What is data security posture management?
Data security posture management (DSPM) is a solution that continuously monitors an organization's data security policies and procedures, identifying vulnerabilities and potential risks in real time.
DSPM solutions provide security and risk management teams with actionable insights to strengthen their organization's data security posture. This empowers IT experts to make informed decisions and take effective steps to protect data from threats.
Why DSPM matters for modern security teams
DSPM is more essential than ever—especially since Wiz researchers found that 47% of companies have at least one exposed cloud-hosted database or storage bucket, and over 20% of these contain sensitive data.
DSPM plays a foundational role in modern security strategy. It enforces the principle of least privilege (PoLP), ensures consistent data classification, and supports compliance across internal and external requirements. This includes alignment with country-specific regulations—like Canada’s PIPEDA and the US FISMA—as well as organizational policies.
By integrating a DSPM solution into their security strategy, organizations gain:
Enhanced data protection: DSPM monitors access controls and enforces security measures like encryption and backup, reducing risks of data loss, reputational damage, and financial harm from security incidents.
Reduced data attack surface: DSPM automatically detects and tracks sensitive data and potential vulnerabilities, minimizing attack surfaces and strengthening defenses against cyber threats.
Risk mitigation: Continuously monitoring security metrics enables faster incident response, stronger risk mitigation, and less downtime.
Compliance: DSPM helps organizations comply with global data protection regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS) by identifying and closing security gaps that could result in fines or loss of customer trust. Many solutions also include incident response plans to speed up recovery from security breaches.
Choosing a DSPM Solution? Start Here.
Our buyer’s guide breaks down the must-have features, evaluation criteria, and an RFP template to help you make the right choice.
Get the Guide
To better understand the need for a DSPM solution, consider this real-life scenario:
In 2022, a Pegasus Airline employee misconfigured an AWS S3 bucket’s security settings, exposing 23 million PII files and encryption keys, as well as source code. A cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) solution with DSPM could have prevented this by automatically and continuously scanning the airline’s data—across both in-house and third-party applications—to detect, prioritize, and alert on vulnerabilities for quick remediation.
How DSPM works
DSPM solutions identify sensitive data within organizational networks and infrastructure while combining auditing, monitoring, cloud compliance, and remediation to ensure proactive data protection.
These are some key components of how DSPM works:
Data discovery and cataloging
The first step in DSPM is identifying data. Since cloud data is rarely stored in a single location, manually locating and classifying sensitive data can be time-consuming and inefficient. DSPM solutions automate this process across an organization's infrastructure, networks, and data repositories. Once you identify the data, you can classify it based on sensitivity, such as protected health information and PII.
DSPMs include features that target shadow data, which means forgotten or mismanaged information that poses security risks. Along with targeting this data, DSPM tools can map sensitive data flow throughout different environments for a complete view of its movement and access points.
Security assessment
DSPM solutions analyze data movement within an organization’s network to detect potential security risks. This includes network scans, penetration testing, and evaluations of access controls and encryption protocols. They also use threat intelligence databases to identify software misconfigurations that could lead to data leaks or breaches.
Additionally, DSPM provides security assessments through tools that label your vulnerabilities with risk scores. These scores represent how dangerous some of these risks are and help you prioritize each issue for remediation. You can proactively defend against new threats and evolving security landscapes by continuously monitoring your resources.
Configuration and policy management
DSPM solutions ensure that system and application configurations align with security best practices. They also detect and mitigate security risks to maintain compliance with industry standards.
When you adopt DSPM solutions for configuration and policy management, you can automate enforcement for consistent security measures throughout your cloud infrastructure. These tools also provide suggestions to improve policies and target vulnerabilities throughout your cloud security posture.
Reporting and alerting
DSPM solutions generate reports and dashboards to help stakeholders make industry-compliant decisions and improve overall data security. They classify risks based on potential impact, which allows organizations to prioritize and address critical vulnerabilities.
These reports include:
Risk assessments
Incident response and root causes
Remediation activities
Compliance reports
Real-time alerts for suspicious activity
Remediation and response
Beyond identifying threats, DSPM solutions assist in incident response by providing root cause analyses and step-by-step remediation instructions.
