Data-Centric Security for the Extended Enterprise: Closing the Gaps Traditional Security Cannot
Why Traditional Security Fails in the Extended Enterprise
The modern enterprise extends far beyond the corporate network. Sensitive data is routinely shared across cloud platforms, SaaS applications, partners, contractors, and personal devices. Yet many cybersecurity strategies still rely on perimeter-based and device-centric models that assume organizations own the infrastructure, trust the users, and control the systems accessing data. In today’s extended enterprise, those assumptions no longer hold.
As data moves freely between environments, traditional access controls such as roles, permissions, and access control lists struggle to provide consistent protection. These controls are tied to systems and containers, not to the data itself. Once information leaves a controlled location, visibility and enforcement are lost, creating significant security and compliance gaps.
The Shift to Data-Centric Security
In an extended enterprise, data is the only asset organizations can reliably control. Data-centric security focuses on protecting information based on its business value and risk, regardless of where it resides or how it is accessed. This approach replaces static trust models with policies that travel with the data and adapt to changing conditions.
Rather than securing applications, devices, or storage locations, data-centric security evaluates access based on attributes such as data classification, user identity, role, location, and contextual risk. This ensures sensitive information remains protected even as it moves across cloud services, partner networks, and unmanaged devices.
Why Attribute-Based Access Control Matters
Attribute-Based Access Control, or ABAC, plays a critical role in enabling data-centric security. ABAC dynamically evaluates access requests using attributes of data, users, and context at runtime. Policies automatically adapt when a document’s classification changes, a user joins a new team, or risk conditions increase.
Unlike traditional access controls, ABAC aligns closely with how business and regulatory policies are written. It eliminates manual translation into system-specific permissions and allows organizations to enforce consistent controls across multiple applications and environments.
Closing the Gaps with Information Risk Management
The paper uses a real-world scenario involving sensitive product design files shared across external partners to demonstrate how data-centric controls can be prioritized and applied. By identifying specific vulnerabilities such as uncontrolled file sharing or storage on unmanaged devices, the organization implements a focused control strategy that aligns with both risk posture and business need.
Benefits of a Data-Centric Design Approach
Adopting ABAC requires more than new technology. Organizations must establish clear ownership of data and identity attributes, automate classification processes, and centralize policy management. Information Risk Management brings these elements together by digitizing business policies, integrating identity and data attributes, and enabling automated enforcement across the extended enterprise.
By defining business policies instead of permissions, managing attributes instead of user groups, and controlling access to information rather than containers, organizations can reduce risk while simplifying security operations. In a world where data is constantly in motion, a data-centric approach is essential for protecting sensitive information at scale.
Ready to take a deeper look at how data-centric security works in practice? Read the full white paper, Data-Centric Security for the Extended Enterprise, to explore the four critical changes organizations must make to protect sensitive data across cloud, partners, and unmanaged environments.
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