Enterprise security teams are tasked with protecting a burgeoning volume of data to minimize risks and meet stringent regulatory mandates. With the meteoric shift to cloud-based storage, the task has become highly complex, particularly as generative AI widens the data landscape, bringing new hurdles and a whole lot of unpredictability.
From finding dark data to rooting out misconfigurations, the challenges are numerous, and navigating them without the right tools can feel like walking through a minefield. This has given rise to Data Security Posture Management (DSPM), a powerful tool for security teams that helps them tackle critical data security issues effectively.
Here are five of the top challenges DSPM solutions solve for modern enterprises.
Table of Contents
1. Uncovering Dark and Shadow Data
Dark and shadow data pose a major security and compliance risk for businesses. Dark data includes stored information that lacks regular monitoring and oversight, often lying dormant in legacy systems. Though invisible to current security protocols, this data often contains sensitive information, making it a tempting target for bad actors. Shadow data, on the other hand, is made up of new data assets being created and shared without proper security controls, often thanks to the adoption of new technologies like generative AI.
DSPM provides visibility and the means to find and evaluate dark and shadow data. Using advanced discovery capabilities, these solutions help security practitioners identify, monitor, and protect overlooked data assets. Limiting the volume of unmanaged data mitigates compliance risk and boosts the overall security posture.
2. Eliminating Blind Spots
Even if data locations are known, security teams don’t always have full visibility into the information contained within them. This oversight creates blind spots, areas where sensitive data sits around but is not adequately protected. For instance, personal information, protected health information (PHI), or intellectual property may be stored in files that are not being monitored, which could result in regulatory infringements.
Standard data discovery techniques are ineffective in today’s sprawling, complex cloud environments. However, DSPM uses machine learning to address these blind spots, facilitating a comprehensive view of sensitive data across the entire cloud and on-premises infrastructure. This visibility is key to identifying risks and applying appropriate protection measures, allowing security teams to consistently safeguard sensitive information.
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Prioritizing and Remediating Misconfigurations
With the demand for speed in today’s digital landscape, misconfigurations have become a common source of data exposure. Rapid development, deployment, and improper configuration settings often leave sensitive data exposed to unauthorized access. Security teams need to identify, prioritize, and rectify these configuration errors before they lead to a disaster.
DSPM lets entities assess cloud configurations continuously, pinpoint vulnerabilities, and move the most critical misconfigurations to the top of the priority list. By focusing on areas where sensitive data is at the highest risk, these tools empower security teams to allocate resources where they are needed most so that misconfigurations do not go unaddressed.
4. Managing Technical Controls and Ensuring Least Privilege
Policies and tools that control data access—encryption, password masking, access controls—are important additions to the enterprise data security mix. However, writing effective policies is only the first piece of the puzzle; security teams still need to make sure that these controls are applied consistently across departments and teams. Maintaining this oversight isn’t easy, particularly in complex, hybrid environments where siloed or disparate systems have different security configurations.
A robust DSPM solution will enforce the principle of least privilege, allowing teams to analyze and manage data access effectively. The solution surfaces data permissions anomalies and helps security teams fix over-privileged access. This means that sensitive data is accessible only to authorized users, balancing security with requisite business access. In this way, enterprises can maintain a secure data environment without hindering productivity, giving employees the access they need and cutting the risks associated with over-privileged accounts.
5. Orchestrating Effective Breach Response
Even businesses with the deepest pockets and the most state-of-the-art security measures can fall victim to a breach. This is why a robust breach response is critical for maintaining compliance and for limiting the fallout in the worst-case scenario. An organization’s ability to rapidly detect, contain, and remediate breaches can directly impact its reputation, financial health, and regulatory standing.
DSPM supports efficient and quick breach response by continually monitoring data access patterns and rooting out anomalous behaviors that may indicate a breach. With this solution, security teams are armed with the tools they need to respond quickly and effectively to security incidents, to contain breaches, and to minimize any fallout. These tools also support compliance by tracking and reporting incidents in alignment with regulatory requirements, helping entities avoid penalties and demonstrate their commitment to data protection.
DSPM: Beyond the Cloud
While DSPM is particularly well-suited for cloud environments, its functionality extends beyond them. By providing a unified platform for managing data security across cloud, on-premises, and SaaS applications, DSPM helps firms create a centralized view of their data security posture.
In a world where enterprise data is expected to reach 181 ZB by 2025, security teams need more than fragmented point solutions. DSPM gives them the visibility, control, and responsiveness they need to keep their data safe across all environments, putting them in a solid position to tackle the challenges of an ever-expanding data landscape head-on.
Author: Kirsten Doyle
Kirsten Doyle has been in the technology journalism and editing space for nearly 24 years, during which time she has developed a great love for all aspects of technology, as well as words themselves. Her experience spans B2B tech, with a lot of focus on cybersecurity, cloud, enterprise, digital transformation, and data centre. Her specialties are in news, thought leadership, features, white papers, and PR writing, and she is an experienced editor for both print and online publications. She is also a regular writer at Bora.
