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The Rise of Next-Generation DSPs

April 3, 2025
3
 Min Read
Data Security

Recently there has been a significant shift from standalone Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) solutions to comprehensive Data Security Platforms (DSPs). These platforms integrate DSPM functionality, but also encompass access governance, threat detection, and data loss prevention capabilities to provide a more holistic data protection solution. Additionally, the critical role of data in AI and LLM training requires holistic data security platforms that can manage data sensitivity, ensure security and compliance, and maintain data integrity.

This consolidation will improve security effectiveness and help organizations manage the growing complexity of their IT environments. Originally more of a governance/compliance tool, DSPs have evolved into a critical necessity for organizations managing sensitive data in sprawling cloud environments. With the explosion of cloud adoption, stricter regulatory landscapes, and the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, DSPs will continue to evolve to address the monumental data scale expected.

DSP Addressing Modern Challenges in 2025

As the threat landscape evolves, DSP is shifting to address modern challenges. New trends such as AI integration, real-time threat detection, and cloud-native architectures are transforming how organizations approach data security. DSPM is no longer just about assuring compliance and proper data governance, it’s about mitigating all data risks, monitoring for new threats, and proactively resolving them in real time.

Must-Have DSP Features for 2025

Over the years, Data Security Platforms (DSPs) have evolved significantly, with a range of providers emerging to address the growing need for robust data security in cloud environments. Initially, smaller startups began offering innovative solutions, and in 2024, several of these providers were acquired, signaling the increasing demand for comprehensive data protection. As organizations continue to prioritize securing their cloud data, it's essential to carefully evaluate DSP solutions to ensure they meet key security needs. When assessing DSP options for 2025, certain features stand out as critical for ensuring a comprehensive and effective approach to data security.

Below are outlined the must-have features for any DSP solution in the coming year:

  1. Cloud-Native Architecture

Modern DSPs are built for the cloud and address vast data scale with cloud-native technologies that leverage provider APIs and functions. This allows data discovery and classification to occur autonomously, within the customer cloud environment leveraging existing compute resources. Agentless approaches reduce administrative burdens as well.

  1. AI-Based Classification

AI has revolutionized data classification, providing context-aware accuracy exceeding 95%. By understanding data in its unique context, AI-driven DSP solutions ensure the right security measures are applied without overburdening teams with false positives.

  1. Anomaly Detection and Real-Time Threat Detection

Anomaly detection, powered by Data Detection and Response (DDR), identifies unusual patterns in data usage to spotlight risks such as ransomware and insider threats. Combined with real-time, data-aware detection of suspicious activities, modern DSP solutions proactively address cloud-native vulnerabilities, stopping breaches before they unfold and ensuring swift, effective action.

  1. Automatic Labeling

Manual tagging is too cumbersome and time consuming. When choosing DSP solutions, it’s critical to make sure that you choose ones that automate data tagging and labeling, seamlessly integrating with Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), and governance platforms. This reduces errors and accelerates compliance processes.

  1. Data Zones and Perimeters

As data moves across cloud environments, maintaining control is paramount. Leading DSP solutions monitor data movement, alerting teams when data crosses predefined perimeters or storage zones, ensuring compliance with internal and external policies.

  1. Automatic Remediation and Enforcement

Automation extends to remediation, with DSPs swiftly addressing data risks like excessive permissions or misconfigurations. By enforcing protection policies across cloud environments, organizations can prevent breaches before they occur.

The Business Case for DSP in 2025

Proactive Security

Cloud-native DSP represents a shift from reactive to proactive security practices. By identifying and addressing risks early, and across their entire data estate from cloud to on-premises, organizations can mitigate potential threats and strengthen their security posture.

Regulatory Compliance

As regulations such as GDPR and CCPA continue to evolve, DSPM solutions play a crucial role in simplifying compliance by automating data discovery and labeling. This automation reduces the manual effort required to meet regulatory requirements. In fact, 84% of security and IT professionals consider data protection frameworks like GDPR and CCPA to be mandatory for their industries, emphasizing the growing need for automated solutions to ensure compliance.

