliance with major regulations such as GDPR, GLBA, SOX, PCI DSS, and FISMA makes it invaluable for businesses that must adhere to these standards.
The system also logs any changes made within Active Directory. This is to ensure that hackers can’t create new accounts or escalate the privileges of a captured account. The log records base created by ADAudit Plus can be audited by the tool for compliance with PII and there is also a reporting module. The package is also suitable for businesses that need to follow GDPR, GLBA, SOX, PCI DSS, and FISMA.
Who is it recommended for?
ADAudit Plus is suitable for businesses and organizations of all sizes that rely on Active Directory for user management. It is especially recommended for those in sectors where maintaining the integrity of user accounts and data is crucial. This includes finance, healthcare, e-commerce, and any industry that must ensure strict regulatory compliance.
Pros:
- ADAudit Plus identifies the user accounts behind file changes
- ADAudit Plus protest accounts in Active Directory
- ADAudit Plus provides auditing and reporting for PII compliance
Cons:
- ADAudit Plus isn’t available as a SaaS deal
Price:
- Free
- Standard: From $595 per year
- Professional: From $945 per year
Trial: ManageEngine offers ADAudit Plus on a 30-day free trial.
EDITOR'S CHOICE
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is our top pick! The log records base created by ADAudit Plus can be audited by the tool for compliance with PII and there is also a reporting module. The package is also suitable for businesses that need to follow GDPR, GLBA, SOX, PCI DSS, and FISMA.
Download: Start a 30-day FREE Trial
Official Site: https://www.manageengine.com/products/active-directory-audit/
OS: Windows
2. ManageEngine Device Control Plus – FREE TRIAL
ManageEngine Device Control Plus enables system administrators to establish access policies at the global, group, or individual level, thus ensuring data security while still allowing for access as required.
Key Features:
- Supports zero-trust security models
- Offers complete control over data processing and storage
- Can detect and alert to data tampering automatically
Why do we recommend it?
ManageEngine Device Control Plus is a versatile data protection tool that provides fine-grained control over access policies. By only permitting authorized access and continuously monitoring all changes, businesses can be confident in the security of their data.
The platform employs a zero-trust approach to file access, only permitting authorized access and monitoring all attempts and changes for auditing and differentiation between an insider attack and an honest mistake.
Device Control Plus provides administrators with visibility into access history, which can be extremely beneficial in identifying potential security breaches or compliance issues. It also enables administrators to identify and address any unauthorized access attempts swiftly.
Device Control Plus is a comprehensive data protection platform that streamlines the process of securing data while still allowing access when needed, making it an excellent option for organizations looking to enhance their security posture.
Who is it recommended for?
Device Control Plus is suitable for organizations of all sizes that prioritize data security. It is especially recommended for businesses in industries where data integrity is paramount, such as finance, healthcare, and government.
Pros:
- Designed to work right away, features over 200 customizable widgets to build unique dashboards and reports
- Leverages autodiscovery to find, inventory, and map new devices
- Uses intelligent alerting to reduce false positives and eliminate alert fatigue across larger networks
- Supports email, SMS, and webhook for numerous alerting channels
- Integrates well in the ManageEngine ecosystem with their other products
Cons:
- Device Control Plus can take time to fully explore and master.
Trial: ManageEngine Device Control Plus on a 30-day free trial.
3. Netwrix Auditor
Netwrix Auditor is a visibility platform used for risk mitigation and behavior analytics. It allows organizations to quickly identify and respond to security incidents and make informed decisions about their data security strategy.
Why do we recommend it?
The primary strength of Netwrix Auditor lies in its potent ability to detect data leaks and potential compliance issues. The user-friendly interface ensures a relatively smooth user experience, even for those who may not be deeply technical. This makes the deployment process more straightforward and reduces the potential barriers to adoption.
Netwrix Auditor is one of the best PII scanning tools because it provides robust data discovery capabilities to scan your network for sensitive PII information. The tool gives you numerous filters and report customization options that give you complete control over what data is collected and reported, making it easy to focus on the most critical information.
Who is it recommended for?
Netwrix Auditor is ideally suited for medium to large-scale organizations with a significant volume of sensitive data to protect. This includes industries like healthcare, finance, and any other sector where data security and compliance are paramount.
Pros:
- Netwrix Auditor provides a comprehensive view of user activity and data security, making detecting sensitive data leaks and compliance issues easy.
- The platform includes many features and capabilities, making it a powerful tool for data security and compliance.
- Netwrix Auditor is easy to use and deploy, with a simple interface that makes it easy to get started.
Cons:
- Netwrix Auditor has various features that may be overwhelming for some users.
