A customer requirement to implement a "valid DLP solution" pushed insider risk management to the top of Rakuten's priorities as the company shifted toward remote work. As a large, diverse organization, Rakuten struggled to even identify where its critical IP and sensitive data lived. Rather than lean on traditional, prevention-based controls, Rakuten integrated Mimecast Incydr with Exabeam Advanced Analytics to monitor file activity and detect anomalous behavior, uncovering risks it hadn't anticipated, including new hires engaging in suspicious activity shortly after joining, in some cases inserting external drives containing data from previous employers.
With 40,000 employees generating a high volume of alerts, the team relied on Incydr's risk prioritization alongside Exabeam's automation, integrating HR systems to flag new hires, departing employees, and watchlisted activity automatically. Critically, Rakuten looped in HR and Legal from day one, with security acting as an objective sensor and HR and Legal determining the right response. That cross-functional structure let Rakuten build what it calls a people-powered program: "We needed to build a more comprehensive program and risk-aware culture; it was much bigger than installing software to solve the problem."
