Patent ID: 8060596

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for normalizing data-loss-prevention categorization information, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing system comprising at least one processor, the method comprising: identifying a data object at a first time; applying a set of data-loss-prevention rules to the data object to determine a set of categorizations of the data object; distinguishing a set of content-based categorizations in the set of categorizations from a set of context-based categorizations in the set of categorizations; storing the set of content-based categorizations; applying, based on the set of categorizations, a first data-loss-prevention policy to the data object; identifying the data object at a second time; reusing the set of content-based categorizations to apply a second data-loss-prevention policy to the data object, wherein reusing the set of content-based categorizations to apply the second data-loss-prevention policy to the data object comprises: determining a new set of context-based categorizations of the data object at the second time; forming a new set of categorizations based on the new set of context-based categorizations and the set of content-based categorizations; and applying, based on the new set of categorizations, the second data-loss-prevention policy to the data object.