By Kirsten Doyle – As more and more business operations shift to cloud environments, securing these environments becomes a top priority.
The challenge of managing vast data repositories in multi-cloud infrastructures – combined with risks of “shadow data” and decentralised security controls – highlights a growing need for Data Security Posture Management (DSPM).
Gartner’s latest report on DSPM offers insights into how these tools are reshaping cloud security strategies by filling data security gaps and helping entities align with regulatory compliance.
The Shift to Cloud and Emerging Data Security Gaps
Although cloud infrastructure has become the lifeblood of scalable business operations, the growth has also led to inevitable data sprawl across a range of cloud service providers (CSPs), such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
Data often ends up in locations not directly tied to central business processes, creating unprotected “shadow data” – data repositories that security teams may not fully account for. For instance, an administrator might inadvertently create an unmanaged data store, or a developer might generate test datasets that aren’t immediately flagged for security checks.
Yesterday’s data security tools have limitations when discovering and securing these unknown data locations. Security products such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and endpoint security – while an essential part of the security mix – are often siloed, creating gaps and inconsistencies across cloud ecosystems. This approach leaves firms vulnerable to data breaches and potential compliance violations.
Understanding DSPM and Its Role in Cloud Security
DSPM addresses these security gaps by giving security teams visibility and control over their data assets across cloud environments. Unlike Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), which focuses on infrastructure and configuration security, DSPM provides a dedicated layer for managing data security, including identifying, classifying, and securing sensitive data in structured and unstructured formats.
According to Gartner, DSPM tools are particularly effective in complex, multi-cloud setups. These tools allow security teams to:
- Discover unknown data repositories
- Assess data risk and vulnerability across CSPs
- Map data flows to ensure compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA
- Secure sensitive information such as personally identifiable information (PII) and ensure proper data residency
The Difference Between DSP and DSPM
Data Security Posture (DSP) is about an entity’s overall state of data security, including practices for protecting sensitive information. DSPM, on the other hand, is a targeted approach that focuses specifically on enhancing DSP through automation, analytics, and centralized visibility across data environments.
DSPM tools streamline the process of maintaining DSP by:
- Automatically discovering data across cloud platforms
- Classifying data to align with security policies
- Identifying vulnerabilities and misconfigurations
- Maintaining compliance with data protection regulations
While DSP is the broader security landscape, DSPM provides the tools needed to manage it effectively, aligning data security practices with business objectives.
Key Insights from Gartner’s Latest DSPM Report
Gartner’s report stresses the importance of DSPM in industries that handle a lot of sensitive data, such as healthcare, finance, and retail. By 2026, the analyst predicts that over 20% of businesses will prioritise DSPM technologies to safeguard their data, indicating that these tools are becoming a foundational element of cloud security strategies.
DSPM solutions have also evolved to include advanced capabilities, such as automated data discovery and risk analysis across various data environments. This growth reflects the shift toward proactive risk management, where organizations use modern tools to pinpoint risks across their data landscape before they manifest as breaches or compliance issues.
The Core Benefits of DSPM Solutions
Companies implementing DSPM solutions benefit from a host of key features aimed at improving data security in cloud environments:
- Data Discovery: These tools identify unknown or unmanaged data repositories across cloud environments to verify that data assets are accounted for and adequately protected, irrespective of where they reside.
- Risk Management: These solutions help security teams uncover data exposure and misconfiguration risks by automating risk assessment processes and limiting the chances of data breaches.
- Compliance Monitoring: DSPM helps assure regulatory compliance by providing visibility into data residency, access permissions, and data flows. This capability is key for meeting stringent data protection laws and HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS standards.
- Automation: These tools streamline data discovery, classification, and monitoring so that security teams can manage data security at scale without the need for manual intervention.
- Integration: They often integrate seamlessly with existing security tools, such as Identity and Access Management (IAM) and CSPM, as part of a unified data protection strategy.
Enhancing Data Access Governance with DSPM
DSPM tools integrate with IAM systems to help entities monitor access patterns and manage permissions effectively. This granular approach to access control is needed to enforce security policies, prevent unauthorized access, and detect potential misuse of sensitive data.
While Gartner’s report does not yet feature a Magic Quadrant for DSPM, it does highlight several vendors that have distinguished themselves thanks to innovative capabilities that offer end-to-end visibility, risk management, and real-time monitoring of cloud data. These solutions have effectively addressed shadow data and automated compliance and have been integrated with broader data security systems.
When choosing a DSPM solution, Gartner advises CISOs and security leaders to evaluate tools based on the following features:
- Data Discovery: Look for solutions that can uncover hidden or unmanaged data repositories across CSPs and applications.
- Risk Assessment: Choose a tool with robust risk assessment capabilities, including misconfiguration detection and data exposure analysis.
- Compliance Monitoring: Make sure that the solution offers real-time compliance monitoring and reporting in line with data privacy regulations.
- Automation: Automation capabilities in data classification and risk remediation are essential to cut manual effort.
- Integration: Evaluate any potential solution for compatibility with current security investments, such as DLP and IAM systems.
DSPM’s Growing Role in Cloud Security
With cloud adoption continuing to accelerate, firms urgently need DSPM solutions that provide visibility and control over their data in dynamic, multi-cloud environments. As more businesses realize the risks associated with shadow data and the limitations of traditional data security products, DSPM is being seen as a critical contributor to cloud security.
Gartner’s report underscores that implementing a DSPM solution can improve data security posture and ensure regulatory compliance. By selecting a tool that fits their security needs and integrates with existing infrastructure, entities can improve their data security defenses and address the complexities of modern cloud environments.