McAfee MVISION Cloud, formerly known as McAfee Skyhigh Security Cloud, has earned Amazon Web Services (AWS) Security Competency status and received AWS Well-Architected designation for its cloud access security broker (CASB) technology, according to a prepared statement. This represents the first time a CASB technology vendor has achieved AWS Security Competency status.
But what exactly is a CASB? Simply put, a CASB delivers products and services designed to address security gaps related to cloud services, according to technology research firm Gartner. It provides cloud-specific capabilities not available with web application firewalls (WAFs), secure web gateways (SWGs) and enterprise firewalls, along with centralized policy and governance support for end users and devices across multiple cloud services.
CASBs support global organizations in four ways:
- Compliance: Provide information to help organizations evaluate cloud risks.
- Data Security: Empower organizations to develop and enforce data-centric security policies.
- Threat Protection: Stop unauthorized devices, end users and versions of applications from accessing cloud services.
- Visibility: Offer shadow IT discovery, a consolidated view of an organization’s cloud service landscape and details about users who access data in cloud services.
CASB capabilities are frequently delivered as a SaaS application, Gartner indicated. They also may be administered in conjunction with an on-premises virtual or physical appliance.
McAfee MVISION Cloud: What Is It?
In McAfee's case, MVISION Cloud empowers organizations to take a uniform approach to visibility and response to cyber threats, compliance status, configuration management and drift and sensitive data protection, McAfee noted. It offers a single pane of glass for all infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) resources.
Organizations can use MVISION Cloud to protect data where it lives, McAfee said. They also can leverage MVISION Cloud to secure sensitive information inside or outside the cloud and take real-time actions to correct security policy violations and stop cyberattacks.
Meanwhile, The AWS Competency Program recognizes AWS Partner Network (APN) Partners who have demonstrated technical proficiency and customer success in specialized solution areas. By earning an AWS Competency, an APN Partner can differentiate itself to customers in a specific solution area, AWS indicated.
AWS Competencies are available across various industries, solutions and workloads. They also allow APN Partners to earn exclusive benefits to help them further differentiate their offerings.
Top Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB)
McAfee faces plenty of competition in the CASB market.
The Gartner Magic Quadrant for CASBs in 2018 contained 13 companies. But here are the Top 10 Cloud Access Security Broker Companies (note: sorted alphabetically) along with MSSP Alert’s look at associated partner program strategies for 2018 — and the implications for 2019.
Investors are betting heavily on the market. For instance, fast-growing CASB Bitglass recently secured $70 million in Series D funding from Quadrille Capital and other investors. The company will use the funding to accelerate its growth in the CASB market.
