Written by:
Anne Gotay What is DSPM
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) is the guardian angel of an organization’s sensitive data. It’s a comprehensive approach to securing an organization’s confidential information and ensuring that it remains confidential, secure, and protected against any kind of cyber threat. Think of DSPM as a shield surrounding your data, protecting it from harm and preserving its integrity.
In a world where cybercrime is on the rise, and data breaches are a common occurrence, with 97 victims per hour worldwide. Data Security is more important than ever. It’s the foundation upon which a solid data security program is built and is essential to protect against the loss of sensitive information and prevent data breaches.
What Does DSPM Involve?
DSPM involves assessing, managing, and continuously monitoring the various security controls and technologies used to protect data. It covers everything from access controls, encryption, and firewalls to incident response and regulatory compliance. DSPM helps to ensure that an organization’s sensitive information is protected from cyberattacks and data breaches and that the organization remains compliant with relevant regulations and standards.
What is a Data Security Platform (DSP)?
Data security platforms (DSP) and data security posture management (DSPM) are both important components of an organization’s overall data security strategy, but they serve different purposes and have different focuses.
Data Security Platform (DSP) vs. Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
DSP focuses on the technical infrastructure and tools used to secure an organization’s data. It typically includes features such as encryption, access control, threat detection, and data backup and recovery. The primary goal of a DSP is to provide a centralized and integrated approach to securing an organization’s data.
DSPM, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive approach that considers all aspects of data security, including technology, processes, and people. DSPM involves evaluating an organization’s overall security posture, identifying potential risks and vulnerabilities, and implementing strategies to mitigate those risks. This can include implementing security policies, procedures, and training programs to ensure that all employees understand and follow best practices for data security.
Both DSP and DSPM are important components of a comprehensive data security strategy and work together to help organizations protect their sensitive data. A DSP provides the technical infrastructure to secure data, while DSPM is a more holistic approach that considers all aspects of data security and helps organizations maintain a secure data environment.
Why is Harnessing the Power of DSPM important?
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) is a vital aspect of any data security program as it plays a crucial role in securing sensitive information, ensuring compliance with industry regulations, maintaining business continuity, improving risk management, and building trust with customers and stakeholders.
DSPM helps organizations safeguard their sensitive data by deploying the right security controls and technologies, reducing the likelihood of data breaches and cyber attacks, and preserving the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical information.
Moreover, DSPM helps organizations meet their compliance obligations under various regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This helps organizations avoid penalties and reputational harm that can result from non-compliance.
In the event of a security breach or disruptive event, DSPM ensures the availability of critical data and systems, allowing organizations to maintain business continuity and minimize the impact of security incidents.
The power of DSPM also helps organizations identify and manage potential security risks through regular assessments and implementing appropriate security controls. This helps organizations maintain an effective and up-to-date security posture.
Navigating New Data Security Challenges in the New Normal
The shift towards remote work and digital transformation has led to an increase in the adoption of cloud computing. Despite the numerous benefits of cloud computing, it also poses several security threats that organizations must prepare to meet. Insider threats, account hijacking, data loss, malware attacks, inadequate security controls, misconfigured clouds, and compliance violations are just some of the challenges organizations face in securing their data in the cloud.
Data Democratization
Data democratization refers to the practice of making data accessible to all people within an organization, regardless of their role or department. While this approach can improve data literacy and decision-making, it also increases the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
For example, if sensitive data is stored in a centralized location and made accessible to a large number of employees, it becomes easier for malicious actors to gain access to that data. Additionally, employees who may not have received proper training on data security best practices may accidentally compromise the data through their actions.
Innovation Attack Surface
Innovation attack surface refers to the increased risk of security threats resulting from adopting new technologies. As organizations embrace new technologies, they often create new vulnerabilities and expose themselves to new types of cyber attacks.
For example, the widespread adoption of cloud computing has created new attack surfaces, as cloud environments are often more complex and harder to secure than traditional on-premises systems. Additionally, using IoT devices and mobile devices has created new attack surfaces, as these devices are often less secure and can be more easily compromised.
Shadow Data
Shadow data refers to data that is created, collected, and stored outside of the control of an organization’s IT department. This type of data can include information generated by employees on personal devices, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets.
Shadow data can pose a serious threat to data security, as it is often not subject to the same level of security controls and protections as data that is managed by the IT department. For example, an employee may store sensitive information on their personal device and then lose that device, exposing the data to unauthorized access. Additionally, employees may inadvertently share sensitive information through cloud services or other unsecured channels, exposing the data to cyberattacks.
Other Cloud Data Security Threats
Despite the numerous benefits of cloud computing, it also poses several security threats that organizations need to be aware of. Here are the top threats to data security in the cloud:
- Insider Threats: Insider threats refer to malicious or accidental actions by employees, contractors, or other insiders with access to an organization’s cloud resources. This could include unauthorized access to data, theft of sensitive information, or accidental data breaches.
- Account Hijacking: Account hijacking occurs when an attacker gains unauthorized access to a user’s cloud account by stealing login credentials. This can result in data theft or manipulation and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
- Data Loss: Data loss can occur due to technical failures, human error, or malicious attacks. In the cloud, data loss can be particularly devastating, as it can impact a large number of users and organizations.
- Malware Attacks: Malware attacks, such as viruses and ransomware, can compromise cloud systems and lead to data theft or data destruction. In the cloud, malware can spread rapidly and infect multiple systems, making it a particularly dangerous threat.
- Inadequate Security Controls: Many organizations do not fully understand the security risks associated with cloud computing and do not implement adequate security controls. This can leave their data vulnerable to attack and increase the likelihood of data breaches.
- Misconfigured Clouds: Misconfigured clouds can result in data breaches and other security incidents. This can occur when organizations do not properly configure their cloud resources or do not follow best practices for securing their cloud systems.
- Compliance Violations: Organizations must comply with various regulations and standards for data privacy and security. In the cloud, compliance violations can occur if sensitive information is stored or processed in an insecure manner, or if data is not properly encrypted.
Is DSPM a New Concept?
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) is not a new concept. The need for DSPM has been around for as long as organizations have had sensitive data to protect. However, the term “Data Security Posture Management” may be relatively new, as is the focus on DSPM. It has increased in recent years due to the increasing threat of cyberattacks and data breaches.
The need for DSPM is driven by organizations becoming more reliant on the cloud and digital systems outside their traditional security boundaries for storing sensitive information. Organizations must maintain effective security practices and meet governance requirements in these new spaces. Doing this requires a comprehensive approach to data security that includes all aspects of security posture, including data identification, encryption, access control, and anomaly detection.
Why was DSPM included in the Gartner Hype Cycle?
Even though the concept of DSPM is not new, it is still listed by Gartner as an emerging technology in the hype cycle, as it is experiencing rapid growth and evolution in functionality. The inclusion in the Gartner Hype Cycle reflects a growing interest in it as a technology or concept.
The Hype Cycle is a high-level indicator that allows organizations to understand the maturity and adoption of technologies. The information included is to help companies make informed decisions about investments in new and emerging technologies. Still, it is not indicative of any given implementation as some providers may be far more mature than the Hype Cycle indicates.
DSPM is Data First Data Security
DSPM provides organizations with the data and insights they need to make informed decisions about their data security posture, enabling them to allocate resources and prioritize initiatives more effectively. With the increased transparency and control provided by DSPM, organizations can be confident in their ability to protect their data and make informed decisions about their security posture.
DSPM is a powerful tool for organizations savvy enough to move to a data-first security mindset. Protecting the real target — data assets — is the single best way to stay ahead of the curve in today’s evolving threat landscape and take your data security to the next level.