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Understanding the Value of DSPM in Today’s Cloud Ecosystem

November 7, 2024
3
Min Read
Sentra Case Study

As businesses accelerate their digital growth, the complexity of securing sensitive data in the cloud is growing just as fast. Data moves quickly and threats are evolving even faster; keeping cloud environments secure has become one of the biggest challenges for security teams today.

In The Hacker News’ webinar, Benny Bloch, CISO at Global-e, and David Stuart, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Sentra, discuss the challenges and solutions associated with Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) and how it's reshaping the way organizations approach data protection in the cloud.

The Shift from Traditional IT Environments to the Cloud

Benny highlights how the move from traditional IT environments to the cloud has dramatically changed the security landscape. 

"In the past, we knew the boundaries of our systems. We controlled the servers, firewalls, and databases," Benny explains. However, in the cloud, these boundaries no longer exist. Data is now stored on third-party servers, integrated with SaaS solutions, and constantly moved and copied by data scientists and developers. This interconnectedness creates security challenges, as it becomes difficult to control where data resides and how it is accessed. This transition has led many CISOs to feel a loss of control.

 

As Benny points out, "When using a SaaS solution, the question becomes, is this part of your organization or not? And where do you draw the line in terms of responsibility and accountability?"

The Role of DSPM in Regaining Control

To address this challenge, organizations are turning to DSPM solutions. While Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools focus on identifying infrastructure misconfigurations and vulnerabilities, they don’t account for the movement and exposure of data across environments. DSPM, on the other hand, is designed to monitor sensitive data itself, regardless of where it resides in the cloud.

David Stuart emphasizes this difference: "CSPM focuses on your infrastructure. It’s great for monitoring cloud configurations, but DSPM tracks the movement and exposure of sensitive data. It ensures that security protections follow the data, wherever it goes."

For Benny, adopting a DSPM solution has been crucial in regaining a sense of control over data security. "Our primary goal is to protect data," he says. "While we have tools to monitor our infrastructure, it’s the data that we care most about. DSPM allows us to see where data moves, how it’s controlled, and where potential exposures lie."

Enhancing the Security Stack with DSPM

One of the biggest advantages of DSPM is its ability to complement existing security tools. For example, Benny points out that DSPM helps him make more informed decisions about where to prioritize resources. "I’m willing to take more risks in environments that don’t hold significant data. If a server has a vulnerability but isn’t connected to sensitive data, I know I have time to patch it."

By using DSPM, organizations can optimize their security stack, ensuring that data remains protected even as it moves across different environments. This level of visibility enables CISOs to focus on the most critical threats while mitigating risks to sensitive data.

A Smooth Integration with Minimal Disruption

Implementing new security tools can be a challenge, but Benny notes that the integration of Sentra’s DSPM solution was one of the smoothest experiences his team has had. "Sentra’s solution is non-intrusive. You provide account details, install a sentinel in your VPC, and you start seeing insights right away," he explains. Unlike other tools that require complex integrations, DSPM offers a connector-less architecture that reduces the need for ongoing maintenance and reconfiguration. This ease of deployment allows security teams to focus on monitoring and securing data, rather than dealing with the technical challenges of integration.

The Future of Data Security with Sentra’s DSPM

As organizations continue to rely on cloud-based services, the need for comprehensive data security solutions will only grow. DSPM is emerging as a critical component of the security stack, offering the visibility and control that CISOs need to protect their most valuable assets: data.

By integrating DSPM with other security tools like CSPM, organizations can ensure that their cloud environments remain secure, even as data moves across borders and infrastructures. As Benny concludes, "You need an ecosystem of tools that complement each other. DSPM gives you the visibility you need to make informed decisions and protect your data, no matter where it resides."

This shift towards data-centric protection is the future of AI-era security, helping organizations stay ahead of threats and maintain control over their ever-expanding digital environments.

Want to learn more about DSPM? Request a demo today!

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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Yogev Wallach
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How to Secure Regulated Data in Microsoft 365 Copilot

How to Secure Regulated Data in Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft 365 Copilot is a game-changer, embedding generative AI directly into your favorite tools like Word, Outlook, and Teams, and giving productivity a huge boost. But for governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) officers and CISOs, this exciting new innovation also brings new questions about governing sensitive data.

