Every few years, a new solution revolutionizes data security. In the ‘70s, it was encryption algorithms. In the ’80s, it was firewalls and antivirus. The ‘90s saw the rise of intrusion detection and prevention systems. Then came MFA, zero trust architecture, blockchain technology, and more. Data security posture management (DSPM) is the most recent of these technologies.
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Why Traditional Data Security Strategies Fall Short
Somewhat paradoxically, traditional data security strategies focus more on securing perimeters and infrastructures rather than the data itself. For some years now, organizations have relied on perimeter, network, and identity and access management (IAM) security solutions to secure data.
These solutions, which include firewalls, zero-trust network architecture (ZTNA), and endpoint detection and response (EDR), have been effective for some time now, securing organizations against a multitude of threats. However, in recent years, they have begun to fall short of the mark.
The problem is that the rapid adoption of cloud technology – 94% of organizations with over 1000 employees have some of their workloads in the cloud – has vastly complicated data security. As such, organizations can no longer rely on perimeter or infrastructure-based security solutions to secure their data because of the inherent dynamism of that data in diverse cloud environments.
Moreover, it’s relatively easy for security teams to lose or overlook data and data repositories in these environments. Most organizations store information across several data stores, including cloud data repositories, multi-cloud environments, and IaaS platforms, making keeping track of this information increasingly difficult.
As should be apparent, security teams can’t protect data they’re unaware of. It soon became clear that a data security solution focused on finding and securing data was necessary.
What is DSPM?
In 2022, DSPM emerged as a solution to these problems. These tools help organizations find, classify, and secure their data across diverse cloud environments. They provide continuous monitoring, data discovery, and quick fixes to protect against unauthorized access, breaches, and compliance issues. Essentially, they provide security teams with insights into their data, where it resides, and whether it is adequately protected.
How Does DSPM Work?
To help you better understand what DSPM does, it’s worth briefly running through the six key capabilities of these solutions. They are:
- Data Discovery: The solution collects and identifies all data assets across an organization’s entire infrastructure.
- Data Classification: DSPM tools then classify this data according to compliance requirements and sensitivity to determine what requires the most protection and inform remediation efforts and resource allocation.
- Risk Assessment and Prioritization: The solution then uses vulnerability scanning and risk correlation techniques to evaluate data security and identify the assets requiring immediate attention.
- Configuration and Policy Management: DSPM tools ensure that security configurations and policies align with business needs, best practices, and relevant regulations.
- Reporting and Alerting: These solutions provide security teams with detailed reports and dashboards that offer insights into their organization’s security posture. These reports typically classify data risks based on their potential impact to inform data security efforts.
- Remediation and Prevention: Finally, DSPM solutions provide actionable advice for remediating security issues and conducting incident response. By continuously monitoring and updating security measures, they ensure security well into the future.
DSPM: The Next Step for Data Security
First revealed to the world in Gartner’s 2022 Hype Cycle for Data Security, DSPM has quickly become an integral part of many organizations’ data security strategies. In 2022, Gartner stated that DSPM had a market penetration of less than one percent but predicted this would rise to 20% in the succeeding years. While no exact figures exist yet, this prediction appears to have come good.
Gartner’s Voice of the Customer for Data Security Posture Management report, published in May 2024, is perhaps the most compelling argument for DSPM’s increasing hold on the market. The document synthesizes 379 Gartner Peer Insights reviews and ratings of DSPM products. The sheer number of reviews alone is proof enough of DSPM’s meteoric rise, while the quality of these reviews testifies to the market’s maturity. None of the listed vendors score below 80% or four stars out of five in any category.
What’s apparent here is that DSPM is the future of data security and a game-changer for data security strategies. Integrated with existing tools like data loss prevention (DLP), data detection and response (DDR), and insider risk management (IRM), they provide comprehensive protection against the threats that plague the modern business landscape. So, watch this space.
