Selecting the Right DSPM Solution for Cloud Security: A Comprehensive Guide

Why Choosing the Right DSPM Matters

The exponential growth of cloud data has transformed modern enterprises. For example, shadow data, which is data that is not part of current business functions or regular use, is becoming increasingly common and problematic. Shadow data increases the potential for data breaches and non-compliance with privacy regulations.

Traditional solutions alone fall short of providing complete visibility and control over sensitive data in multi-cloud and hybrid environments. Forcepoint Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) fills this critical gap, shining a light on dark data with extensive data discovery and highly accurate classification.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll detail how to evaluate and choose the right DSPM solution. We’ll also explain how Forcepoint AI Mesh technology uniquely addresses data challenges with precision and efficiency. 

Understanding Data Security Posture Management

Data Security Posture Management is a security solution that enables enterprises to discover and classify structured and unstructured data across file storage locations, such as cloud applications or on-premises. It also helps to proactively address incident remediation.
DSPM works by:

• Enhancing data visibility and control over sensitive data across cloud and on-prem environments.
• Classifying data sensitivity.
• Mapping permissions and usage.
• Assessing and prioritizing risks.
• Remediating exposures through automated workflows. 

DSPM provides a holistic view of data risks, complementing other solutions to create a robust security strategy.

Why Organizations Need DSPM in the Cloud Era

The move towards SaaS apps, remote workforces, DevOps agility and AI/ML pipelines multiplies data sprawl, increasing exposure risks. Organizations face threats like shadow data, misconfigured cloud storage, over-permissioned identities and insider threats. The impact of failing to address these risks can lead to severe compliance penalties under GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, PCI DSS and NIS2.

Forcepoint AI Mesh technology, a key aspect of Forcepoint DSPM, can help address these challenges. The innovative approach of Forcepoint DSPM utilizes highly accurate AI Mesh technology for efficient and reliable data discovery and classification, reducing false positives and enhancing incident alert accuracy. 

Key Evaluation Criteria When Choosing a DSPM Solution

1. Data Discovery & Coverage

• Ensure comprehensive coverage across all data environments, such as cloud locations and endpoints.
• Verify capabilities for discovering shadow data.

2. Classification Accuracy & Context

• Pattern matching alone often results in excessive false positives. Context-aware classification, including sensitivity, user permissions and data usage, significantly improves accuracy.
• Evaluate classification engines based on completeness, contextual awareness and recency.
• Forcepoint DSPM software scans any data source and uses proprietary AI Mesh technology to identify, categorize and remediate high-risk data.

3. Incident Analysis & Prioritization

• Seek tools that correlate sensitivity, permissions and activity to prioritize high-risk exposures.
• Forcepoint Data Detection and Response (DDR) is an add-on to Forcepoint DSPM that continuously detects, monitors and responds to data breach threats. It brings continuous visibility into data that’s in use.
• Forcepoint DSPM helps organizations discover and classify sensitive data with AI-powered precision to proactively prioritize and remediate data risk.

4. Proactive Remediation

• Look for solutions capable of proactive remediation that also provide data risk visibility.
• Forcepoint DSPM provides high performance discovery and classification of data across cloud and on-prem locations. This helps in quickly identifying and mitigating potential risks.

5. Integration with Security Tools

• Integration with existing security tools (DLP, DDR) reduces complexity and helps unify security.
• Organizations can integrate DLP, DSPM and DDR for data discovery, classification, protection and remediation.

6. Scalability & Performance

• Assess vendor scalability and performance capabilities.
• Evaluate the vendor’s ability to meet data residency and privacy compliance requirements.
• Forcepoint DSPM offers scalable, rapid discovery and cataloging.

Step-by-Step Process for Evaluating DSPM Solutions

Use this checklist to guide your evaluation (note that these steps for evaluation of DSPM solutions may differ based on organization needs):

• Clearly define your DSPM requirements.
• Inventory all relevant data sources.
• Shortlist potential vendors based on initial assessments.
• Request demos.
• Test classification accuracy and false-positive rates.
• Examine integrations and remediation capabilities.

Forcepoint DSPM: Key Differentiators

Forcepoint DSPM is a proactive solution for data security and compliance. It's ideal for security teams managing:

• Large amounts of shadow data
• Over-permissioned data
• GenAI data leakage risks
• Unidentified data locations

Forcepoint DSPM also supports GenAI readiness. It's also able to secure Copilot and ChatGPT Enterprise usage (both usage visibility and remediation).

Implementation Best Practices & Pitfalls to Avoid

Deploying DSPM effectively requires:

• Detailed discovery and classification phases.
• Stakeholder collaboration across security, compliance and data governance.
• Clear policies for handling sensitive data.

Common pitfalls to avoid:

• Opting for "discovery-only" DSPMs without remediation capabilities.
• Underestimating the scope during POCs.
• Neglecting unstructured data or compliance requirements.

Building a Resilient Data Security Posture

Choosing the right DSPM solution significantly strengthens your security posture in today’s multi-cloud landscape. By carefully evaluating criteria such as discovery, remediation capabilities, integration functionality and classification accuracy, organizations can achieve visibility and control over sensitive data.

Forcepoint DSPM is here to help gain complete visibility into data across both cloud and on-premises environment to track and manage sensitive data wherever it resides.

Ready to learn more about gaining control over data? Download the Executive Guide to DSPM: Visibility and Control over Sensitive Data