- The platform is expensive and may not be affordable for all organizations.
- Netwrix Auditor requires a high level of technical expertise to deploy and use effectively.
Price: The cost of the solution will vary depending on the number of users and devices you need to monitor. The price is not officially listed on Netwirx’s site. Get a quote.
Trial: Netwrix offers a 20-days free trial.
4. Azure Information Protection (AIP)
Microsoft’s Azure Information Protection (AIP) scanner is a tool that can help organizations scan for and classify sensitive information from their office environments. The AIP scanner uses sensitive labels (configured by the user) to discover labeled files and automatically classify data. The scanner comes as a downloadable virtual machine that you can deploy on-premises or in the cloud and can scan file shares, email stores, and SharePoint sites.
Why do we recommend it?
One of the most powerful features of AIP is its automated labeling system, which can be tailored according to the unique requirements of the business. This not only streamlines the data classification process but also ensures a high level of accuracy in protecting sensitive information. The added capability to use these labels to trigger other security protocols, like encryption, offers an added layer of security.
AIP scanner is high-speed and efficient. It can scan large codebases quickly and accurately. API scanner is a powerful tool that can help organizations find and fix API-related security vulnerabilities quickly and easily. It is available for both Windows and Linux platforms.
Who is it recommended for?
Azure Information Protection is ideally suited for businesses that operate predominantly within the Microsoft ecosystem and are looking for an integrated solution to safeguard their sensitive information across diverse platforms. Both small and large organizations can benefit from its automated data classification and protection features.
Pros:
- AIP offers a data classification solution to help you automatically label and protect your sensitive files in the cloud and on-premises.
- AIP also includes features for Control access to documents (including watermarking),
- You can use AIP labels to trigger other security measures, such as encrypting a file when it’s labeled “confidential.”
- AIP can inspect any file that Windows can index.
Cons:
- AIP labels can confuse end-users, and training them to use the system may take some time.
- AIP is a bit pricey, especially if you want to unlock all of its features.
Price: AIP Scanner has four different plans: The free version, AIP for Office 365 (included in O 365 Enterprise E3 and above), AIP Premium P1, and AIP Premium P2. The price for Plan 1 (P1), the monthly subscription costs $2. While for plan 2, it costs $5 per user per month.
Trial: Sign up to (Enterprise Mobility + Security E5) for an AIP free trial.
5. Endpoint Protector
Endpoint Protector by CoSoSys is an industry-leading cross-platform Data Loss Prevention (DLP) software. The solution is designed to help you discover, keep track of, and protect sensitive data on your endpoint devices. The software uses a combination of watermarking, encryption, and device control to prevent data loss.
Why do we recommend it?
A unique aspect of Endpoint Protector is its cross-platform compatibility, catering to the diverse device ecosystem found in many modern workplaces. Its capacity for remote management further enhances its appeal, making it suitable for the distributed and remote teams common today.
Endpoint Protector’s DLP capabilities allow users to monitor and control PII in motion and at-store. This PII scanning tool allows users to discover, block, and monitor more than 100 file types of sensitive PII data on your endpoints.
Who is it recommended for?
Given its robust features, Endpoint Protector is an excellent choice for organizations of all sizes, especially those with a vast array of endpoint devices. It is particularly well-suited to businesses with BYOD policies or those that have remote workers and need to manage devices outside the traditional office environment.
Pros:
- It prevents data loss for various devices, including laptops, PCs, and smartphones.
- You can use it to restrict access to specific websites and applications.
- You get remote management capabilities for managing your data.
- Create custom reports as per your requirements.
Cons:
- The free version does not include all features.
- Some users have found the interface to be overwhelming.
Price: The price is not listed on Endpoint Protector’s site. Please request a quote.
Trial: Subscribe to get a 30-day free trial.
6. Nightfall
Nightfall is a cloud-based DLP solution with PII data scanning, discovery, and classification capabilities, to help organizations manage and protect their sensitive data. It uses machine learning (ML) algorithms to automatically identify and classify PII data across your infrastructure, SaaS, or APIs.
Why do we recommend it?
Nightfall has emerged as a leading solution in the DLP space due to its ability to seamlessly integrate with modern applications that businesses use daily. Leveraging machine learning algorithms gives it an edge, allowing it to stay ahead of ever-evolving data patterns and ensuring that sensitive information remains secure.
The Nightfall PII Scanner is fast, accurate, and easy to use. Plus, it brings (through integrations) data protection to a wide variety of modern applications, including Slack, GitHub, Google Drive, Confluence, Jira, Amazon S3, and more.
Who is it recommended for?
