By Hari Prasad Mariswamy - Director, Product Management
February 20, 2025 5 Minute Read
Data security has always been a paramount concern for enterprises. However, the rapid digitization of businesses and the increasing complexity of data environments have made traditional security measures inadequate. To address these challenges, a new approach to data security has emerged: Data Security Posture Management (DSPM).
DSPM is a comprehensive approach to managing and securing an organization’s data assets. It involves gaining visibility into data, assessing its security posture, and implementing measures to protect it from threats. By automating data security workflows, DSPM enables organizations to proactively identify and mitigate risks, ensuring that data is always protected.
The importance of DSPM can be underscored by its ability to address the following critical use cases:
Traditional DLP solutions focus primarily on preventing data exfiltration by monitoring and controlling data movement across endpoints, networks, cloud applications, and emails. DLP enforces predefined policies to block unauthorized data transfers, ensuring sensitive information does not leave an organization’s controlled environment. However, DLP operates based on known risks and predefined rules, often requiring significant administrative effort to classify data and manage policies effectively.
DSPM, on the other hand, takes a more proactive and comprehensive approach to data security. Instead of just preventing data loss, DSPM provides deep visibility into where sensitive data resides, who has access to it, and how it is being used across multi-cloud and on-prem environments. It identifies misconfigurations, security gaps, and compliance risks in real time, enabling organizations to take corrective actions before a data breach occurs. While DLP focuses on data movement and policy enforcement, DSPM emphasizes data discovery, risk assessment, and security posture enhancement, making it a critical tool for modern cloud-first enterprises.
Integrating DSPM with Security Service Edge (SSE) Solutions
Recent DSPM acquisitions by major SSE players suggest that organizations expect to see DSPM as part of a comprehensive security offering. As more vendors integrate DSPM into their SSE suites, a fully combined SSE-DSPM solution becomes more appealing for companies looking to consolidate and streamline their security operations.
SSE, which integrates Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and other advanced security capabilities, acts as the enforcement engine that strengthens DSPM outcomes by providing:
As enterprises increasingly incorporate AI services, an emerging sub-field, AI Security Posture Management (AI-SPM) has evolved to address unique risks posed by AI. AI-SPM focuses on visibility and control over how enterprise data interacts with AI models, preventing sensitive information from being inadvertently processed by unvetted or unprotected AI services. AI-SPM offers:
While DSPM identifies and assesses data risks, SSE acts as the enforcement layer that prevents misuse, enforces policies, and enables secure access. Together, they provide a comprehensive approach to protecting sensitive data across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, ensuring that organizations stay ahead of evolving security threats while maintaining regulatory compliance.
By leveraging SSE capabilities like SWG, CASB, ZTNA, CSPM, UEBA, and risk-based monitoring, organizations can turn DSPM insights into actionable security controls, ensuring that sensitive data remains protected no matter where it resides or how it is accessed.
These SSE-backed features empower organizations to extend DSPM beyond basic data monitoring, allowing for more in-depth data protection and risk management.
DSPM is a critical component of a comprehensive data security strategy. By understanding the core principles of DSPM and leveraging advanced technologies like SSE and AI-SPM, organizations can effectively protect their valuable data assets. As a leading SSE solution provider, Skyhigh Security is committed to helping customers embark on their DSPM journey and achieve a robust data security posture.
Hari is a Director of Product Management for Data Protection at Skyhigh Security. With over 20 years of experience in the security industry, starting at McAfee in 2004, he brings a deep understanding of evolving data security threats. Hari specializes in areas like Threat Research, Enterprise Email Security, Network Stack Security, Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) technologies, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP).
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