DSPM vs. CSPM
DSPM should not be mistaken for cloud security posture management (CSPM), as the latter focuses on infrastructure-level vulnerabilities, while the former deals with data risks.
In 2024, several DSPM tools stand out for their capabilities, innovation, and ease of use. Below, we will look at the top 10 DSPM solutions, their unique features, and what sets them apart in this rapidly shifting market.
Securiti DSPM
Securiti DSPM is an all-in-one solution for data security, privacy, and governance. It takes the hassle out of safeguarding sensitive data by automatically finding, classifying, and protecting it across cloud environments and data stores. Plus, it helps entities stay compliant with regulations while cutting down the potential risk of data breaches - keeping businesses secure without the stress.
This tool integrates AI-driven insights with automated workflows, making it ideal for businesses seeking a combined approach to data security and privacy management.
Symmetry DataGuard
Symmetry DataGuard is built to protect data, no matter how large the scale. It gives businesses a clear view of who’s accessing their data and how they’re using it, all while automating the protection of sensitive information. Plus, it keeps everything compliant across multi-cloud environments, so users can focus on growing their businesses without worrying about security.
This DSPM solution excels at providing real-time insights and proactive security measures, making it a strong choice for enterprises with complex data environments.
Sentra
Sentra’s DSPM platform simplifies handling sensitive cloud data. It discovers, classifies, and prioritizes a company’s most important data across on-premise, multiple clouds, and platforms such as IaaS and PaaS. By keeping a constant eye on cloud data security and automatically spotting vulnerabilities, it seems that the right security posture continually moves with the cloud data for rapid remediation and adherence to compliance.
This product’s strength lies in its ability to adapt to complex cloud environments, making it a go-to solution for businesses heavily reliant on cloud infrastructure
Dig Security Platform
Dig Security Platform protects cloud data instantly without compromising performance, cost, or privacy. It takes a proactive stance and uses advanced analytics to spot and tackle risks before they turn into major problems. By focusing on proactive detection and response, it keeps data secure and operations running smoothly.
Dig Security Platform is particularly valued for its proactive approach to threat detection, which helps prevent data breaches and other security incidents before they occur.
Flow Security
Flow is a data security platform that blends DSPM with real-time detection and response to security issues. It not only scans data in the cloud but also analyzes data at rest and in motion. The platform tracks all data flows, including shadow data and applications, across cloud, on-prem, and SaaS environments, helping security teams regain full control over their data.
This tool’s focus on data flow security makes it an excellent choice for organizations concerned with the movement of data across various platforms and networks.
Laminar
Laminar is a cloud-native platform that continuously and automatically discovers, classifies, and protects data across various cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Snowflake. Without needing agents, it finds cloud data, sorts it by sensitivity and business importance, and spots any policy violations.
Laminar sets itself apart with its unified, agentless data visibility, advanced classification, and real-time policy enforcement across diverse cloud and on-premises environments.
BigID
BigID offers a powerful DSPM solution designed for the modern hybrid enterprise. It helps businesses improve their data security posture by automatically uncovering dark data and identifying and managing risk.
This solution sets itself apart for its advanced ability to uncover and classify dark data, offering deep insights into data privacy and governance across complex data environments.
Normalyze
Normalyze offers a cloud-native DSPM solution that uses an agentless, machine-learning platform to continuously find sensitive data and access paths across all cloud environments. It creates a map of access and trust relationships, helping users analyze, prioritize, and respond to cyber threats in real-time to prevent data leaks.
Normalyze offers a Monetary Value Assignment feature that quantifies the cost of data to help prioritize risks. This helps users make strategic decisions and protect the most critical assets first.
Open Raven
The Open Raven DSPM integrates with cloud environments in a matter of minutes, utilizing native APIs and serverless functions. It analyzes data in place without moving or altering it while giving businesses complete control over the sampling rate, budget, time limits, and exclusion criteria.
Open Raven’s real-time monitoring capabilities and focus on cloud security make it a top choice for organizations seeking to maintain control over their data in the cloud.
Varonis Data Security
Varonis Data Security is a comprehensive DSPM platform designed to detect cyber threats from a range of sources by analyzing data, account activity, and user behavior. It also takes preventive steps to mitigate possible disasters by securing sensitive and outdated data, while maintaining a secure state through automation.
This DSPM tool claims to be the only solution that automatically remediates data security risks, enforces policies, and detects threats in real-time.
Considerations When Choosing a DSPM Tool
DSPM tools were not created equal, and choosing the right Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) tool is a decision not to be taken lightly. The wrong choice could impact a business’s data security, compliance, and overall risk management. As data continues to be distributed across various environments, it’s vital to evaluate DSPM tools based on several factors to ensure they meet the organization's specific needs.
Coverage of Data Services
One of the most fundamental things to consider when selecting a DSPM tool is if it’s able to cover a wide range of data services. These days, data is stored and processed across a slew of environments, including cloud platforms, on-premises data centers, and hybrid architectures. Entities must ensure that the DSPM solution they use is able to secure data across all these environments and offer seamless integration with various data sources while doing so.
Cloud Environments: For organizations heavily invested in cloud services, the DSPM tool should be compatible with multiple cloud providers (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud) and offer features like cloud-native data discovery, encryption, and access controls. A robust DSPM tool will be able to manage the unique challenges of cloud data security, like multi-tenant environments and shared responsibility models.
On-premise Systems: Traditional on-premises systems remain critical for many organizations, particularly those in highly regulated industries. A DSPM tool should be able to extend its capabilities to secure on-premises data assets, ensuring that legacy systems are not left vulnerable. This means monitoring for unauthorized access, data leaks, and compliance violations within on-premises environments.