The Rise of Gen AI

The rise of Gen AI is expected to be a main theme in 2025. Gen AI is a driver for data proliferation in the cloud and for a transition between legacy data technologies and modern ones that require an updated data security program.

Operational Efficiency

By automating repetitive tasks, DSPM significantly reduces the workload for security teams. This efficiency allows teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than firefighting. According to a 2024 survey, organizations using DSPM reported a 40% reduction in time spent on manual data management tasks, demonstrating its impact on operational productivity.

Future-Proofing Your Organization with Cloud-Native DSP

To thrive in the evolving security landscape, organizations must adopt forward-looking strategies. Cloud-native DSP tools integrate seamlessly with broader security frameworks, ensuring resilience and adaptability. As technology advances, features like predictive analytics and deeper AI integration will further enhance capabilities.

Conclusion

Data security challenges are only becoming more complex, but new Data Security Platforms (DSPs) provide the tools to meet them head-on. Now is the time for organizations to take a hard look at their security posture and consider how DSPs can help them stay protected, compliant, and trusted. DSPs are quickly becoming essential to business operations, influencing strategic decisions and enabling faster, more secure innovation.

Ready to see it in action?

Request a demo to discover how a modern DSP can strengthen your security and support your goals.

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David Stuart is Senior Director of Product Marketing for Sentra, a leading cloud-native data security platform provider, where he is responsible for product and launch planning, content creation, and analyst relations. Dave is a 20+ year security industry veteran having held product and marketing management positions at industry luminary companies such as Symantec, Sourcefire, Cisco, Tenable, and ZeroFox. Dave holds a BSEE/CS from University of Illinois, and an MBA from Northwestern Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

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Ward Balcerzak
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Why I Joined Sentra: A Data Defender’s Journey

Why I Joined Sentra: A Data Defender’s Journey

After nearly two decades immersed in cybersecurity, spanning Fortune 500 enterprises, defense contractors, manufacturing giants, consulting, and the vendor ecosystem, I’ve seen firsthand how elusive true data security remains. I've built and led data security programs from scratch in some of the world’s most demanding environments. But when I met the team from Sentra, something clicked in a way that’s rare in this industry.

Let me tell you why I joined Sentra and why I’m more excited than ever about the future of data security.

From Visibility to Vulnerability

In every role I've held, one challenge has consistently stood out: understanding data.
Not just securing it but truly knowing what data we have, where it lives, how it moves, how it's used, and who touches it. This sounds basic, yet it’s one of the least addressed problems in security.

Now, we layer on the proliferation of cloud environments and SaaS sprawl (without mentioning the increasing proliferation of AI agents). The traditional approaches simply don’t cut it. Most organizations either ignore cloud data discovery altogether or lean on point solutions that can’t scale, lack depth, or require endless manual tuning and triage.

That’s exactly where Sentra shines.

Why Sentra?

When I first engaged with Sentra, what struck me was that this wasn’t another vendor trying to slap a new UI on an old problem. Sentra understands the problem deeply and is solving it holistically across all environments. They’re not just keeping up; they’re setting the pace.

The AI-powered data classification engine at the heart of Sentra’s platform is, quite frankly, the best I’ve seen in the market. It automates what previously required a small army of analysts and does so with an accuracy and scale that’s unmatched. It's not just smart, it’s operationally scalable.

But technology alone wasn’t what sold me. It was the people.
The Sentra founders are visionaries who live and breathe this space. They’re not building in a vacuum, they’re listening to customers, responding to real-world friction, and delivering solutions that security teams will actually adopt. That’s rare. That’s powerful.

And finally, there’s the culture. Sentra radiates innovation, agility, and relentless focus on impact. Every person here knows the importance of their role and how it aligns with our mission. That energy is infectious and it’s exactly where I want to be.

Two Decades. One Mission: Secure the Data.