Effective DSPM solutions help you remediate actions—but instead of doing them manually, you can use the automation these tools offer. This saves you time and helps you tackle security issues more quickly.
Automated remediation includes actions like:
Changing permissions
Minimizing response times to threats
Accurate mitigation
Encrypting information
Enforcing policies
Quarantining for critical assets
3 high-value use cases for DSPM
DSPM solutions apply to various security and cloud-based instances:
| Use case | Description | Example scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Data security in complex cloud environments | Hybrid and multi-cloud environments increase complexity, which makes it challenging to maintain data security across the board. In response, DSPM solutions streamline data security across large organizations' multiple cloud environments. | A large international firm uses multiple cloud providers and finds sensitive financial data in an unsecured S3 bucket with a DSPM. The tool alerts security and adjusts permissions to prevent exposure. |
| Insider threat detection | Most DSPM solutions monitor user access patterns and analyze user behavior. This helps organizations quickly block unauthorized access, changes, and data exfiltration. | An investment bank’s DSPM detects a representative accessing many customer records after hours. The system sends an alert to the security team to investigate the actions for theft. |
| Data privacy compliance | Organizations must comply with certain industry- and country-specific data privacy regulations. DSPM solutions help by providing visibility into security configurations, data handling practices, and access controls, as well as providing regulatory compliance reports. | A large online retailer utilizes DSPM to identify and classify customer information for GDPR. Its system finds EU resident data on non-EU servers, which violates requirements. The company can quickly remediate the issue for compliance. |
What are some challenges associated with DSPM?
The right DSPMs can help you with improved visibility and control over your data security risks and cloud infrastructure. But challenges can get in the way.
The following are common obstacles to an effective DSPM:
Data discovery and classification: Manual or inefficient classification tools can expose your team to more errors and inefficiencies, especially in multi-cloud environments. To achieve agentless scanning throughout your cloud computing environment, you can implement tools with automated discovery and machine learning.
Policy and compliance management: Poor or misaligned policies can lead to lackluster security enforcement, threats, and exposure. To combat this, make sure your DSPM works with IAM tools, the proper compliance frameworks, and your infrastructure.
Assessment and monitoring: Not all DSPM tools provide efficient real-time alerts or prioritized insights, or they may only give you a peek into an ununified security environment. Instead, you can choose a tool that unifies your entire security posture and immediately provides dashboards and alerts that prioritize high-risk issues.
Shadow data: Information that bypasses security protocols could expose your data to exposure and compliance violations. To secure your information properly, you can leverage DSPM tools to map out shadow data throughout your cloud environment.
Integration: Whether you have a legacy system or use multiple cloud security tools, you could face gaps and visibility issues that prevent you from keeping your users, customers, and teams safe. You can review your security system and define the gaps to fix these issues. Then, you can adopt a CNAPP like Wiz that unifies your security for a holistic, more effective posture.
An introduction to DSPM tools
There are many DSPM tools you can choose from—but it’s critical to find one that can provide top features, meet your challenges, and ultimately unify (not complicate) your cloud security environment. Below are some key tools to look out for:
| Tool | Key features and use cases |
|---|---|
| Wiz | Wiz’s platform provides a DSPM and, since it’s a CNAPP, everything you need for cloud security. The platform also provides visibility into your cloud environment and includes automated risk assessment, top data protection, and AI-driven, priority-ranked insights. |
| BigID | BigID’s tool discovers and classifies data in your cloud or hybrid environment, helping to improve your compliance management and risk assessment process. |
| Sentra | Sentra’s solution provides automated information discovery and classification. The tool also improves visibility and control access for cloud landscapes. |
| Varonis | Varonis’s DSPM provides data discovery and response features with many data classes that detect and mitigate threats. It also helps you manage your compliance, even with a significant infrastructure. |
If you want to see Wiz’s tool in action and some of its use cases, continue below for a walkthrough.
What to look for in a DSPM solution
The best way to know what to look for in a DSPM solution is by walking through the tool yourself and matching it with your needs. Instead of searching for features, get a curated analysis using Wiz’s platform as an example.
A reliable DSPM should include the following key capabilities:
1. Rapid, agentless visibility into critical data
To streamline visibility into critical data, select a DSPM solution that quickly scans your organization's infrastructure for sensitive data without installing agents on individual systems.