Hybrid Environments: Hybrid environments combine both cloud and on-premises systems and come with their own security challenges. A DSPM tool should provide a unified view of data security across these environments, enabling entities to reduce security risks, enforce consistent security policies, prevent misconfigurations, and monitor data flows between cloud and on-premises systems.
Support for Multiple Data Types: In addition to covering multiple environments, DSPM tools must support a wide range of data repositories and types, including structured and unstructured data. This ensures that sensitive information and PII are adequately protected regardless of where they are stored.
By choosing a DSPM tool that offers comprehensive coverage of data services, companies can ensure that their entire data landscape is protected, limiting the risk of data breaches and ensuring compliance with regulations such as HIPAA, CCPA, GDPR, frameworks like NIST, and standards like PCI DSS.
The Place Where the Data Is Analyzed
The location where data is analyzed also plays a significant role in determining the security and compliance of a DSPM security control. Firms must carefully consider whether they prefer on-premises analysis, cloud-based analysis, or a hybrid approach, depending on their specific requirements and regulatory obligations.
On-premises Analysis
For those who are subject to stringent data privacy regulations, such as firms operating in the finance, healthcare, or government sectors, on-premises analysis may be the preferred choice.
This approach ensures that sensitive data never leaves the organization's controlled environment, reducing the risk of exposure to external threats. On-premises DSPM tools analyze data within the organization's infrastructure, enabling better data governance through greater control over data privacy and security.
Advantages: Enhanced control over data security, compliance with stringent regulations, and reduced exposure to third-party risks.
Challenges: Higher infrastructure and maintenance costs, as well as the need for in-house expertise to manage the solution.
Cloud-based Analysis
Cloud-based DSPM tools offer scalability and flexibility, making them an attractive option for businesses with dynamic data environments. These tools analyze data in the cloud, leveraging the infrastructure of cloud service providers to perform real-time monitoring, threat detection, and compliance checks. This approach is ideal for organizations that prioritize scalability and want to reduce the burden of managing on-premises infrastructure.
Advantages: Scalability, reduced infrastructure costs, ease of deployment, and the ability to leverage advanced cloud-based analytics and AI-driven insights.
Challenges: Potential data privacy concerns, as data may be processed in third-party environments, and the need for robust encryption and access controls to mitigate risks.
Hybrid Analysis
Some DSPM tools offer hybrid analysis models, in which sensitive data is analyzed on-premises while less critical data is processed in the cloud. In this way, organizations can strike a balance between security and scalability, ensuring that sensitive data remains protected while still benefiting from the economies of scale brought about by cloud-based analysis.
Advantages: Flexibility, the ability to tailor the solution to specific security and compliance needs, and the option to leverage both on-premises and cloud-based resources.
Challenges: Complexity in managing hybrid environments and the need to ensure seamless integration between on-premises and cloud-based components.
Businesses should choose a location for analysis that aligns with their data privacy requirements, regulatory obligations, and operational needs. By carefully evaluating this factor, they can ensure that their DSPM tool provides the right level of security without compromising on performance or compliance.
Permissions
Permissions management is another cornerstone of data security, allowing only authorized users to have access to sensitive information. When evaluating DSPM tools, organizations must prioritize solutions that offer granular control over data permissions, enabling them to enforce strict access policies and monitor for potential security violations.
A robust DSPM tool should allow organizations to define and enforce permissions at a granular level. This includes setting access controls based on roles, departments, and individual users. By implementing least-privilege access policies, organizations can minimize the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data. Additionally, the tool should support role-based access control (RBAC) and attribute-based access control (ABAC) to accommodate different security models.
Dynamic Permission Management
In environments where user roles and data access needs change often, DSPM tools should offer dynamic permission management capabilities. This means examining data sets and automatically adjusting permissions based on changes in user roles, data classification, data sensitivity, and compliance requirements. For instance, if a user's role changes, their access to sensitive data should be automatically updated to reflect their new role and responsibilities.
Permission Monitoring and Auditing
Effective DSPM tools offer continuous monitoring of permissions to pinpoint and respond to unauthorized access attempts. This includes generating alerts for suspicious activities, like privilege escalation or access from unusual locations. Also, it must offer thorough auditing capabilities, allowing entities to track permission changes and generate reports for compliance purposes.
Automated Permission Remediation
When security issues related to permissions are detected, a DSPM tool should provide automated remediation options. This means revoking unauthorized access, adjusting permissions to align them with security policies, and offering recommendations for mitigating risks. Automated remediation improves security and reduces the burden on IT and security teams.
Integration with IAM Systems
To streamline permission management, the DSPM tool needs to integrate with the company’s current identity and access management (IAM) systems. This means user identities and access controls are managed from a central location, ensuring consistency across data environments. Integration with IAM systems facilitates single sign-on (SSO) and MFA for enhanced security.
By looking at DSPM tools with advanced permission management features, businesses can safeguard their sensitive data and see that access is tightly controlled. This cuts the risk of insider threats, data breaches, and non-compliance with data protection regulations.
Alignment With the Business’s Needs
There are many factors to consider when choosing a DSPM tool. Most importantly, a security solution must align with the business’s specific needs. From comprehensive coverage of data services to the location of data analysis and effective permission management, each aspect plays a crucial role in maintaining data security and compliance. By carefully evaluating these factors and by looking at leading peer insights like Gartner, organizations can select a DSPM tool that protects all types of data, limits data exposure, and supports their overall security strategy and business objectives.
