GigaOm Radar for Data Security Platforms (DSPs)v1.0

1. Executive Summary

Poorly managed and inadequately secured data leaves organizations at risk for a data breach and increases the costs of storage and protection. Organizations have traditionally tackled this issue via “point” solutions–individual applications or solutions– for data loss prevention (DLP), governance, data protection, encryption, and threat detection. However, as data size and complexity continue to grow, so does the complexity of managing multiple solutions, further increasing costs and risks to a business’s data assets.

Data security platforms (DSPs) have emerged to combat this challenge. DSP providers include mature vendors with a strong reputation for data security, alongside new vendors who have built DSP solutions from the ground up. This includes DSP vendors with cloud-based SaaS solutions that improve adoption options and accessibility.

DSPs aggregate the data protection requirements of an organization into a single solution offering capabilities such as:

• Discovery and classification: The ability to find data, understand its content and sensitivity, and apply classifications where necessary.
• Access security: The ability to monitor and control who should have access to data, ensuring it is protected appropriately.
• Auditing: The ability to find insights into data usage—who accessed it, when, and with whom it was shared.
• Usage and risk analysis: The ability to develop an understanding of data usage and identify situations when usage and usage patterns present a risk to data security.
• Secure sharing: The ability to share data appropriately. This may include using encryption, rights management, anonymization, and masking techniques to ensure data is protected.

Implementing a DSP solution is not a trivial task, and while these platforms are available for organizations of all sizes, they are not IT department tools. Successful adoption of a DSP solution will require an organization to carry out a sizable project in which it recognizes data responsibility, identifies data owners, and builds policies around data classification, usage, and governance.

Effective DSPs provide comprehensive tools to try to ease the burden of data security and improve its management. They enable organizations to make informed decisions about data governance, access control, and security measures, ensuring that their data assets are well-protected and managed throughout the data lifecycle. They empower organizations to effectively protect their sensitive data, safeguard their privacy, and comply with data regulations.

The risks presented by ineffective or overly complex data security solutions are considerable, as are the risks posed by insecure and unmanaged data. A data breach, or the denial of access to its data, can have significant implications for an organization, from loss of productivity to financial penalties and reputational damage that can lead to loss of future business. All of these risks can be lowered by a robust data security platform.

This is our first year evaluating the DSP space in the context of our Key Criteria and Radar reports.

This GigaOm Radar report examines 12 of the top DSPs in the market, and compares offerings against the capabilities (table stakes, key features, and emerging features) and non-functional requirements (business criteria) outlined in the companion Key Criteria report. Together, these reports provide an overview of the category and its underlying technology, identify leading DSP offerings, and help decision-makers evaluate these solutions so they can make a more informed investment decision.