Key Points

1. Modern DLP and DSPM tools have integrated automation and advanced technologies, including AI and machine learning, to continuously monitor, classify, and safeguard sensitive data.
2. With the shift towards remote work and the use of cloud and SaaS applications, data sprawl and visibility have become major concerns.
3. Future trends indicate a demand for data security solutions, such as Metomic, that seamlessly integrate with existing security tools (e.g., SIEM systems, ticketing tools) and offer enhanced user experiences.

Mention DLP to any security leader and they’ll often sigh in frustration. Traditional DLP tools have given security teams cause for concern due to their high false positive rates, and their reputation as a blocker to employee productivity.

However, more modern DLP and DSPM tools allow teams to protect their sensitive data without getting in the way of their employees doing their jobs.

With new innovations appearing all the time, we’re taking a look at the current trends in DLP and DSPM, and what else could be coming up in the future.

What are the latest technologies and trends within DLP and DSPM softwares?

Over the last few years, DLP has evolved to become less prohibitive, giving employees the freedom they need to be productive and efficient, while keeping sensitive data safe. It often forms part of DSPM, a more holistic approach to data security, which is relatively new, with the term being coined by Gartner in 2022.

Both DLP solutions and DSPM tools need to be flexible enough to manage new threats and maintain a firm grip on data security across the organisation, in increasingly complex environments.

Some of the latest trends in DLP & DSPM include:

1. Understanding Insider Threats

Insider threats are still a major threat to organisations with 74% of cybersecurity professionals stating that these types of attacks have become more frequent in the last few months.

DLP solutions are becoming more advanced to deal with this by monitoring user behaviour to detect anomalies that could indicate an employee is acting with malicious intent.

A modern DLP tool will provide users with the ability to understand how data is being moved through cloud and SaaS environments to determine if there are any suspicious activities taking place, such as an employee who has been vocal about their unhappiness at the company suddenly downloading sensitive data files in bulk.

2. Automated DLP & DSPM Technology

With the amount of data that organisations are handling, there is an unavoidable need to bring automation into DLP solutions, freeing security teams up to deal with more pressing issues rather than trawling through SaaS environments manually to find sensitive data.

Automated and agentless technologies have become instrumental to businesses that need to save time and resources. This capability allows companies to automatically and continuously scan and classify data, identify vulnerabilities, and put safeguards in place with the use of just one tool.

3. A Focus on Cloud & SaaS Environments

While the network has traditionally been the primary concern of security professionals, remote working has caused the perimeters to become blurred. Cloud and SaaS applications encourage users to share, and collaborate on, files and documents easily, which can increase productivity and enhance team efficiency.

However, the difficulty in using SaaS apps is the risk of sensitive data being sprawled across systems without the security team having full visibility over it. DLP tools such as Metomic can counter this problem, with continuous monitoring capabilities to allow security professionals to get insights into how the workforce is sharing sensitive data across cloud and SaaS environments.

4. Human Firewalls Gaining Popularity

As teams expand and the use of SaaS applications becomes more prevalent, it has become worthwhile investing in security training for the entire organisation, building a ‘Human Firewall’ of security-conscious employees who can minimise risks to the business, and remediate any mistakes themselves, taking significant pressure off the security team.

5. Leveraging AI Within Security

AI has proved a hot topic over the last year or so, and while organisations are rushing to embrace it, it comes with its own security risks - specifically the risk of the complete unknown. It has forced security teams to create new policies based on risks posed by AI tools such as ChatGPT, and has even encouraged some teams to leverage AI tools within their data security efforts.

In Metomic’s 2024 CISO survey, we found that 4/5ths of CISOs are using AI tools to battle AI risks already.

What new risks and challenges can these technologies tackle?

Modern DLP and DSPM tools have evolved to counter new challenges, such as mitigating insider threats by utilising advanced pattern detections to understand where suspicious behaviours may be at play.

A key element of these new technologies is the ability to have full visibility over data shared among employees, contractors, and partners, particularly in SaaS and GenAI tools that have grown exponentially in recent years. Allowing security teams visibility and control over the sensitive data their organisation is handling is crucial for minimising risks, and ensuring compliance with industry regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

Automated DLP & DSPM tools can actually streamline the process of compliance by continuously monitoring data, identifying vulnerabilities, implementing the necessary safeguards, and producing reports of any incidents for your records. This makes compliance auditing much easier, and gives organisations peace of mind when it comes to maintaining compliance on a daily basis.

Advanced DLP and DSPM solutions are also more suited to evolving threats and more sophisticated cyberattacks as they use machine learning and AI to detect new threats and act upon them instantly. Newer models can quickly adapt to threats, giving security teams the reassurance that they won’t have to constantly replace the tool with updated versions.

What trends can be predicted for the future?

In our data security predictions for 2024, Rich Vibert, CEO of Metomic shared the trends he was expecting to see over the course of the year, including:

1. CISOs demanding greater visibility over sensitive data

Over the last few years, many companies have had to adapt to employees primarily using SaaS and cloud applications, rather than data being stored in databases and warehouses. This has led to security professionals losing sight of sensitive data sharing across the organisation, and in some cases, manually flagging sensitive data points across SaaS applications such as Slack.

In the future, CISOs will demand data security solutions that enable their teams to have full control over sensitive data within the organisation, giving them visibility over who the data is shared with, and where it is stored.

2. Data security solutions will need to integrate seamlessly with other security tools

As businesses face tight budgets, security teams are looking to consolidate their security tools to ensure they’re getting the most out of their money. Therefore, any data security solution will need to be able to integrate with the current tech stack including Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, and ticketing managing tools like Jira, as well as offering a multifaceted solution that provides tools such as access controls, data discovery, and insider threat capabilities.

3. AI will become more prominent in data security tools

As companies see the benefits that AI and machine learning can bring, they will no doubt become more deeply integrated into DLP and DSPM solutions, allowing security teams to respond to incidents faster. As these AI elements of data security tools improve, their ability to predict and identify anomalies will become more enhanced, and therefore, more useful to the teams using them.

4. User experience will be improved

As with any tool, user experience is everything, and an intuitive design can make all the difference to a security team’s use of the platform. User experience and accessibility will therefore become more important in the future, as security teams demand more from the tools they use, with simple interfaces and privacy built into the product.

How can Metomic help?

Metomic’s ability to detect and protect sensitive data can help security teams lock down their data, without impacting employee productivity.

Here’s how:

1. Data Discovery: Detect sensitive data across SaaS, cloud, and GenAI environments and get full visibility into data sprawl across your ecosystem.
2. Access Controls: Implement stringent access controls, ensuring sensitive data is only accessible to authorised users.
3. Automated Compliance: Our platform helps you comply with various data protection regulations such as HIPAA, CCPA, and GDPR, by enforcing your data security policies and generating necessary audit reports.
4. User-friendly Interface: One unified and easy-to-use platform for all your data security needs.

Take a look around our platform with personalised demo or get in touch with our team to see how Metomic can help you uplevel your data security practices.