Modern DSPM and the Importance of Discovering and Classifying Sensitive Data

In this article you will learn:

• The necessity of discovering and classifying all sensitive data
• Challenges of modern DSPM tools
• Solutions that DSPM tools provide

Data is often shared and copied across multiple locations, making your most valuable business asset a security nightmare. It’s in your organization’s best interests to keep data as secure as possible, away from prying eyes, no matter where it resides.

Doing so requires a structured and strong data security program backed by a powerful data security posture management (DSPM) solution. Modern DSPM is the next generation of data security technology, designed for the complexities of the hybrid cloud environments by tapping into the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to continuously discover data and automate classification of sensitive information across known and unknown environments.

The necessity of discovering and classifying all sensitive data

Your sensitive data can’t be fully secure unless you’re able to effectively discover and classify every bit and byte of it, quickly and continually, and at scale, across your entire data footprint. That’s what modern DSPM excels at.

Essential visibility — what data your enterprise has, how sensitive it is, and where it resides — is the key to security. Gaps in that visibility will stand in the way of a strong security posture.

As data is discovered, modern DSPM classifies it automatically and precisely using AI and ML with advanced large language models. Modern DSPM solutions can discover and classify data types that are specific to your organization without any custom tuning.

With data discovered and classified, you can then apply the appropriate security controls for keeping that data secure and keeping your organization in compliance with data protection regulations.

Modern DSPM excels in both discovery and classification, which is why it’s critical for your data security program’s success.

Challenges of modern DSPM tools

Today’s data volumes and advanced technologies makes protecting your data a challenge, meaning legacy tools can’t keep up. You’ll find these problems when using a tool that’s not optimized for these challenges:

• Partially classified data: Legacy tools are designed with out-of-the-box classifiers, set up to only find what it’s looking for. Modern DSPM solutions find what you might not even know you should be looking for, such as unstructured sensitive documents specific to your organization.
• Discovery is slow: Data security requires rapid information, but legacy tools can’t keep up the pace. Scanning can take a long time because legacy tools don’t benefit from the AI and ML scanning techniques that a modern DSPM tool provides.
• Inaccurate classifications: Outdated tools tend to rely mainly on regular expressions and other older techniques to classify data. As a result, you need dedicated resources to manually write rules, tune the tools, and make sure classifications are accurate.
• Difficult to manage: With legacy tools, lots of agents and dedicated resources are needed to connect to datastores. That requires tons of work, and it is a monumental task to maintain.

Solutions that DSPM tools provide

DSPM, on the other hand, is made for modern data security challenges:

• Precision in classification and context: A modern DSPM solution applies AI and ML not only to detect common patterns, such as personal identifiers and financial data, but also to recognize proprietary, unstructured, or business-specific data with high precision.
• Scale and speed for today’s data environments: Precision alone isn’t enough for data that’s fast-moving and dispersed across SaaS, IaaS, and on-prem systems. Speed and scalability are essential. Modern DSPM tools operate agentlessly, scanning datastores quickly without disrupting business operations, providing rapid results, even across vast ecosystems.
• Actionable insights for remediation: Detecting risks is only the beginning. A powerful DSPM solution goes beyond visibility, offering actionable insights to address identified risks.

Modern DSPM is the core that ties everything together and helps ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data. You really can’t run a modern data security program without it.

To learn more about modern DSPM solutions that support your business needs, download Modern DSPM For Dummies, Cyera Special Edition.