So, how can your organization truly harness Copilot safely without risking compliance? What are Microsoft 365 Copilot security best practices?

Frameworks like NIST’s AI Risk Management and the EU AI Act offer broad guidance, but they don't prescribe exact controls. At Sentra, we recommend a practical approach: treat Copilot as a sensitive data store capable of serving up data (including highly sensitive, regulated information).

This means applying rigorous data security measures to maintain compliance. Specifically, you'll need to know precisely what data Copilot can access, secure it, clearly map access, and continuously monitor your overall data security posture.

We tackle Copilot security through two critical DSPM concepts: Sanitization and Governance.

1. Sanitization: Minimize Unnecessary Data Exposure

Think of Copilot as an incredibly powerful search engine. It can potentially surface sensitive data hidden across countless repositories. To prevent unintended leaks, your crucial first step is to minimize the amount of sensitive data Copilot can access.

Address Shadow Data and Oversharing

It's common for organizations to have sensitive data lurking in overlooked locations or within overshared files. Copilot's incredible search capabilities can suddenly bring these vulnerabilities to light. Imagine a confidential HR spreadsheet, accidentally shared too broadly, now easily summarized by Copilot for anyone who asks.

The solution? Conduct thorough data housekeeping. This means identifying, archiving, or deleting redundant, outdated, or improperly shared information. Crucially, enforce least privilege access by actively auditing and tightening permissions – ensuring only essential identities have access to sensitive content.

How Sentra Helps

Sentra's DSPM solution leverages advanced AI technologies (like OCR, NER, and embeddings) to automatically discover and classify sensitive data across your entire Microsoft 365 environment. Our intuitive dashboards quickly highlight redundant files, shadow data, and overexposed folders. What's more, we meticulously map access at the identity level, clearly showing which users can access what specific sensitive data – enabling rapid remediation.

For example, in the screenshot below, you'll see a detailed view of an identity (Jacob Simmons) within our system. This includes a concise summary of the sensitive data classes they can access, alongside a complete list of accessible data stores and data assets.

sentra dspm identity access

2. Governance: Control AI Output to Prevent Data Leakage

Even after thorough sanitization, some sensitive data must remain accessible within your environment. This is where robust governance comes in, ensuring that Copilot's output never becomes an unintentional vehicle for sensitive data leakage.

Why Output Governance Matters

Without proper controls, Copilot could inadvertently include sensitive details in its generated content or responses. This risk could lead to unauthorized sharing, unchecked sensitive data sprawl, or severe regulatory breaches. The recent EchoLeak vulnerability, for instance, starkly demonstrated how attackers might exploit AI-generated outputs to silently leak critical information.

Leveraging DLP and Sensitivity Labels

Microsoft 365’s Purview Information Protection and DLP policies are powerful tools that allow organizations to control what Copilot can output. Properly labeled sensitive data, such as documents marked “Confidential – Financial,” prompt Copilot to restrict content output, providing users only with references or links rather than sensitive details.

Sentra’s Governance Capabilities

Sentra automatically classifies your data and intelligently applies MPIP sensitivity labels, directly powering Copilot’s critical DLP policies. Our platform integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Purview, ensuring sensitive files are accurately labeled based on flexible, custom business logic. This guarantees that Copilot's outputs remain fully compliant with your active DLP policies.

Below is an example of Sentra’s MPIP label automation in action, showing how we place sensitivity labels on data assets that contain Facebook profile URLs and credit card numbers belonging to EU citizens, which were modified in the past year:

Additionally, our continuous monitoring and real-time alerts empower organizations to immediately address policy violations – for instance, sensitive data with missing or incorrect MPIP labels – helping you maintain audit readiness and seamless compliance alignment.

sentra mpip label automation sensitive data microsoft purview information protection automation

A Data-Centric Security Approach to AI Adoption

By strategically combining robust sanitization and strong governance, you ensure your regulated data remains secure while enabling safe and compliant Copilot adoption across your organization. This approach aligns directly with the core principles outlined by NIST and the EU AI Act, effectively translating high-level compliance guidance into actionable, practical controls.