2. Centralized dashboard and reporting
The DSPM solution must provide a centralized dashboard with comprehensive reporting capabilities, real-time monitoring, and customizable visualizations for better insights into your organization's data security posture.
3. Continuous detection and prioritization of critical data exposure
Look for a DSPM solution that continuously monitors and detects critical data exposure. The solution should also offer automated data classification to help you prioritize risks and address the most critical ones.
4. Data lineage mapping
Consider a DSPM solution that implements data lineage mapping to understand and trace the data lifecycle: origin, movement, transformation, and storage. This will help you detect backdoors and non-compliance issues.
5. Real-time remediation
Choose a DSPM solution that allows you to automatically remediate identified security issues in real time with minimal human intervention.
6. CI/CD integration for data exposure prevention
Opt for a DSPM solution that integrates with continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. Most DSPM solutions with this capability automatically scan and enforce security policies from code, infrastructure, and dependencies for more comprehensive coverage.
7. Automated compliance assessments
A DSPM solution must be able to scan for compliance violations, generate compliance reports, and provide recommendations to address non-compliance issues.
8. Ability to protect sensitive AI training data
As organizations continue to explore AI's potential, the risk of sensitive data swells. For example, in 2023, Wiz discovered that Microsoft AI researchers accidentally exposed 38 terabytes of data. This is just one example of the new data security risks and attack surfaces that security teams now grapple with.
AI systems are increasingly reliant on sensitive data. These AI models receive training on massive amounts of data, often including sensitive information such as PII, financial data, and health records. To safeguard sensitive AI training data in the cloud, organizations must extend their DSPM capabilities to AI. Because of these challenges, a DSPM tool should automatically detect sensitive training data and proactively remove its attack paths.
Report: State of AI in the Cloud [2025]
As DeepSeek adoption surges, security and governance challenges persist. Get insight on the growing role of AI across cloud environments.
Get Report
9. Scalability and performance
The DSPM solution must be easily scalable for enterprises and large organizations to avoid performance lags when datasets spike to quintillions. A CNAPP that incorporates a DSPM and all other essential security solutions can provide a holistic and practical answer for scalability—no matter the organization's size.
Should DSPM be a stand-alone solution?
Like other point solutions, data security is following the trend of consolidating cloud security tools. Organizations aim to secure cloud-native apps and data across the development lifecycle using a unified platform that all teams—security, DevOps, and data protection—can leverage.
Incorporating DSPM into a CNAPP enhances data security due to the following capabilities:
CNAPP is an end-to-end solution that covers CSPM, CIEM, and CWP. Ideally, a CNAPP should include DSPM, though most traditional platforms lack this capability. Adding DSPM enables organizations to consolidate data and cloud security risks into a priority-based list, then identify vulnerabilities and attack paths for fast remediation.
A CNAPP with DSPM captures data origin and flow, securing data movement between cloud storage and application networks.
CNAPP solutions correlate and prioritize security risks before alerting teams, which reduces alert fatigue. DSPM further cuts down alerts so security teams can focus on critical vulnerabilities that require immediate action.
A stand-alone solution, like a siloed DSPM solution, misses the benefits of an integrated approach. Wiz takes a unified cloud security strategy, baking DSPM into other cloudsec use cases.
By integrating data exposure protection into Wiz’s CNAPP, you can correlate data risks with cloud risks like public exposure, vulnerabilities, and lateral movement, and identify the most critical attack paths to sensitive data.
Mattress Firm is a great example of a company leveraging integrated DSPM. Customers are the company’s most precious assets, and using DSPM allows it to discover and protect its customers’ data across databases in multi-cloud environments.
At Mattress Firm, we believe in delivering unparalleled service to our customers, and that includes keeping their data safe. Wiz’s data security posture management solution helps us easily answer the question of what data is stored where, helping us protect our customer data in the cloud.
Sloan Rabon, Manager, Application & Cloud Security, Mattress Firm
Are you interested in learning how an integrated DSPM could work in your environment? Schedule a personalized demo today to learn how Wiz can help you improve your overall security posture, meet compliance regulations, reduce your attack surface, and secure complex multi-cloud environments.
DSPM FAQs