The Forrester Wave™: Data Security Platforms, Q1 2023

Data Security Platforms Vendor Product Comparisons 2023

Key features and pros and cons of top Data Security Platforms products:

Forcepoint - Leaders

Pros:

Data-centric approach for Zero Trust delivery
Strong capabilities for data classification, data threat and risk visibility, DLP, rights management, and investigations
Strong execution roadmap with visible impact from 2021 acquisition and new leadership
Excellent prebuilt dictionaries for compliance use cases
Document fingerprinting capabilities for intellectual property protection
Insights to support insider risk programs and investigations

Cons:

Focus more on data security and less on data governance
Lags for general data and information governance use cases
Customers desire greater customization for end-user prompts
Data discovery performance needs improvement

Google - Leaders

Pros:

Strong integration with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Google Workspace
Notable innovation focus in ML/AI, productizing internal innovations, and co-innovation with partners
Solid data controls including data threat and risk visibility, data access controls, data masking, and encryption
Strong manageability and integrations for Zero Trust
Excellent agility and willingness to take customer feedback
Focus on innovation including confidential computing and data sovereignty controls

Cons:

Areas for improvement in data discovery and DLP
Billing challenges and issues with billing console
Lack of communication regarding feature deprecation
Lag in meeting security certification equivalents of FedRAMP in select countries
Subpar email DLP and rights management functionality
Need for faster expansion into other regions

Micro Focus - Leaders

Pros:

Big investment in security with targeted transformation of CybeRes Voltage Data Security Platform
Stands out with data discovery and classification, tokenization, encryption, and data masking
Ambitious vision for single platform addressing data security, privacy, and governance
Product managers and support staff highly praised for depth of knowledge
Excellent product stability, scalability, and performance
Strong understanding of real-world customer and industry-specific requirements

Cons:

Intentionally lags in data loss prevention (aims to integrate with other solutions)
Platform transformation still in progress - more to come to fully realize vision
Needs to maintain momentum post-acquisition by OpenText
Customers want expanded coverage for stateless tokenization and sector-specific innovations

Microsoft - Leaders

Pros:

Ecosystem approach multiplies value via telemetry across the Microsoft environment
Strong capabilities for identifying data threats and risk visibility
Strong controls for data masking, encryption, and rights management
Value of integrated approach to compliance, data security, and information governance
Industry-specific focus and support capabilities
Built-in data controls across Microsoft environment provide significant value

Cons:

Requires full commitment to Microsoft ecosystem for maximum value
Limited data discovery controls
DLP is work in progress, particularly endpoint DLP
Complex and convoluted licensing
Need for improved self-service metrics and management console UI screen layout
Challenging for customers to decide whether to fully commit or consider other vendors

Varonis - Leaders

Pros:

Excels in data visibility and automation across on-premises and cloud environments
Unique approach including incident response services as part of customer experience
Robust capabilities for data classification, data risk insights and visibility, and data access controls
Strong in investigations, manageability, and support
Access governance and control is cornerstone capability
Customized operational plan led by in-house Varonis expert
Excellent support across implementation planning, training, and customer events
Deep data visibility for automated remediation

Cons:

Lags in other data-centric controls like rights management (relies on partners)
Expense is a concern for some customers
Expanding capabilities within cloud data stores and apps still ongoing

Broadcom - Strong Performers

Pros:

Excellence in DLP and enabling Zero Trust
Systematic approach to innovation focused on refining and adding depth of functionality for DLP
Strong reliability and stability
Consistency of the product highly praised
Very impressed support engineers
Strategic focus on large organizations with complex IT infrastructure in highly regulated industries

Cons:

Lags with data use insights
Limited data controls for structured data (masking, encryption, tokenization)
Limited capabilities to support broader range of privacy use cases
Price is an ongoing concern
Time required to resolve support issues can be lengthy
Customers desire unification and modernization of UI, better reporting, and expanded mobile device coverage

IBM - Strong Performers

Pros:

Robust database security capabilities
Solid capabilities for data threat and risk visibility, encryption, investigations, and privacy use cases
Strong approach and commitment to innovation
Breadth and depth of community engagement activities
Database security expertise across scanning, vulnerability assessment, activity monitoring, and compliance reporting
Sheer number of database types supported
Strong user groups, Master Skills University, and IBM Think events

Cons:

Lags in controls for unstructured data
Limited DLP and rights management capabilities
Limited support for data and information governance use cases
Revamped pricing model still comes with complexity
Need for more intuitive UI
Faster turnaround time with support needed

Imperva - Strong Performers

Pros:

Great strides in data security transformation
Database activity monitoring remains core strength
Notable for support for privacy use cases and investigations
Strong data threat and risk visibility capabilities
Monitoring and session reporting capabilities highly appreciated
Data classification for legacy on-premises databases

