Fortanix and
BigID have announced an integration between
Fortanix Data Security Manager (DSM) and BigID’s data discovery and classification engine to automatically trigger protection actions as soon as sensitive data is identified. The integration eliminates manual intervention, unites discovery and encryption workflows, and ensures every action is logged for full visibility and compliance.
Closing the Gap Between Discovery and Protection
Anand Kashyap, CEO and Founder of Fortanix, explained that this integration marks a shift in how enterprises approach DSPM. He told MSSP Alert,
"The integrated solution, which is the first of its kind, closes the gap that exists today between data discovery and protection of sensitive data, replacing manual handoffs with automated, end-to-end workflows,” said Kashyap. “Enterprises seeking enhanced security posture, faster compliance, and higher operational efficiencies will find the integrated solution a better fit for their needs compared to other fragmented and siloed tools for discovery, classification, encryption, and access control.”
That distinction matters because most organizations still treat discovery and protection as separate steps. One tool finds the data, another handles encryption, and security teams are left stitching the process together manually. The Fortanix–BigID integration changes that. Once BigID flags sensitive data, Fortanix DSM immediately applies tokenization or encryption based on defined policies - so protection starts the moment exposure is detected.
A Phased Approach to Adoption
Many enterprises already rely on legacy discovery tools or embedded protection frameworks. Kashyap notes that a smooth migration path is critical, since few organizations can afford a “rip and replace” disruption.
“The migration strategy must acknowledge that rip-and-replace is rarely feasible for enterprises with embedded discovery and protection tools,” said Kashyap. “Instead, the BigID-Fortanix integration should follow a phased co-existence approach that minimizes disruption.”
Kashyap outlines a three-phase journey: Phase 1 introduces BigID in read-only mode alongside existing tools, using Fortanix DSM selectively for new or high-priority workloads. Phase 2 expands coverage by routing discovered sensitive data into Fortanix for automated tokenization and encryption. Phase 3 consolidates legacy systems by importing classification schemas and decommissioning redundant tools at renewal cycles.
This incremental approach allows organizations to validate discovery accuracy, address compliance deadlines first, and gradually unify their protection strategy without compromising uptime or coverage.
Turning Sensitive Data Into a Business Asset
Sensitive data has traditionally been treated as a compliance liability that is isolated from innovation. Kashyap says the Fortanix–BigID integration changes that calculus.
“The core challenge enterprises face is that sensitive data is locked away for compliance reasons and unavailable for analytics or AI initiatives that could drive business value,” said Kashyap. “The BigID-Fortanix integration is the first solution to solve it by enabling format-preserving tokenization that maintains data structure and statistical properties, allowing data scientists to train machine learning models and conduct analytics on production-like datasets without exposing real sensitive information.”
He also added that Fortanix’s Confidential Computing technology provides a further safeguard. By processing data within secure enclaves, AI models can use real sensitive datasets without ever decrypting them. This “encryption-in-use” capability ensures compliance and privacy even during live computation. The result is faster AI development, broader data access for analytics, and new monetization opportunities through secure multi-party computation.
Ultimately, this integration reframes sensitive data as an asset that can safely power insights, not just an obligation to protect.
Enabling MSPs and MSSPs to Deliver Continuous Data Protection
For managed security providers, the Fortanix–BigID integration also opens new service opportunities. Most MSPs and MSSPs today offer point-in-time assessments that rely on periodic discovery scans. Kashyap says this partnership changes that model.
“Traditional data security approaches rely on manual discovery and classification of data and a security assessment that requires constant manual intervention and fails to provide the continuous protection that modern data environments demand,” Kashyap said.
By combining BigID’s continuous discovery with Fortanix’s automated encryption and masking, MSPs and MSSPs can offer always-on protection with unified policy enforcement. This automation reduces operational overhead and enables providers to scale efficiently while transitioning from one-off compliance projects to recurring managed data protection services.
Clients benefit from real-time compliance monitoring, consistent protection across hybrid environments, and reduced dependency on in-house expertise. For service providers, it means higher-value offerings and differentiated positioning in a crowded market.
The Fortanix–BigID integration marks a shift in how organizations think about DSPM - moving from passive discovery and reporting to active, autonomous protection. By linking visibility directly to action, it helps enterprises move past reactive controls and establish continuous, policy-driven assurance. For both enterprises and service providers, this isn’t just about automation. It’s a framework for modern data security - one where protection happens automatically, at the point of discovery, and scales with the pace of data creation.
