top of page
Search

Do We Need DSPM or SSPM First?

Security teams are torn between DSPM and SSPM. Here’s how to decide where to start — and why visibility comes before either acronym.




Two Acronyms, One Problem

As cloud ecosystems grow, new categories promise to bring order to the chaos. Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) and SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) have become the latest must-haves — each claiming to solve the visibility gap that traditional tools miss.

But many organizations now ask the same question:

“Do we deploy DSPM or SSPM first?”

The short answer: neither works without a clear picture of what actually exists.


What DSPM Really Does

DSPM focuses on where sensitive data lives — structured or unstructured, across cloud storage, databases, and file repositories. It maps data locations, classifies sensitivity, and identifies exposures such as publicly shared buckets or misconfigured access controls.


Think of DSPM as a data-centric lens:

  • Where is the data?

  • Who can access it?

  • Is it protected and encrypted appropriately?


This approach is essential for meeting the NIST Privacy Framework and ISO 27001 requirements around data mapping and protection.


But DSPM assumes you already know which systems to scan — and that’s where SSPM comes in.


What SSPM Really Does

SSPM focuses on how your SaaS applications are configured and governed. It analyzes identity, access, and configuration settings across sanctioned cloud apps — ensuring MFA, SSO, and least-privilege policies are consistently enforced.


SSPM is identity-centric rather than data-centric:

  • Which SaaS apps are in use?

  • How are they secured?

  • Are they compliant with frameworks such as SOC 2 or GDPR?


The CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model classifies this under “Continuous Verification.”It ensures trust decisions aren’t static — they evolve with every user, token, and configuration change.


The Discovery Paradox

Both DSPM and SSPM assume discovery is solved.

  • 97 % of SaaS apps are unknown to IT

  • 100 % of organizations have unauthorized AWS/Azure/GCP accounts

  • 93 % of SaaS apps lack compliance certifications


Without a complete inventory of SaaS, cloud, and identity connections, posture management becomes posture assumption.

You can’t secure what you haven’t discovered — and neither DSPM nor SSPM can classify or enforce policy on systems outside visibility.


Where to Start: The Order That Works

  1. Step 1 — Discover Everything Begin with comprehensive SaaS & Cloud Discovery. Identify all applications, accounts, and OAuth integrations — known or unknown.(CISA’s Secure Cloud Business Applications (SCuBA) initiative calls this the foundation of cloud visibility.)

  2. Step 2 — Apply SSPM Principles Once you know the landscape, enforce security posture on SaaS platforms:

    • Require SSO + MFA for every user

    • Audit admin privileges

    • Validate compliance configurations

  3. Step 3 — Extend into DSPM With SaaS identities governed, map and classify data across storage, databases, and file systems. DSPM becomes far more effective once you know which systems and tenants actually exist.

This order mirrors how Zero Trust frameworks define maturity: visibility → identity control → data control.

Common Pitfalls

  • Deploying DSPM first: You’ll secure known storage buckets but miss the SaaS apps and integrations continuously creating new data copies.

  • Deploying SSPM without discovery: You’ll audit configurations for a few sanctioned tools but miss the thousands of unsanctioned ones where misconfigurations are truly rampant.

  • Relying on manual inventories: By the time they’re complete, your environment has already changed.


How Waldo Security Fits In

Waldo Security’s SaaS & Cloud Discovery Engine establishes the prerequisite both DSPM and SSPM rely on: continuous, automated visibility. It helps teams:

  • Enumerate every SaaS and Shadow CSP account

  • Detect unmanaged OAuth tokens and identities

  • Classify apps by compliance alignment (SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HIPAA)

  • Provide a real-time inventory for DSPM and SSPM platforms to operate effectively


Discovery isn’t a competing category — it’s the common ground both posture management strategies stand on.


Conclusion: Visibility Comes First

DSPM protects data. SSPM governs SaaS. But neither can function without a shared understanding of what’s really in your environment.

Visibility isn’t step one in the maturity model — it’s step zero.

👉 See how other organizations are tackling SaaS and Cloud Discovery challenges in the 2025 Waldo Security Report.

About Waldo Security

Waldo Security helps organizations discover, classify, and secure every SaaS and cloud service in use — known or unknown. By illuminating Shadow IT, unmanaged identities, and OAuth risk, Waldo enables CISOs and security leaders to strengthen compliance and governance across their entire SaaS footprint.


Comments

bottom of page