At Sentra, our mission is clear: to empower secure AI innovation through comprehensive data visibility and truly automated compliance. Our cutting-edge solutions provide the transparency and granular control you need to confidently embrace Copilot’s powerful capabilities, all without risking costly compliance violations.

Next Steps

Adopting Microsoft 365 Copilot securely doesn’t have to be complicated. By leveraging Sentra’s comprehensive DSPM solutions, your organization can create a secure environment where Copilot can safely enhance productivity without ever exposing your regulated data.


Ready to take control? Contact a Sentra expert today to learn more about seamlessly securing your sensitive data and confidently deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot.

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How Automated Remediation Enables Proactive Data Protection at Scale

How Automated Remediation Enables Proactive Data Protection at Scale

Scaling Automated Data Security in Cloud and AI Environments

Modern cloud and AI environments move faster than human response. By the time a manual workflow catches up, sensitive data may already be at risk. Organizations need automated remediation to reduce response time, enforce policy at scale, and safeguard sensitive data the moment it becomes exposed. Comprehensive data discovery and accurate data classification are foundational to this effort. Without knowing what data exists and how it's handled, automation can't succeed.

Sentra’s cloud-native Data Security Platform (DSP) delivers precisely that. With built-in, context-aware automation, data discovery, and classification, Sentra empowers security teams to shift from reactive alerting to proactive defense. From discovery to remediation, every step is designed for precision, speed, and seamless integration into your existing security stack. precisely that. With built-in, context-aware automation, Sentra empowers security teams to shift from reactive alerting to proactive defense. From discovery to remediation, every step is designed for precision, speed, and seamless integration into your existing security stack.

Automated Remediation: Turning Data Risk Into Action

Sentra doesn't just detect risk, it acts. At the core of its value is its ability to execute automated remediation through native integrations and a powerful API-first architecture. This lets organizations immediately address data risks without waiting for manual intervention.

Key Use Cases for Automated Data Remediation

Sensitive Data Tagging & Classification Automation

Sentra accurately classifies and tags sensitive data across environments like Microsoft 365, Amazon S3, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Its Automation Rules Page enables dynamic labels based on data type and context, empowering downstream tools to apply precise protections.

Sensitive Data Tagging and Classification Automation in Microsoft Purview

Automated Access Revocation & Insider Risk Mitigation

Sentra identifies excessive or inappropriate access and revokes it in real time. With integrations into IAM and CNAPP tools, it enforces least-privilege access. Advanced use cases include Just-In-Time (JIT) access via SOAR tools like Tines or Torq.

Enforced Data Encryption & Masking Automation

Sentra ensures sensitive data is encrypted and masked through integrations with Microsoft Purview, Snowflake DDM, and others. It can remediate misclassified or exposed data and apply the appropriate controls, reducing exposure and improving compliance.

Integrated Remediation Workflow Automation

Sentra streamlines incident response by triggering alerts and tickets in ServiceNow, Jira, and Splunk. Context-rich events accelerate triage and support policy-driven automated remediation workflows.

Architecture Built for Scalable Security Automation

Cloud & AI Data Visibility with Actionable Remediation

Sentra provides visibility across AWS, Azure, GCP, and M365 while minimizing data movement. It surfaces actionable guidance, such as missing logging or improper configurations, for immediate remediation.

Dynamic Policy Enforcement via Tagging

Sentra’s tagging flows directly into cloud-native services and DLP platforms, powering dynamic, context-aware policy enforcement.

API-First Architecture for Security Automation

With a REST API-first design, Sentra integrates seamlessly with security stacks and enables full customization of workflows, dashboards, and automation pipelines.

Why Sentra for Automated Remediation?

Sentra offers a unified platform for security teams that need visibility, precision, and automation at scale. Its advantages include:

  • No agents or connectors required
  • High-accuracy data classification for confident automation
  • Deep integration with leading security and IT platforms
  • Context-rich tagging to drive intelligent enforcement
  • Built-in data discovery that powers proactive policy decisions
  • OpenAPI interface for tailored remediation workflows

These capabilities are particularly valuable for CISOs, Heads of Data Security, and AI Security teams tasked with securing sensitive data in complex, distributed environments. 

Automate Data Remediation and Strengthen Cloud Security

Today’s cloud and AI environments demand more than visibility, they require decisive, automated action. Security leaders can no longer afford to rely on manual processes when sensitive data is constantly in motion.