At Sentra, I’m bringing the scars, stories, and successes from almost 20 years “in the trenches”:

  • Deep experience building and maturing data security programs within highly regulated, high-stakes environments

  • A commitment to the full people-process-technology stack, because securing data isn’t just about tools

  • A background stitching together integrated solutions across silos and toolsets

  • A unique perspective shaped by my time as a practitioner, leader, consultant, and vendor

This blend helps me speak the language of security teams, empathize with their challenges, and design strategies that actually work.

Looking Ahead

Joining Sentra isn’t just the next step in my career; it’s a chance to help lead the next chapter of data security. We’re not here to incrementally improve what exists. We’re here to rethink it. Redefine it. Solve it.

If you’re passionate about protecting what matters most, your data. I’d love to connect.

This is more than a job; it’s a mission. And I couldn’t be prouder to be part of it.

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David Stuart
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What the HIPAA Compliance Updates Mean for Your Security

What the HIPAA Compliance Updates Mean for Your Security

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has long been a cornerstone of safeguarding sensitive health information in the U.S., particularly electronic protected health information (ePHI). As healthcare organizations continue to face growing cybersecurity challenges, ensuring the protection of ePHI has never been more critical. 

In response, for the first time in two decades, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed significant amendments to the HIPAA Security Rule, aimed at strengthening cybersecurity measures across the healthcare sector. These proposed changes are designed to address emerging threats and ensure that healthcare organizations have robust systems in place to protect patient data from unauthorized access and potential breaches. This blog presents the major changes that are coming soon and how you can prepare for them.

Instead of considering compliance as a one-time effort, with Sentra you can monitor your compliance status at any given moment, streamline reporting, and remediate compliance violations instantly.

How Sentra Can Help You Stay Compliant

Sentra’s data security platform equips healthcare organizations with the necessary tools to stay compliant with the new HIPAA Security Rule amendments. By providing continuous monitoring of ePHI data locations and assessing associated risks, Sentra helps organizations maintain full visibility and control over sensitive data.

Key Benefits of Using Sentra for HIPAA Compliance:

  • Automated Data Discovery & Classification: Instantly locate and classify ePHI across cloud and on-prem environments.
  • Real-time Risk Assessment: Continuously assess vulnerabilities and flag security gaps related to HIPAA requirements.
  • Access Control & Encryption Monitoring: Ensure compliance with mandatory MFA, encryption policies, and access termination requirements.
  • Smart Compliance Alerts: Sentra doesn’t just detect generic cloud misconfigurations. Instead, it pinpoints security issues affecting sensitive data, helping teams focus on what truly matters.

Without a solution such as Sentra, organizations waste valuable time manually searching for and classifying sensitive data, diverting key employees from higher-priority security tasks. With Sentra, security teams gain an ongoing, real-time dashboard that ensures efficient compliance and faster risk mitigation.

What You Need to Know About the Proposed HIPAA Security Rule Updates

The latest proposed updates to the HIPAA Security Rule represent some of the most significant changes in years. These updates aim to modernize data protection practices and ensure healthcare organizations are better equipped to handle today’s security challenges. Below are the key highlights compliance and security teams should focus on:

Mandatory Implementation Specifications
All implementation specifications under the HIPAA Security Rule will become mandatory. Covered entities and business associates must now fully comply with all safeguards—no more "addressable" exceptions.

Stricter Encryption Requirements
Encryption of electronic protected health information (ePHI) will be required both at rest and in transit. Organizations must ensure encryption is in place across all systems handling sensitive data.

Required Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
MFA will become mandatory to protect access to ePHI. This added security layer significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access and credential compromise.

Network Segmentation for Threat Containment
Organizations must implement network segmentation to isolate sensitive systems and limit the spread of cyber threats in the event of a breach.

Timely Termination of Access
Access to ePHI must be revoked within 24 hours when an employee leaves or changes roles. This reduces the risk of insider threats and unauthorized access.

Comprehensive Documentation Requirements
Healthcare organizations must maintain detailed, up-to-date documentation of all security policies, procedures, risk assessments, and incident response plans.

Asset Inventories and Network Mapping
Annual updates to technology asset inventories and network maps will be required to ensure accurate tracking of where and how ePHI is stored and transmitted.

