Picture a scenario where a large tech company with deep pockets is confident in its data security measures, only to be blindsided by a breach during a routine audit. The cause? Data misclassification across multiple environments leads to inadequate access controls. The result? A hefty fine, loss of customer trust, and damage to its reputation.
This situation happens too often because it’s a common pitfall of poorly implemented Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) strategies.
As with any new technology companies view as a panacea to all security ailments, many entities rush into adopting DSPM tools without fully understanding the complexities involved. DSPM is more than just deploying technology; it’s about aligning processes, ensuring comprehensive coverage, and avoiding mistakes that leave critical data vulnerable.
Let’s look at five common pitfalls companies face when implementing DSPM and give you some actionable tips to help avoid them.
Mistake #1: Lack of Buy-In and Collaboration
The Challenge: Siloed DSPM Efforts: One of the most common mistakes when implementing DSPM is siloing the project within security teams, leaving out other departments such as data governance, compliance, and privacy. Without a complete view, key considerations could be missed, such as how data is used across the business or whether the right stakeholders are involved in the process.
The Risk: Incomplete Risk Coverage and Poor Adoption: When DSPM efforts are not aligned with business objectives, security gaps open, and adoption falters. Teams may resist new processes, leading to poor integration and missed vulnerabilities, leaving the business exposed to data breaches and compliance failures.
Actionable Tip: Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration: Engage stakeholders from across the business units, including data owners. Also, form cross-functional teams to align the initiative with the company’s broader data strategy.
Mistake #2: Classifying Data Differently in Different Environments
The Challenge: Inconsistent Data Classification – A common problem arises when data is classified differently across various platforms, such as on-premises servers, cloud storage, and SaaS applications. For instance, one platform might classify an email as “Email,” while another calls it “Email ID.” This complicates risk assessment and security management, as enforcing uniform data protection policies becomes tricky.
The Risk: Increased Security Gaps and Compliance Issues – Inconsistent data classification opens the door for attackers, as policies become difficult to enforce across disparate environments. This increases the chance of data exposure, security breaches, and compliance violations, especially when data spans multiple clouds or environments with different policies.
Actionable Tip: Standardize Classification Frameworks – Implement a unified data classification framework across all environments—whether public cloud, private cloud, SaaS, or on-premises—and regularly audit practices to ensure they remain standardized.
Mistake #3: Not Thinking Beyond Data Classification
The Challenge: Focusing on Classification Alone – While classifying data is an essential aspect of DSPM, it’s far from the whole picture. Many entities erroneously believe DSPM is only about identifying whether data is personally identifiable information (PII), financial, or healthcare-related. It isn’t. The security strategy will falter without understanding the broader context of how data is used and accessed throughout its lifecycle.
The Risk: Limited Insight into Data Risk and Usage – Classification alone doesn’t provide a complete view of data’s behavior within the business. It doesn’t capture how data is used, who has access to it, or how it moves between systems. Without this context, firms battle to manage real risks.
Actionable Tip: Strengthen DSPM with Contextual Intelligence – Going beyond classification is critical. Implement a system that offers contextual data intelligence—understanding how data is used, stored, and accessed within the organization. Leveraging tools like knowledge graphs can provide insights into user entitlements, data transfers, regulatory compliance, and more.
Mistake #4: Not Testing for False Positives at Scale
The Challenge: Overwhelming Alerts and False Positives – Another barrier to successful DSPM implementation is failing to test for false positives at scale. These tools generate many alerts, many of which are false positives. This flood of notifications can overwhelm security teams, leaving them overcome with fatigue and putting real threats in danger of being missed.
The Risk: Reduced Security Effectiveness and Team Burnout – When security teams are drowned in floods of false alerts, they may overlook critical warnings. The result is increased vulnerability and missed opportunities to respond to real threats. Also, alert fatigue can demoralize security practitioners and cause them to make mistakes in threat detection.
Actionable Tip: Use AI-Based Classification to Minimize False Positives and Negatives – Fine-tune the DSPM solution to optimize the sensitivity of alerts for different types of data. For instance, proprietary or sensitive data should have a lower threshold for false negatives so that alerts are triggered for the Real McCoy.
Mistake #5: Not Automating Remediation and Actions
The Challenge: Manual and Inefficient Response – Many firms implement DSPM primarily as a monitoring tool but don’t include automated response capabilities. Without automation, remediation is slow, error-prone, and reactive, leaving vulnerabilities unaddressed for more extended periods.
The Risk: Slow Responses and Unaddressed Vulnerabilities – In today’s fast-paced threat landscape, manual responses are insufficient. The longer it takes to remediate security issues, the more time malefactors have to exploit vulnerabilities. Slow responses not only increase the risk of breaches but put companies in danger of falling foul of regulators.
Actionable Tip: Automate Remediation and Orchestrate Workflows – Integrate automation into your DSPM strategy. Choose tools that can automatically adjust access controls, fix misconfigurations, or quarantine sensitive files when a threat is detected.
Building a Resilient DSPM Strategy
Implementing DSPM successfully requires careful planning, collaboration, and attention to detail. By adopting these tips, organizations can boost their data security posture. In doing so, they will comply with regulations, protect sensitive data, and build customer trust.
Avoiding these common pitfalls ensures that DSPM is a strategic asset that supports business goals and security objectives.
Kirsten Doyle has been in the technology journalism and editing space for nearly 24 years, during which time she has developed a great love for all aspects of technology, as well as words themselves. Her experience spans B2B tech, with a lot of focus on cybersecurity, cloud, enterprise, digital transformation, and data centre. Her specialties are in news, thought leadership, features, white papers, and PR writing, and she is an experienced editor for both print and online publications. She is also a regular writer at Bora.Â
