What is Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)?

After moving to the cloud, organizations often believe that their data and application security rests with the cloud service provider. Unfortunately, that’s a misconception about how the ‘shared security model’ of the public cloud works.

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) refers to security tools that are used to detect misconfiguration and compliance issues in cloud infrastructures. The primary use of CSPM solutions is to constantly monitor cloud infrastructure for any gaps in security measures or compliance issues. CSPM automates cloud security management across all the various cloud infrastructures - Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

Gartner says that misconfigurations in the cloud constitute the primary cause of data leaks. In addition, it states that using CSPM tools can minimize cloud security incidents occurring due to misconfiguration by nearly 80%.

How does CSPM work?

Cloud Security Posture Management works through the stages discussed below:

●  Discovery and Visibility: CSPM offers discovery and visibility into cloud security and infrastructure components. A single source of truth is available to users across accounts and multi-cloud environments. It automatically discovers cloud resources including  metadata, networking, security, and more. A single console manages security policies across regions, projects, and accounts.

●  Misconfiguration Management and Remediation: CSPM troubleshoots security risks by comparing cloud application configuration to industry benchmarks to identify and remediate anomalies. 

●  Continuous threat detection: CSPM detects threats across the application development life cycle in multi-cloud environments.It also uses real time threat detection to  continuously monitor the environment for any malicious activity or unauthorized access to the cloud infrastructure.

●  DevOps: CSPM offers visibility and control over all cloud resources. The CSPM can integrate with DevOps tools to ensure faster remediation and response. In addition, reports and dashboards offer shared knowledge across IT, DevOps, and infrastructure teams.

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