Cons:

Needs more effective customer enablement on data security fabric journey
Lags in DLP capabilities, particularly for unstructured data
Limited rights management (offered primarily via partner integrations)
Painful and busy UI
Desire for parity of controls between cloud and on-premises databases
Concerns about cost
Need for industry-specific support model and improved onboarding support

Fortra - Contenders

Pros:

Building platform from key acquisitions (Digital Guardian, Boldon James, Titus, Vera Security)
Notable capabilities for DLP and rights management
Solid functionality for data classification, especially manual user-driven classification
Managed services offered
Recent improvements in account management and support

Cons:

Lagging in innovation roadmap and commercial model
Lacks data controls for structured data (tokenization, masking, encryption)
Limited manageability and support
Limited support for privacy and data governance use cases
Overall mixed experiences with support
Dispersed and multiple sources of documentation
Platform appears disjointed and not well integrated at this time

Lookout - Contenders

Pros:

Noteworthy manageability and support
Solid capabilities for data access controls, DLP, and investigations
Strong data access controls and low-friction user experience
Enabling workforce to use variety of mobile and different devices
Data-centric cloud security platform from endpoint to cloud

Cons:

Lags in data discovery and classification
Limited data use insights and data threat and risk visibility
Limited data controls for structured data
Platform designed for security use cases, less for privacy or governance
Innovation roadmap focused on catch-up and platform improvements
Need to smooth out integration and functionality between platform tools
Room for improvement with services and community engagement

Netskope - Contenders

Pros:

Granular controls at cloud edge for Zero Trust with focus on security
Solid capabilities for data classification, data threat and risk visibility, data access controls, DLP, investigations, and integrations for Zero Trust
Unified security services delivered via cloud with built-in data security capabilities
Innovation focused on adaptive Zero Trust, advanced threat detection, ML-powered data protection, and cloud risk management

Cons:

Lags in scope of data discovery
Limited data use insights
Limited data controls for structured data (masking and tokenization)
Lacks support for privacy use cases and data/information governance use cases
Declined to participate in full Forrester Wave evaluation process

Proofpoint - Contenders

Pros:

People-centric approach to DLP
Strong DLP capabilities
Strong showing for data classification and integrations for Zero Trust
Focus on listening to customers
Strong relationship with account teams and supporting staff
Ease of administration

Cons:

Lags in controls like encryption and tokenization for structured data
Limited data use insights
Current vision focused on near-term customer needs primarily through lens of DLP
Improvements needed in management console and UI to reduce noise and create more consistent unified experience
Need to dedicate more attention toward integrating acquisitions
Desire for chat to enable direct line of communication with support team

Thales - Contenders

Pros:

Robust encryption-centric platform
Excels at encryption and tokenization
Solid functionality for data masking
Strong key management capabilities including cloud key management (BYOK and HYOK)
Vision of simplification for data security to address encryption and key management sprawl
CipherTrust Platform Community Edition free-forever for DevSecOps teams
Strong response to customer feedback and incremental improvements

Cons:

Lags in capabilities for discovery and classification, data use insights, and data access controls
Intentionally lacks DLP and rights management functionality
Singular focus on encryption-centric use cases
Innovation primarily based on customer feedback may come at cost of disruptive innovations
Declined to participate in full Forrester Wave evaluation process

Trellix - Challengers

Pros:

Strongest suit is integrations for Zero Trust
Bright spots in capabilities for data threat and risk visibility, encryption, and investigations
Endpoint and network DLP remain core capabilities
XDR platform combining security operations, endpoint security, and data protection

Cons:

XDR focus resulted in narrowed cloud coverage for data security (cloud business spun out to Skyhigh Security)
Innovation roadmap and supporting services lag in early days of split and transition
Lacking in data discovery, data use insights, data access controls, and data masking
Customers requiring DLP and data controls for cloud need to turn to partner Skyhigh Security or other vendors
Reference customers were unavailable for interview during data collection period

FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2023?

A: Forcepoint, Google, Micro Focus, Microsoft, Varonis

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

A: Leaders in the Forrester Wave for Data Security Platforms demonstrate the strongest current offering and strategy. They excel across multiple evaluation criteria including data security controls (discovery, classification, DLP, encryption, access controls, etc.), manageability and support, integrations for Zero Trust, and have a strong vision for innovation. Leaders typically offer comprehensive capabilities for both structured and unstructured data protection, demonstrate robust execution roadmaps, and receive strong endorsements from reference customers. They are well-positioned to serve the needs of security and risk professionals seeking end-to-end data security platforms.

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

A: https://www.forrester.com/policies/forrester-wave-methodology/

Report:

Top Vendor Products for Data Security Platforms in 2023

Data Security Platforms Vendor Product Comparisons 2023

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FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2023?

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

Reference