Top 10 DSPM Tools to Uncover and Secure Your Data

Fragmented data discovery, visibility gaps, and the tedious process of manually classifying data can spell trouble in a world that produces data at an unprecedented pace. In fact, 90% of the world’s data was generated just between 2021 and 2023, and by 2025, it’s expected to soar to 181 zettabytes. It’s no wonder data security is now more critical than ever, with 75%of organizations gearing up to adopt Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) tools by mid-2025.

Without a dedicated DSPM tool, many companies struggle to find and manage data scattered across different systems and environments. Regulatory requirements are becoming more complex, and the pressure to quickly secure sensitive data to avoid fines is only growing.

As the Forbes Council puts it, Active DSPM is key—companies need to continuously monitor and improve their data security posture in this increasingly data-driven world.

If you’re thinking about investing in a DSPM tool, this blog will walk you through some of the top options, outlining their key features, pros, and cons to help you make the best choice.

What are DSPM tools?

Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) tools are software solutions that help discover data across multiple platforms and provide visibility into data access, usage, and security threats to protect sensitive information. The tools offer visibility into the state of your sensitive data, answering questions like where it is stored, the people and systems that have access to it, the real-time status of controls implemented to keep it safe.

Why do you need DSPM tools?

You need DSPM tools to continuously monitor your data security posture, automatically track data across systems, remediate issues in real time, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

Here are some benefits of DSPM tools:

Simplify data discovery

Today, organizations have data scattered across complex environments, including multiple cloud vendors, systems, and geographies making it hard to discover, classify, and track this data. DSPM tools automate this process and simplify the discovery and classification of data based on criticality and business importance – minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and data loss.

Enhance visibility into data usage and access

DSPM tools also enable data flow visualization to help organizations understand how data moves across platforms, how it is used, and who has access to sensitive data. This level of transparency enables the organization to enforce the right access controls and follow the principle of least privilege to minimize data breaches and insider threats.

Enable proactive risk management

DSPM tools continuously monitor vulnerabilities, checking for unencrypted data, unauthorized access, and misconfigurations. These capabilities help security teams respond promptly to potential risks before they escalate into serious incidents. The efficiency of these processes also minimizes the burden on IT teams, as most of the workflows are automated.

Ensure compliance with requirements

Data protection regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS require organizations to protect sensitive information strictly. DSPM tools help discover and classify this data, guiding the implementation of security controls such as encryption and access controls to prevent data loss. These measures ensure that compliance requirements are met efficiently without teams duplicating efforts.

Support incident response

During security incidents, DSPM tools provide insights into the compromised data and help teams assess the scope of the breach. They also enable the automatic implementation of certain measures, such as blocking access to contain the impact. These measures help with recovery efforts and enable the teams to understand the data flow and access pattern for root cause analysis.

Top 10 DSPM tools in 2024

We’ve curated the top 10 DSPM tools based on key features, pros, and cons that you can look up to in 2024:

Varonis

Varonis Data Security is a DSPM tool that helps organizations scan and discover where sensitive data resides and provides deep visibility into the risks associated with this data. The cloud-based platform also helps automate the remediation of these identified risks for multi-cloud, SaaS, and on-premise data.

Key Features

• Covers file storage systems, SaaS apps, email, IaaS and cloud databases
• Tracks access permissions and revokes unnecessary privileges. 
• Help enforce security policies such as the Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy
• Supports automated alerts and threat response in case of suspicious activities
• Maintains an audit trail for forensic analysis

Pros

• Out-of-the-box reporting setup
• The extensive library of detection rules helps with comprehensive ransomware detection
• Helps clean up unnecessary files and folders to maintain data hygiene

Cons

• Pulling data and loading the management console can feel slow
• The platform is not easy to deploy and set up

BigID

BigID is an AI-powered DSPM solution that helps identify and catalog structured and unstructured data across cloud and on-prem environments. It also provides insights into data risk exposure through comprehensive reports to guide the remediation process.

Key Features

• Helps discover hidden, unmanaged, and sensitive data assets automatically
• Accurately classifies data using customizable Natural Language Processing (NLP)
• Tracks data movement to spot overprivileged users or exposed data
• Integrates with SOAR, SIEM, and CSPM tools
• Features executive dashboards for risk reports

Pros

• The portal is easy to use and understand and customers appreciate the UI
• Allows for customized views that align with the business context
• Provides detailed data intelligence reports

Cons

• Can come across as expensive as compared to other players in the market
• Some users on G2 find the tool cumbersome and clunky with issues such as bugs and slow loading

Wiz

Wiz is a cloud-first data security posture management tool with built-in discovery and labeling rules for sensitive data such as PHI, PII, and trade secrets. It lies ahead of some solutions in the category and can detect sensitive data even in the AI training pipelines in the cloud, and map the paths of attack to it, allowing teams to proactively mitigate risks associated with it.