Enhanced Risk Analysis
Organizations must conduct regular, thorough risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities and assess threats across all systems that interact with ePHI.

Stronger Incident Response Plans
Entities must be able to restore lost systems and data within 72 hours after a cyber incident. Regular testing and refinement of incident response protocols will be essential.

Annual Compliance Audits
Healthcare organizations will be required to conduct annual audits of their HIPAA Security Rule compliance, covering all technical and administrative safeguards.

Mandatory Technical Controls
Technical safeguards like anti-malware tools, firewalls, and port restrictions must be in place and regularly reviewed to protect systems from evolving threats.

What’s Next?

The proposed changes to the HIPAA Security Rule are currently in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) stage, with a 60-day public comment period that opened on January 6, 2025. During this period, stakeholders can provide feedback on the amendments, which may influence the final rule. Organizations should actively monitor the comment period, engage in the feedback process, and stay informed on any potential adjustments before the rule is finalized.

Steps Organizations Should Take Now:

  • Review the proposed changes and understand how they impact your current security posture.
  • Engage in the public comment process to share concerns or recommendations.
  • Start assessing security gaps to align with HIPAA’s evolving compliance requirements.

Conclusion

The new HIPAA compliance amendments represent a major shift in how healthcare organizations must protect electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). The introduction of enhanced encryption standards, mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA), and stricter access control measures means organizations must act swiftly to maintain compliance and reduce cybersecurity risks.

Compliance is not just about meeting regulations, it is about efficiency. Organizations relying on manual processes to locate and secure sensitive data waste valuable time and resources, making compliance efforts less effective.

With Sentra, healthcare organizations gain a powerful, automated data security solution that:

  • Eliminates manual data discovery by providing a real-time, continuous inventory of sensitive data.
  • Prioritizes relevant data security risks instead of overwhelming teams with unnecessary alerts.
  • Ensures compliance readiness by automating key processes like access control monitoring and encryption verification.

Now is the time for healthcare organizations to take proactive steps toward compliance. Stay informed, participate in the public comment process, and start implementing security enhancements today.

To learn how Sentra can help your organization achieve HIPAA compliance efficiently, request a demo today and take control of your sensitive data.

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Your AI Is Only as Secure as Your Data: Celebrating a $100M Milestone

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Over the past year, we’ve seen an incredible surge in enterprise AI adoption. Companies across industries are integrating AI agents and generative AI into their operations to move faster, work smarter, and unlock innovation. But behind every AI breakthrough lies a foundational truth: AI is only as secure as the data behind it.

At Sentra, securing that data has always been our mission, not just to prevent breaches and data leaks, but to empower prosperity and innovation with confidence and control.

Data Security: The Heartbeat of Your Organization

As organizations push forward with AI, massive volumes of data, often sensitive, regulated, or business-critical are being used to train models or power AI agents. Too often, this happens without full visibility or governance. 


The explosion of the data security market reflects how critical this challenge has become. At Sentra, we’ve long believed that a Data Security Platform (DSP) must be cloud-native, scalable, and adaptable to real-world enterprise environments. We’ve been proud to lead the way, and our continued growth, especially among Fortune 500 customers, is a testament to the urgency and relevance of our approach.

Scaling for What's Next

With the announcement of our $50 million Series B funding round, bringing our total funding to over $100 million, we’re scaling Sentra to meet the moment. We're counting on strong customer momentum and more than tripling revenue year-over-year, and we’re using this investment to grow our team, strengthen our platform, and continue defining what modern data security looks like.

We’ve always said security shouldn’t slow innovation - it should fuel it. And that’s exactly what we’re enabling.

It's All About the People


At the end of the day, it’s people who build it, scale it, and believe in it. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our investors, customers, and, most importantly, our team. It’s all about you! Your belief in Sentra and your relentless execution make everything possible. We couldn’t make it without each and every one of you.

We’re not just building a product, we’re setting the gold standard for data security, because securing your data is the heartbeat of your organization!

Innovation without security isn’t progress. Let’s shape a future where both go together!

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