Sentra delivers the speed, precision, and context required to protect what matters most. By embedding automated remediation into core security workflows, organizations can eliminate blind spots, respond instantly to risk, and ensure compliance at scale.

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How Sentra is Redefining Data Security at Black Hat 2025

As we move deeper into 2025, the cybersecurity landscape is experiencing a profound shift. AI-driven threats are becoming more sophisticated, cloud misconfigurations remain a persistent risk, and data breaches continue to grow in scale and cost.

In this rapidly evolving environment, traditional security approaches are no longer enough. At Black Hat USA 2025, Sentra will demonstrate how security teams can stay ahead of the curve through data-centric strategies that focus on visibility, risk reduction, and real-time response. Join us on August 4-8 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas to learn how Sentra’s platform is reshaping the future of cloud data security.

Understanding the Stakes: 2024’s Security Trends

Recent industry data underscores the urgency facing security leaders. Ransomware accounted for 35% of all cyberattacks in 2024 - an 84% increase over the prior year. Misconfigurations continue to be a leading cause of cloud incidents, contributing to nearly a quarter of security events. Phishing remains the most common vector for credential theft, and the use of AI by attackers has moved from experimental to mainstream.

These trends point to a critical shift: attackers are no longer just targeting infrastructure or endpoints. They are going straight for the data.

Why Data-Centric Security Must Be the Focus in 2025

The acceleration of multi-cloud adoption has introduced significant complexity. Sensitive data now resides across AWS, Azure, GCP, and SaaS platforms like Snowflake and Databricks. However, most organizations still struggle with foundational visibility - not knowing where all their sensitive data lives, who has access to it, or how it is being used.

Sentra’s approach to Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) is built to solve this problem. Our platform enables security teams to continuously discover, identify, classify, and secure sensitive data across their cloud environments, and to do so in real time, without agents or manual tagging.

Sentra at Black Hat USA 2025: What to Expect

At this year’s conference, Sentra will be showcasing how our DSPM and Data Detection and Response (DDR) capabilities help organizations proactively defend their data against evolving threats. Our live demonstrations will highlight how we uncover shadow data across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, detect abnormal access patterns indicating insider threats, and automate compliance mapping for frameworks such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SOX. Attendees will also gain visibility into how our platform enables data-aware threat detection that goes beyond traditional SIEM tools.

In addition to product walkthroughs, we’ll be sharing real-world success stories from our customers - including a fintech company that reduced its cloud data risk by 60% in under a month, and a global healthtech provider that cut its audit prep time from three weeks to just two days using Sentra’s automated controls.

Exclusive Experiences for Security Leaders

Beyond the show floor, Sentra will be hosting a VIP Security Leaders Dinner on August 5 - an invitation-only evening of strategic conversations with CISOs, security architects, and data governance leaders. The event will feature roundtable discussions on 2025’s biggest cloud data security challenges and emerging best practices.

For those looking for deeper engagement, we’re also offering one-on-one strategy sessions with our experts. These personalized consultations will focus on helping security leaders evaluate their current DSPM posture, identify key areas of risk, and map out a tailored approach to implementing Sentra’s platform within their environment.

Why Security Teams Choose Sentra

Sentra has emerged as a trusted partner for organizations tackling the challenges of modern data security. We were named a "Customers’ Choice" in the Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer report for DSPM, with a 98% recommendation rate and an average rating of 4.9 out of 5. GigaOm also recognized Sentra as a Leader in its 2024 Radar reports for both DSPM and Data Security Platforms.

More importantly, Sentra is helping real organizations address the realities of cloud-native risk. As security perimeters dissolve and sensitive data becomes more distributed, our platform provides the context, automation, and visibility needed to protect it.

Meet Sentra at Booth 4408

Black Hat USA 2025 offers a critical opportunity for security leaders to re-evaluate their strategies in the face of AI-powered attacks, rising cloud complexity, and increasing regulatory pressure. Whether you are just starting to explore DSPM or are looking to enhance your existing security investments, Sentra’s team will be available for live demos, expert guidance, and strategic insights throughout the event.

Visit us at Booth 4408 to see firsthand how Sentra can help your organization secure what matters most - your data.

Register or Book a Session

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