Key Features

• Enables data discovery across PaaS, cloud hosted environments, buckets, serverless environments, Snowflake, and AI
• Provides context for data risk assessments to enable well-informed decisions
• Supports data access governance to remove excessive user permissions
• Ensures compliance posture against frameworks like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and HITRUST
• Utilizes built-in threat detection capabilities to send automated alerts

Pros

• Integrates with most of the cloud platforms in the market
• Fast and credible support

Cons

• Reporting functions feel very technical
• Limited data export options for large cloud environments

Sentra

Sentra is a data security solution that enhances visibility across structured and unstructured data and prioritizes risks based on data sensitivity. The agentless tool (which does not require installation on each device) continuously tracks data flow to pinpoint risky exposures and policy violations and sends real-time notifications for proactive remediation.

Key Features

• Performs continuous background scanning of data repositories without interrupting operations
• Ensures policy enforcement to minimize any compliance violations
• Continuously assesses access permissions to maintain data security
• Helps detect shadow data and duplicate data resources to minimize threat exposure
• Ensures secure data usage while working with GenAI applications

Pros

• Less false positives and more nuanced alerts to minimize alert fatigue
• Helps identify any abandoned sensitive data to control cloud storage costs
• Lets users create custom data classes with user-defined sensitivity ratings.

Cons

• Limited to IaaS and PaaS environments
• Pricing is rigid as it is charged per TB scanned instead of per user

Symmetry

Symmetry is a data protection and security posture management tool that helps organizations fully understand their data residing in multiple locations and environments. It continuously monitors potential threats, access to data, and enforcement of compliance policies to ensure that the data is not compromised.

Key Features

• Provides broad data coverage across the cloud, on-premise and hybrid environments
• Monitors and sends alerts for any GenAI vulnerabilities
• Follows Zero-trust model to manage identity and access permissions
• Supports compliance with data protection regulations such as HIPAA and PCI DSS
• Provides cleanup services to minimize unnecessary data storage costs

Pros

• Visuals and graphics help understand insights better
• Offers scalability and customization
• Helps optimize costs by finding and removing dark data

Cons

• Limited integration options
• Might be expensive for organizations operating at large scale

Securiti

Securiti is a data governance and security management tool that offers DSPM solutions to enable organizations to protect data across hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. It ensures secure data transfers, helps maintain compliance, and minimizes the risk of breaches and attacks.

Key Features

• Organizes and catalogs datasets within structured and unstructured data assets
• Helps visualize data flow across systems, files, and databases
• Provides AI-powered data insights into data access, compliance status, and security issues
• Helps prioritize misconfiguration management based on the criticality of data
• Minimizes unauthorized access by flagging any suspicious attempts or dormant accounts

Pros

• Prompt customer support 
• Features training materials, short videos, and other learning material
• Customers appreciate the data visualization features

Cons

• The platform may have a steep learning curve
• Some users on G2 encountered issues when scanning unstructured data

Normalyze

Normalyze is a data-first security platform that has also been called out in the Gartner 2024 cool vendors in data security report. Built for enterprises, the platform uses machine learning and agentless scanning to discover data across SaaS, PaaS, public cloud, multi-cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments.

Key Features

• Uses a patented single-pass scanner to classify data accurately at large scale
• Supports AI-powered remediation workflows to resolve data risks
• Helps implement the principle of least privilege
• Features data access graphs to enable organizations to visualize risks
• Highlights the financial impact of data loss for prioritizing risks

Pros

• Users appreciate the advanced data visualization feature
• Provides a free premium for a month
• Features advanced tools for managing any abandoned data including backups

Cons

• Slow customer response rate
• Implementation is too technical for non-tech-savvy individuals

Cyera

Cyera is a comprehensive data security posture management tool that enables organizations to discover large volumes of data and uses AI and ML to accurately classify it. The platform provides valuable insights into the data attack surface and implemented controls, such as encryption or access permissions, to help you make informed decisions for risk management.

Key Features

• Enables identification of data repositories in minutes 
• Covers data across IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and on-premise
• Supports comprehensive data risk assessments with suggestions for improvements
• Maintains an inventory of data repositories to eliminate any unnecessary data and reduce costs
• Features a dedicated command center for security teams to provide insights to strengthen data security

Pros

• Easy to deploy and set up as it seamlessly integrates with the tech stack
• The team is open to feedback and very responsive
• Helps control data sprawl ie. spread of data to the extent that it becomes difficult to manage

Cons

• Does not scan data in transit
• Limited customization and flexibility

Orca Security

Orca Security is a cloud-native data security platform that provides visibility into data scattered across multi-cloud environments and helps minimize risk exposure. The easy-to-deploy and use tool creates your data inventory in minutes and features a DSPM dashboard for comprehensive visibility across the data estate.