Nightfall is a perfect fit for organizations that rely heavily on cloud applications for their daily operations. It’s ideal for businesses that use platforms like Slack, GitHub, or Google Drive, ensuring that sensitive data remains confined within prescribed boundaries. Given its ML capabilities, organizations with dynamic data environments will find Nightfall particularly beneficial, as the system can adapt and learn from changing patterns.
Pros:
- Nightfall allows for easy and secure communications.
- It provides proactive compliance with HIPAA, PCI, GDP, CCPA, and more.
- It scans your data with an ML-trained PII detector.
Cons:
- Initially, Nightfall is a bit challenging to set up, but it can be simple once it is deployed.
- If you are looking for premium PII, Nightfall can be on the expensive side.
Price: The price is not listed on the official site, but they list the following plans: Developer Platform (Free, Enterprise), Nightfall for Slack (Pro and Enterprise), GitHub, Google Drive, Confluence, and Jira plans.
Free version: If you sign up for the Nightfall Developer Platform, you’ll get the free plan (with a limit of 3GB of PII scanning data per month.)
7. Digital Guardian’s DLP
Digital Guardian by Fortra is a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution purpose-built to stop data breaches at the endpoint. The platform uses a multi-layered approach that includes activity monitoring, file, content controls, and data classification to protect PII and other sensitive data across your enterprise.
Why do we recommend it?
Digital Guardian’s DLP stands out for its holistic and comprehensive approach to data loss prevention. With its multi-layered strategy, the platform covers all bases, ensuring that data is protected irrespective of where it resides or how it’s being transferred. Being cloud-delivered gives it the flexibility and scalability to protect data in modern IT environments that often leverage cloud services.
Digital Guardian offers a comprehensive solution for data loss prevention that covers all the places where you store and move data, from endpoint to cloud. Digital Guardian’s DLP is also cloud-delivered (powered by Amazon’s AWS), which means it is well-positioned to serve data on the cloud.
Who is it recommended for?
Digital Guardian’s DLP is an excellent fit for medium to large enterprises that deal with vast amounts of sensitive data. Given its comprehensive nature, businesses that have complex IT infrastructures, spanning both on-premises and cloud environments, will find it especially beneficial.
Pros:
- The platform uses a multi-layered approach to security (from endpoint to the cloud).
- The solution is also customizable so that you can tailor it to your specific needs.
- It offers real-time protection to ensure your data is always safe.
Cons:
- The solution can be complex to implement and manage, especially for larger enterprises.
- Digital Guardian can also be expensive, particularly for businesses without experience with DLP solutions.
Price: The price is not officially listed on the website.
Trial: No free trial is available, but you can request a free demo.
8. Egnyte Business
Egnyte Business is an all-in-one security and governance solution to manage and control all your content. This platform provides you with a centralized control panel for all your content stored on-premises or in the cloud. In addition, Egnyte Business provides a professional PII scanning tool to help you find, classify, and protect your sensitive data. With Egnyte Business you can search for specific data types, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers, and get detailed reports on where that data is located.
Why do we recommend it?
Egnyte Business is a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to ensure both the security and accessibility of their data. With its centralized control over content, whether on-premises or in the cloud, Egnyte provides a unified platform that bridges the gap between collaboration and data security. The PII scanning tool offered by Egnyte Business sets it apart from many other solutions. Having a tool that can pinpoint the location of PII data becomes invaluable.
Egnyte offers several features to empower your security. For instance, it uses a 256-bit AES encryption to protect files at rest, and also to set granular permissions. In addition, all files are stored in geographically distributed data centers to ensure high availability and reliability.
Who is it recommended for?
Egnyte Business is an excellent fit for medium to large-sized businesses that have data scattered across different storage solutions, be it on-premises or various cloud providers. For organizations that also prioritize collaboration but don’t want to compromise on security, Egnyte provides the right balance.
Pros:
- The platform allows users to access and share files from any device or location.
- Despite being a quite robust solution, Egnyte is easy to set up and use.
- Amazing tech and customer support.
Cons:
- The platforms lack more granular controls when setting permissions.
- It can be expensive for businesses with significant data storage needs.
Price: Egnyte Business costs $20/User/Month (annually).
Trial: Register to get a 15-day free trial.
9. Teramind DLP
Teramind is an endpoint and user activity monitoring software. It specializes in software for data loss prevention, insider threat detection, workplace productivity, and compliance management.
Why do we recommend it?
Teramind DLP stands out as a solution specifically designed to address data loss prevention and insider threat detection. Its emphasis on user activity monitoring means that businesses not only understand where their sensitive data is but also who interacts with it and how. One of the highlights of Teramind’s DLP is its PII scanner tool. The ability to detect and classify over 60 types of sensitive PII data makes it an essential tool for businesses that handle vast amounts of personal and sensitive data.
