In today's digital landscape, you need to safeguard both your cloud infrastructure as well as the sensitive data that it houses. To address these needs, two critical strategies have emerged:
Understanding their distinctions and interplay is essential for a robust security framework.
Understanding CSPM and DSPM
Let’s take a closer look at how CSPM and DSPM help protect cloud infrastructures and secure sensitive data.
Cloud security posture management (CSPM) focuses on securing cloud infrastructures. It does this by identifying and rectifying misconfigurations, managing identities and access controls, and ensuring compliance with security standards. Essentially, it continuously monitors and manages the security posture of cloud resources to maintain a secure and compliant cloud environment.
Data security posture management (DSPM) centers on the data itself. It involves discovering, classifying and protecting sensitive data across various environments. This includes on-premises systems, cloud platforms and SaaS applications. DSPM provides visibility into where data is located, who has access to it, and its potential vulnerabilities. This ensures that sensitive data remains secure and is compliant with regulations.
CSPM vs. DSPM
These are the key differences between CSPM and DSPM.
Scope and focus
- CSPM focuses on security configurations and the posture of cloud infrastructure components, such as virtual machines, storage services and networks.
- DSPM targets the security of the data itself, regardless of where it is stored. It does this by understanding its context, sensitivity and access patterns.
Context awareness
- CSPM lacks deep context for the sensitivity of the data that’s within the infrastructure, which can potentially lead to generic security measures.
- DSPM is context-aware and focuses on what matters most—protecting sensitive data by understanding its importance and the surrounding environment.
Alert management
- CSPM may generate numerous alerts, including low-priority ones. This can overwhelm security teams.
- DSPM prioritizes alerts based on data sensitivity and risk. As a result, it reduces noise and enables teams to focus on critical issues.
Data discovery and classification
- CSPM does not inherently include data discovery capabilities.
- DSPM begins with discovering and classifying data, expanding into access management and risk identification.
Coverage
- CSPM primarily addresses infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) components. It may not cover on-premises data stores, private clouds, platform-as-a-service (PaaS) or software-as-a-service (SaaS) environments.
- DSPM offers comprehensive data protection across all these environments. This ensures that data security is maintained wherever data is stored.
Access governance
- CSPM does not typically uncover specific user access details to resources.
- DSPM understands various access relationships and permission levels. It also enforces the principle of least privilege to protect data effectively.
CSPM and DSPM complement each other
While they have distinct focuses, these technologies are not mutually exclusive. For example, CSPM controls the posture of the S3 bucket on AWS where Snowflake is stored. However, it does not provide visibility on who can or has queried that data. On the other hand, DSPM provides visibility into the Snowflake instance. And it maintains the security posture of the data within the cloud data store.
When you implement both, you get a holistic approach to security:
- Enhanced data protection. DSPM identifies and classifies sensitive data. Meanwhile, CSPM ensures that the cloud infrastructure that houses this data is securely configured.
- Improved threat detection. DSPM provides data attack path analysis. When this is combined with CSPM infrastructure monitoring, you get a multilayered defense against potential threats.
- Regulatory compliance. DSPM directly addresses data handling regulations. CSPM supports compliance by maintaining a secure cloud environment. Together, they reduce the risk of noncompliance penalties.
Conclusion
When you integrate CSPM and DSPM into your security strategy, you get comprehensive protection. By focusing on both the infrastructure and the data that it contains, you can mitigate risks more effectively and maintain a robust security posture.
Find out more about Proofpoint Data Security Posture Management. Explore deeper insights by watching our webinar “How Informatica used DSPM to Protect Customer Data.”
