As companies increasingly move to public cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud, many are choosing to leverage and transform their existing security toolsets in the process. Today, the average company publishes up to 76 different security tools. This is generally known as the best-of-breed approach.
However, the problem with the best-in-class model is that it creates gaps in security and efficiency for cloud workloads. Because third-party cloud security solutions rely on the visibility provided by the cloud service provider's (CSP) application programming interface (API), each comes with its own unique set of limitations and blind spots. This makes it difficult for security engineers and analysts to triage and remediate threats accurately and efficiently.
In contrast, A Cloud-first security This approach deploys seamlessly integrated first-party security solutions to increase cost and resource efficiency, as well as increase overall security resilience. Here are three reasons to prioritize the original-first approach over the best.
Reduce your attack surface
One of the main arguments for applying a cloud-native, best-in-class security approach is that relying on multiple third-party security solutions can inadvertently expand an organization's attack surface. Each new tool introduces its own set of configurations, APIs, and potential vulnerabilities. If not managed properly, third-party tools can create additional opportunities for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities in security infrastructure. In fact, cloud misconfigurations were responsible for this 80% of data security breaches In 2023.
On the other hand, a cloud-native security-first approach relies on first-party solutions and does not require any changes to the customer's cloud environment. This reduces the risk of introducing additional vulnerabilities.
Eliminate security blind spots
Another key benefit of a cloud-native security model is that it eliminates the blind spots that often arise with the best solutions. Third-party solutions often have difficulty integrating with each other or with the specific cloud platform being used, which can lead to gaps in visibility and coordination – making it difficult to have a unified view of the security landscape. Because public cloud environments often rely on a variety of interconnected services and APIs, organizations run the risk of missing potential threats or vulnerabilities if best-in-class security tools are not designed to work seamlessly with these cloud-native services.
The native-first approach eliminates this problem since all CSP solutions are already designed to work together seamlessly. For example, a cloud container workload protection plan that natively integrates with Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS) and Azure Container Repository (ACR) will not require any changes to the protection plan when changes are made to the container-based solution. Likewise, the Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) is integrated with… Microsoft Threat Intelligence It can ensure security teams are able to respond to security incidents in real time.
Drive greater team efficiencies
Finally, a best-in-class approach means security teams are responsible for managing multiple security solutions from different vendors. This is complex and resource-intensive, requiring teams to understand different interfaces, policies, and update schedules, while also managing critical security configurations and responding quickly to emerging threats. Running multiple security tools simultaneously can increase system resources. This redundancy impacts the overall performance of the cloud environment and increases operational costs without improving security effectiveness.
Under the native-first model, security teams only need to understand their CSP services – thus reducing the initial learning curve required since native solutions leverage other native services, such as dashboards and responses. Many cloud providers are also designed to ensure efficient use of customers' cloud resources, with much of the heavy lifting done within the cloud providers' control plane.
Ultimately, a cloud-native security-first approach provides better protection and more efficient use of resources than the best third-party solutions. Because cloud providers are accustomed to serving a wide range of customers and use cases, they can often offer greater flexibility, innovation, and specialized security expertise than third-party vendors. By exploring available on-premises security solutions first to see what makes the most sense for their environments, organizations can take the first step toward a more secure and efficient cloud-based future.
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