Teramind’s DLP provides an exceptional PII scanner tool to detect and classify more than 60 types of sensitive PII data, including credit card numbers, social security numbers, passport numbers, etc. The tool has content tagging and fingerprinting capabilities to let you define, discover and protect your PII.
Who is it recommended for?
Given the comprehensive nature of its features, Teramind DLP is particularly suited for larger enterprises or industries that handle sensitive data, such as finance, healthcare, or e-commerce. Organizations looking to ensure they maintain compliance with data protection regulations will also find Teramind’s offerings beneficial.
Pros:
- Generate detailed reports on what data is at risk.
- It gives flexible deployment options, which means you can use Teramind DLP in the cloud, on-premises, or both.
- Fantastic privacy compliance and access control.
Cons:
- The price tag may be off-putting for some organizations.
- The platform is bloated with too many features, making it overwhelming at first use.
- For new users, the learning curve may be steep.
Price: Teramind DLP pricing starts at $12.50 /user/month.
Trial: Register to start a Teramind DLP free trial.
10. Varonis
Varonis is a data security and threat detection platform that helps organizations protect their data from cyberattacks. The Varonis platform uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify unusual user behavior, recognize vulnerable data, and reduce the risk of data breaches.
Why do we recommend it?
Varonis is renowned for its deep data insights and predictive capabilities. It’s more than just a PII scanner – it’s a complete platform that delivers advanced threat detection and data security. One of its key strengths lies in its use of machine learning and artificial intelligence, enabling it to detect unusual patterns in data access and user behavior that might elude traditional security measures.
Varonis provides a robust data classification engine, to help you scan and discover, and automatically classify sensitive files including PII and others, reduce their exposure, and alert on any abnormal access.
Who is it recommended for?
Varonis is best suited for medium to large enterprises with vast amounts of data spread across various locations. Organizations with a dedicated IT or cybersecurity team would particularly benefit from the depth and breadth of insights Varonis offers.
Pros:
- Varonis scanning and logging are robust.
- Outstanding automation to detect anomalies and take action.
- Create audits of the entire Active Directory and file system.
Cons:
- Some reporting and dashboards are difficult to navigate.
- Varonis requires a higher processing power to run.
- You’ll need a dedicated team to manage and monitor Varonis to get the most out of it.
Price: Request a quote.
Free trial: There is no free trial, but you can register for a free demo.
11. Netwrix Data Classification
Data Classification is another great PII scanning solution from Netwrix. It provides various data solutions like data breach mitigation, data’s true value discovery, employee productivity improvements, and help with compliance and audits. The solution identifies any PII-sensitive data on-premises and in the cloud and automatically reduces its exposure by quarantining the most sensitive data stored in un-secure locations.
Why do we recommend it?
Netwrix Data Classification is a holistic solution that is particularly adept at protecting data on Windows File Servers. Given the widespread use of Windows-based infrastructure in many organizations, this specificity makes it a compelling option. Its ability to quarantine sensitive data stored in insecure locations makes it stand out. Instead of just identifying and alerting about the data, it takes proactive measures to ensure that the exposure of sensitive data is minimized.
Netwrix Data Classification is popular for protecting Windows File Servers. The solution provides a Windows Server role known as Windows Server File Classification Infrastructure (FCI). This role enables you to manage and classify data stored on Windows file servers from a centralized console.
Who is it recommended for?
Netwrix Data Classification is ideal for businesses using Windows-based infrastructure, particularly those that rely heavily on Windows File Servers. Organizations that are required to comply with various regulations (like GDPR or HIPAA) will benefit from its predefined categories and powerful reporting capabilities.
Pros:
- Automatically classify files and identify sensitive data.
- Data classification is made easy.
- Predefined categories.
- Powerful reporting and alerting capabilities.
Cons:
- Requires an agent on each file server or the client computer.
- It can impact performance on file servers and client computers.
- It may require additional storage for the classification database.
Price: For more pricing information, request the price.
Trial: Netwrix offers Data Classification for a free trial.
Final Thoughts
PII scanning tools automate the process of discovering and classifying Personally Identifiable Information (PII); they help organizations keep their data safe and compliant with data privacy regulations. PII scanning tools are also great for auditing your company’s most valuable data— your employee’s PII. Finding their sensitive information before the bad guys do will ensure everyone’s privacy and security.
In this post, we went through the market’s top 11 PII scanning tools. Our top three favorite PII scanning tools are Netwrix Auditor, ManageEngine Data Security Plus, and Endpoint Protector.
What are yours?
