How DSPM Improves Data Security Posture and Reduces Risk

Organizations of all kinds and across all sectors handle vast amounts of sensitive data that must be protected against a wide range of threats. There are many practices, policies, and solutions to choose from when building a data security strategy. Still, traditional tactics often fall short of the modern risks associated with the growth of the cloud.

Maintaining a strong data security posture in the face of evolving threats is crucial. Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) is a data-focused approach to securing complex and diverse technology environments. DSPM tools are designed to discover and classify data, assess the security posture of data stores, and help security teams mitigate risks and remediate vulnerabilities.

data security

Modern Data Security Challenges

The increasing popularity of cloud platforms has created a landscape where many organizations have large and complex cloud environments. It can be difficult to keep track of all the data stored across the entire cloud environment, but keeping track of it is one of the first steps necessary for protecting it. With such a sprawling attack surface, shadow data is common, putting organizations’ sensitive resources at risk.

Data loss is among the most pertinent threats to organizations today, whether through a leak or a breach. Many sectors—including healthcare, financial, legal, and government—handle and store especially sensitive data, and they are often subject to more stringent regulatory requirements as a result. Data in the cloud is particularly at risk due to being stored off-premises and under the partial control of external actors. Cybercriminals are incentivized to target cloud data by exploiting vulnerabilities such as insufficient access controls, insecure APIs, and security misconfigurations.

Traditional data security tools are often ineffective against the modern risks of complex multi-cloud environments. They are not equipped to discover data across multiple cloud platforms, scale with business and data growth, or classify data and prioritize risks the way organizations need. This is where DSPM solutions can be of great advantage to many organizations.

Defining DSPM

As a data-centric approach to cloud security, DSPM is designed to help organizations protect sensitive customer, employee, and business data against advanced and constantly evolving threats. DSPM tools can cover a wide range of data security functions and capabilities, including:

  • Data Discovery: Finding data across all cloud platforms, including IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS platforms, decreasing the dangers of undiscovered and unknown cloud data stores.
  • Data Classification: Classifying discovered data according to the level of sensitivity, helping organizations to implement the proper controls for different types of data.
  • Continuous Monitoring: Continuously monitoring the data security environment to detect potential gaps in security that could become more severe threats. 
  • Risk Assessment: Evaluating data security risks based on the sensitivity of the data, access level, threat trends, and other factors that can help organizations prioritize security tasks and initiatives.
  • Configuration Management: Identifying security misconfigurations, which are a major source of risk to data security.
  • Compliance Management: Checking security measures and controls against relevant laws, regulations, and standards, like HIPAA, PCI DSS, and the EU’s GDPR.
  • Automation: Automating various repetitive and time-consuming data security tasks in order to enable security teams to dedicate their efforts to other important operations.
  • Behavior Analytics: Analyzing user and entity behaviors to establish a baseline for activity and identify behavioral anomalies indicative of potential security vulnerabilities.

Benefits of Implementing DSPM

Services To Keep Virtual Data Safe

With DSPM tools taking care of or greatly simplifying many of the important tasks associated with data security in the cloud, organizations can reap many advantages from using these tools. The business benefits of implementing “a security platform that aims to protect sensitive business data” are abundant and diverse.

The primary purpose and function of DSPM is to fortify data security posture and enhance data protection against evolving and emerging threats across complex cloud environments. The discovery, classification, and protection of sensitive data demands a great deal of effort and investment of staff and resources. DSPM tools are designed to alleviate the burden of this effort, simplifying and streamlining the processes involved in data protection.

Beyond simple data protection, DSPM tools also enable organizations to reduce their attack surfaces and proactively mitigate risks. They can manage increasingly complex technology environments and make the work of security teams much lighter. DSPM empowers organizations to consistently and continuously evaluate their risk profiles and assess their security strategies for effectiveness over time.

Another major benefit of DSPM is equipping organizations to establish and maintain compliance with relevant data security and privacy regulations. Ensuring that the security of your data is in line with regulatory requirements can be difficult, especially as different regulations have different requirements and definitions. DSPM not only helps organizations achieve compliance but also assists with reporting and documentation to prove compliance.

Conclusion

Organizations of all kinds must effectively safeguard their data against a wide variety of threats, especially as cloud infrastructure grows more complex and challenging to manage. Sprawling multi-cloud environments can be a prime target for threat actors looking to exploit vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and undiscovered data stores. Using DSPM tools can significantly ease data protection processes and help organizations fortify their data security posture.

Written By
More from Nial Smith
Top Desktop Security Apps: Shielding Your Digital World with Ease
In today’s digital landscape, where cyber threats loom large, safeguarding your desktop...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *