Comprehensive RFP for Data Security, DSPM, and DLP Solutions

TL;DR:

• This RFP guide covers data security strategies for discovering, classifying, and remediating sensitive data in complex digital ecosystems.
• Vendors should focus on capabilities such as data discovery, classification, remediation, policy enforcement, and access governance.
• The template emphasizes the importance of DSPM, SaaS coverage, endpoint coverage, and pricing considerations.
• The goal is to find a solution that not only identifies sensitive data but actively safeguards it through the complete data security lifecycle.
• The guide provides tips for differentiation and encourages tailoring requirements to specific industry needs and regulatory environments.

Introduction

As digital ecosystems become more complex, sensitive data can reside in a wide range of environments:

• SaaS platforms (e.g., Slack, Google workspace, O365, Jira)
• Cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Generative AI applications and APIs (ChatGPT, custom LLMs)
• Endpoints (laptops, mobile devices, on-prem endpoints)

Finding and classifying all of this data is only half the battle; remediation—such as redaction, masking, labeling, quarantining, or blocking—is often just as important. This RFP guide covers everything from data discovery and classification through risk assessment, policy enforcement, and incident response. It will help your organization solicit detailed, apples-to-apples information from prospective vendors so you can select the solution that meets your data security needs.

Download the RFP Template
PDF Version
Word Version

Instructions for Vendors

Each section of this RFP corresponds to key capabilities needed for a modern data security strategy. While these requirements are comprehensive, feel free to tailor them to the specific needs of your industry, regulatory environment, and business processes.

1. RFP Security: Data Discovery & Classification

‎💡 ‎Tip for Differentiation:

Evaluate how quickly vendors can classify SaaS apps, Cloud apps, and user endpoints while preserving normal workflow performance.

2. RFP Security: Data Remediation & Policy Enforcement

‎💡 ‎Tip for Differentiation:

Ask about context-aware remediation rules—for instance, applying more stringent policies when data is being shared externally or received on a SaaS app like customer support tool or uploaded to a generative AI tool.

3. RFP Security: Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)

‎💡 ‎Tip for Differentiation:

Solutions with deep integrations within cloud and better accuracy really solve your security and compliance problems

4. RFP Security: SaaS Coverage

‎💡 ‎Tip for Differentiation:

Explore how the solution analyzes text or data being fed into SaaS apps or AI prompts. Some vendors offer real-time scanning to prevent inadvertent sharing of sensitive data with public LLMs.

5. RFP Security: Endpoint Coverage

‎6. RFP Security: Access Governance & Identity Context

‎💡 ‎Tip for Differentiation:

Evaluate how easily the platform can tie data classification levels to identity-based policies, ensuring that only the right people can access the most sensitive information.

7. RFP Security: Infrastructure & Deployment Model

‎8. RFP Security: Operations & Support

💡 ‎Tip for Differentiation:

Some vendors are very customer obsessed and will do everything to ensure you have a delightful experience. Having real time support on Slack is very helpful.

9. RFP Security: Pricing & Licensing

‎💡 ‎Tip for Differentiation:

Ensure that the cost aligns with your actual usage (e.g., spikes in data scanning or endpoint coverage) and that vendor pricing doesn’t penalize you for seasonal or project-based data expansions.

Conclusion

This template is designed to ensure you cover all critical dimensions of data security:

• Discovery & Classification across SaaS, cloud, AI, and endpoints
• Remediation capabilities for actionable risk reduction
• DSPM for holistic visibility of your data posture
• Access Governance to maintain the right level of data restrictions
• Threat Detection & Incident Response for real-time security
• Deployment & Operational considerations, including multi-cloud scalability

Use these sections to gather detailed, comparable responses from vendors. By focusing on the complete lifecycle—from data discovery to remediation—you’ll find a solution that not only pinpoints sensitive data but actively helps safeguard it.

Next Steps

• Download the PDF Version
• Download the Word Version

About Us

We specialize in a comprehensive, cloud-native platform that delivers data discovery, classification, and remediation across SaaS, public/private clouds, generative AI ecosystems, and endpoints. With capabilities that cover every step of the data security journey, we help organizations locate sensitive data, enforce protective policies, and automate remediation—all from a centralized console.