Key Features

• Covers managed, unmanaged, and shadow data across multi-cloud environments
• Pinpoints insights such as misconfigurations, API risks and malware along with sensitive data location for proactive mitigation
• Identifies and flags unnecessary access privileges
• Supports cloud compliance with frameworks such as GDPR, CCPA, PCI, and HIPAA
• Sends context-rich alerts for suspicious activities

Pros

• Reasonable pricing for smaller organizations
• Clear, actionable, and detailed dashboards
• Supports major cloud vendors such as AWS, Azure, and Google and seamlessly integrates with a variety of other tools

Cons

• Does not cover on-premise environments
• A large number of false positives 

Open Raven

Open Raven is a data security solution that helps scan data at scale using integrated APIs and serverless workflows and assess your security posture. It automates the monitoring and management of critical data to ensure the enforcement of security policies and adherence to compliance regulations.

Key Features

• Enables you to control data scans’ frequency, budgets, time limits, and exclusions
• Helps prioritize high-risk data exposure with context-rich insights
• Protects personal, financial, and healthcare data to ensure compliance with relevant standards
• Uses rule-based policy alerts when data deviates from pre-established conditions
• Aligned with industry standards like CIS benchmarks to ensure data security

Pros

• Allows you to build custom policies and scrap unnecessary ones
• Provides detailed insights for compliance violations
• Maps data assets in real-time across cloud applications

Cons

• Does not report on pending or unscanned assets
• Some reports cannot be downloaded in a .csv format (as per G2)

How do you select the right DSPM tool?

While there is not a one-size-fits-all answer, there are certain requirements that you must look for when selecting the tool.

Here’s how you can make a choice:

Understand the outcome requirements

Take stock of the environment to understand where your data resides and decide the outcomes you expect from the tool. These will vary based on organization needs and range from deep analytics and automated remediation to advanced data classification and real-time alerts.

Look for breadth of coverage and other key features

Understand the tool’s data coverage to ensure comprehensive protection. This includes coverage across structured and unstructured data, data stored on-prem, across cloud or multi-cloud environments, and data processed by third-party applications. 

Evaluate integration capabilities

Ensure that the tool seamlessly integrates into the existing security infrastructure such as your DLP (Data Loss Prevention) solutions, SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tools, GRC tools, and other security software. This ensures that there is no added layer of complexity and you get real-time visibility for holistic insights across the risk environment.

Ensure scalability and performance

Evaluate whether the tool can grow with your increasing data protection needs and assess its performance impact. It should not slow down operations as data loads increase or complex functions are performed. Testing this in a real-world environment can help ensure that you make the right decision.

Consider costs

Seek clarity on the tool’s pricing model, whether it’s per user or based on the volume of data, and whether the additional features cost extra. Build an ROI case to ensure that the tool delivers the desired features and value within the budget and has long-term benefits for the organization.

Check vendor reputation

Choosing a tool extends beyond technological requirements. It is crucial to ensure that the vendor is credible and has a solid reputation in the market. Look for user reviews, ratings, case studies, and testimonials to be assured of the vendor’s service.

DSPM tools are the most effective when paired with a GRC tool

While DSPM tools excel at data classification and tracking data flow, they fall short in managing critical areas like governance, risk, and compliance. They perform best when integrated with GRC tools, especially in regulated industries.

Here’s how next-gen GRC tools like Sprinto complement your DSPM tools:

• As your DSPM tool discovers sensitive data, Sprinto can monitor data privacy controls and automatically gather evidence of their performance, building an audit-trail.

• While a DSPM tool provides insights into risks related to access and data usage, Sprinto provides a comprehensive view of risks in accordance with the risk appetite so you can prioritize them accordingly.

• It also provides a centralized platform to maintain and enforce policies and procedures for data protection adding a governance structure and ensuring smooth workflows

Sprinto has out-of-the-box features, resources and tools to break down complex tasks into actionable steps and streamline compliance. The built-in policy templates, training modules, continuous control monitoring, role-based access controls, automated evidence collection, and trust center help make compliance a breeze. The platform also intelligently uses the foundation of controls and checks in place for other compliance frameworks so you don’t have to start from scratch each time. 

Take a platform tour and know how we can help.

FAQs

What is the difference between DLP and DSPM?

DLP focuses on preventing data loss, misuse, and unauthorized access risks. DSPM, on the other hand, takes a broader approach by managing the security posture of data and providing insights into data repositories, risks, and compliance issues.

How do CSPM and DSPM tools differ?

Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) tools track, classify, and secure data across multiple environments, including on-premise and cloud. Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools, on the other hand, focus only on securing cloud infrastructure by monitoring and fixing any misconfigurations and compliance violations.

How do DSPM tools manage data sprawl?

Data sprawl refers to the growth and spread of data across various systems and platforms, making it challenging to manage and secure. DSPM tools monitor data sprawl to minimize unmanaged or shadow data store risks.

What is the difference between CASB and DSPM?

Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) acts as a layer of security between the users and cloud services by controlling access and enforcing security policies. Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) on the other hand, protects sensitive data stored in the cloud.

How much do DSPM solutions cost?

DSPM solutions can cost about $50,000 a year for small and medium businesses. For large businesses the costs can go upto $500,000 for 12 months.