Last updated at Wed, 27 Dec 2023 15:37:06 GMT

There's no shortage of acronyms when it comes to security product categories. DAST, EDR, CWPP — it sometimes feels like we're awash in a sea of letters, and that can be a little dizzying. Every once in a while, though, a new term pops up that cuts through the noise, thanks to a combination of catchiness and excitement about that product category's potential to solve the big problems security teams face. (Think of XDR, for a recent example.)

Cloud-native application protection platform, or CNAPP, is one of those standout terms that has the potential to solve significant problems in cloud security by consolidating a list of other “C” letter acronyms. Gartner introduced CNAPP as one of its cloud security categories in 2021, and the term quickly began to make headlines. But what's the reality behind the hype? Is CNAPP an all-in-one answer to building secure apps in a cloud-first ecosystem, or is it part of a larger story? Let's take a closer look.

New needs of cloud-native teams

CNAPP is a cloud security archetype that takes an integrated, lifecycle approach, protecting both hosts and workloads for truly cloud-native application development environments. These environments have their own unique demands and challenges, so it should come as little surprise that new product categories have arisen to address those concerns.

Cloud infrastructures are inherently complex — that makes it tougher to monitor these environments, potentially opening the door to security gaps. If you're building applications within a cloud platform, the challenge multiplies: You need next-level visibility to ensure your environment and the applications you're building in it are secure from the ground up.

A few trends have emerged within teams building cloud-native applications to address their unique needs.

DevSecOps: A natural extension of the DevOps model, DevSecOps brings security into the fold with development and operations as an integral part of the same shared lifecycle. It makes security everyone's business, not just the siloed responsibility of a team of infosec specialists.

Shift left: Tied into the DevSecOps model is the imperative to shift security left — i.e. earlier in the development cycle — making it a fundamental aspect of building applications rather than an afterthought. The "bake it in, don't bolt it on" adage has become almost cliché in security circles, but shifting left is in some ways a more mature — and arguably more radical — version of this concept. It changes security from something you do to an application to part of what the application is. Security becomes part of the fundamental conception and design of a web app.

All of that said, the real challenge here comes down to security teams trying to monitor and manage large-scale, complex cloud environments – not to mention trying to generate buy-in from other teams and get them to collaborate on security protocols that may occasionally slow them down.

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How CNAPP hopes to help

To bring DevSecOps and shift-left practices to life, teams need tools that support the necessary levels of visibility and flexibility that underlie these goals. That brings us to where CNAPP fits into this picture.

"Optimal security of cloud-native applications requires an integrated approach that starts in development and extends to runtime protection," Gartner writes in their report introducing CNAPP, according to Forbes. "The unique characteristics of cloud-native applications makes them impossible to secure without a complex set of overlapping tools spanning development and production."

Forbes goes on to outline the 5 core components that Gartner uses in its definition of CNAPP:

• Infrastructure as code (IaC) scanning: Because infrastructure is managed and provisioned as code in many cloud environments, this code must be continuously scanned for vulnerabilities.

Learn more about Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

• Container scanning: The cloud has made containers an integral part of application development and deployment — these must also be scanned for security threats.

Learn more about Container Security

• Cloud workload protection (CWPP): This type of security solution focuses on protecting workloads in cloud data center architectures.

Learn more about Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP)

• Cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM): This cloud security category streamlines identity and access management (IAM) by providing least-privileged access and governance controls for distributed cloud environments.

Learn more about Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM)

• Cloud security posture management (CSPM): CSPM capabilities continuously manage cloud security risk, with automated detection, logging, and reporting to aid governance and compliance.

Learn more about Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)

A holistic approach to cloud-native security

You might have noticed some of the components of CNAPP are themselves cloud security categories as defined by Gartner. How are they different from CNAPP? Do you need all of them individually, or are they available in a single package? What gives?

While CNAPP is meant to be a product category, right now the broad set of capabilities in Gartner’s definition describes an ideal future state that remains rare in the industry as a single solution. The fact remains there aren’t many vendors out there that have all these components, even across multiple product sets – let alone the ability to fit them into a single solution.

That said, vendors and practitioners can start working together now to bring that vision to life. While there are and will continue to be products that label or identify themselves as a CNAPP, what's really needed is a comprehensive approach to cloud security – both from the technology provided by vendors and the strategy executed by practitioners – that simplifies the process of monitoring and remediating risks from end to end within vast, complex cloud environments.

The cloud is now dominant, and infrastructure is increasingly becoming code — that means scanning for vulnerabilities within infrastructure and in applications have begun to look more alike than ever. Just like DevSecOps brings development, security, and operations together into (ideally) a harmonious unit, application security testing and cloud security monitoring are coequal, integral parts of a truly cloud-native security platform.

The real excitement around CNAPP is that by bringing once-disparate cloud security concepts together, it shines a light on what today's organizations really need: a full-access path to a secure cloud ecosystem, with all the necessary speed of innovation and deployment and as little risk as possible.

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