Austin, Texas, USA, July 24, 2025
Futurum’s Research Highlights Divergent Approaches to Data Security Posture Management Adoption
As data security threats and regulatory expectations rise, the market for Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) has emerged to facilitate better visibility and control over sensitive data. Although a new market niche, DSPM has become a cornerstone of data and cloud security strategy. In fact, in Futurum’s 1H 2025 Cybersecurity Decision-Maker study, approximately 94% of respondents indicated that their organization has implemented, is planning to implement, or is evaluating the potential implementation of DSPM. Notably, approximately half of the respondents indicated that their organization has already implemented DSPM today. However, adoption patterns are far from uniform; a deeper dive into the data reveals key differences across organizational size and regulatory environments.
Figure 1: Top DSPM Implementation/Planning Stages
Divergent Approaches to DSPM: Large Enterprises and Small-to-Mid-Sized Companies
Large organizations are approaching DSPM diversely. One in five respondents from large organizations indicated that their organization has implemented DSPM as an extension of their cloud security architecture, 16% indicated that it has been adopted via data protection platforms, and another 16% indicated that their organization has opted to implement DSPM as a stand-alone solution.
Smaller and mid-sized organizations, on the other hand, have a clear preference toward data protection-aligned DSPM implementations. Nearly 29% of respondents in this category indicated that their organization has implemented DSPM as an extension of their data protection solutions, and another 16% are planning to do so. In contrast to their larger counterparts, fewer small-to-midsized organizations (more than 14%) are in the evaluation stage of DSPM via cloud security tools.
This data highlights that large enterprises are operationalizing DSPM through a broader mix of deployment models, both integrated and stand-alone, likely due to their more complex, multi-hybrid cloud IT environments and layered security investments with a wider range of tools already in place. In contrast, small and mid-sized organizations are adopting DSPM more incrementally, most commonly as an extension of existing data protection platforms and, when compared to their larger peers, less frequently as an extension of their cloud security investments, signaling more nascent cloud-led maturity in this segment.
Industry Regulation Drives Cloud-Led Adoption
The study also finds regulation to be a strong influencer of DSPM strategies. More than one-quarter of respondents in highly regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services reported implementing DSPM through their cloud security stack; another nearly 22% are currently evaluating this approach. This addresses the complexity of enterprise multi-hybrid cloud environments and the prevalence of cloud-related cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Interestingly, 13% of these respondents also indicated that DSPM is not currently a priority, indicating a segment of this market is still grappling with competing initiatives or legacy infrastructure challenges.
In contrast, organizations in less regulated industries show a stronger preference for data protection-based DSPM adoption, with more than 26% of respondents in this category implementing through this route. Just over 21% have implemented DSPM as part of their cloud security strategies. The more balanced distribution suggests that organizations in these industries have greater flexibility in aligning DSPM to existing investments and risk profiles.
“DSPM is increasingly central to how organizations think about visibility and control over sensitive data in hybrid, multi-cloud environments,” said Krista Case, Research Director at Futurum Group. “But our findings underscore that DSPM is not one-size-fits-all. Is being shaped by organization size, maturity, and industry-specific risk.”
Subscribers can read more in the 1H 2025 Cybersecurity Decision-Maker Survey Report on the Futurum Intelligence Platform. Non-subscribers can click here for more information.
About Futurum Intelligence for Market Leaders
Futurum Intelligence’s Cybersecurity and Resilience IQ service provides actionable insight from analysts, reports, and interactive visualization datasets, helping leaders drive their organizations through transformation and business growth. Subscribers can log into the platform at https://app.futurumgroup.com/, and non-subscribers can find additional information at Futurum Intelligence.
Follow news and updates from Futurum on X and LinkedIn using #Futurum. Visit the Futurum Newsroom for more information and insights.
Other Insights from Futurum:
Futurum’s Cybersecurity and Resilience Practice
Futurum Research 2025 Key Issues & Predictions
Would Rubrik’s Predibase Buy Blur Backup’s Boundaries?
Author Information
Fernando Montenegro serves as the Vice President & Practice Lead for Cybersecurity & Resilience at The Futurum Group. In this role, he leads the development and execution of the Cybersecurity research agenda, working closely with the team to drive the practice's growth. His research focuses on addressing critical topics in modern cybersecurity. These include the multifaceted role of AI in cybersecurity, strategies for managing an ever-expanding attack surface, and the evolution of cybersecurity architectures toward more platform-oriented solutions.
Before joining The Futurum Group, Fernando held senior industry analyst roles at Omdia, S&P Global, and 451 Research. His career also includes diverse roles in customer support, security, IT operations, professional services, and sales engineering. He has worked with pioneering Internet Service Providers, established security vendors, and startups across North and South America.
Fernando holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and various industry certifications. Although he is originally from Brazil, he has been based in Toronto, Canada, for many years.
Krista Case brings over 15 years of experience providing research and advisory services and creating thought leadership content. Her vantage point spans technology and vendor portfolio developments; customer buying behavior trends; and vendor ecosystems, go-to-market positioning, and business models. Her work has appeared in major publications including eWeek, TechTarget and The Register.
