Palo Alto Networks has updated its Prisma Cloud solution for cloud security posture management (CSPM) to help organizations eliminate cybersecurity blind spots and guard against alert fatigue, according to the company.
To understand the potential value of Prisma Cloud, it's important to understand the emerging Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) software tools market. CSPM tools allow MSSPs (managed security services providers) and customers to properly configure and monitor workloads running in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and other public clouds.
Demand for CSPM solutions is surging. Among the reasons: 90 percent of organizations are susceptible to security breaches due to cloud misconfigurations, according to the “2021 Cloud Security Report: Cloud Configuration Risks Exposed” from application lifecycle security company Aqua Security.
With those risks in mind, MSSPs and businesses are spending more on CSPM solutions. Indeed, cloud security posture management-related revenues will reach $9 billion by 2026, up from $4 billion in 2020, according to Markets and Markets. That’s a 14.4 percent compound annual growth rate.
Palo Alto Networks: Prisma Cloud Enhancements
With those CSPM opportunities in mind, Palo Alto Networks has updated Prisma Cloud with:
- True Internet Exposure: Provides end-to-end network path visibility between any source and destination
- Visibility-as-Code: Ensures a development team can use Prisma Cloud to access up-to-date cloud services without compromising an organization's security
- Network Data Exfiltration Detection: Allows users to leverage machine learning to analyze network flow logs, learn about customer traffic patterns and gather insights to find ways to protect against data exfiltration attacks
- Anomalous Compute Provisioning Detection: Empowers users to identify the provisioning of an abnormal number of virtual machines (VMs), which may attributed to cryptojacking or resource misuse
- Customizable Object-Level Scanning for AWS S3: Evaluates resource configurations and enables users to scan objects in their S3 buckets for public exposure and identify sensitive data and malware
Prisma Cloud Anomalous Compute Provisioning Detection and Visibility-as-Code are now available. True Network Exposure for AWS, Customizable Object-Level Scanning for AWS S3 and Network Data Exfiltration Detection are expected to be available by the end of July 2021.
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM): Mergers and Acquisitions
Meanwhile, multiple companies are acquiring their way into the CSPM market. Recent cloud security posture management company mergers and acquisitions include:
- June 2021: Deloitte acquired CloudQuest.
- April 2021: Zscaler acquired Trustdome.
- February 2021: Palo Alto Networks purchased Bridgecrew.
The Bridgecrew purchase has been key to Palo Alto Networks' overall CSPM strategy.
Additional insights from Joe Panettieri.
