Organisations of all sizes are increasingly adopting cloud environments with the world going mostly digital today.

However, this shift has also created opportunities for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in cloud infrastructures, potentially leading to cyberattacks, data theft and the exposure of sensitive information.

This is why enterprises are integrating Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) into their systems to protect cloud infrastructures.

In fact, Gartner found that CSPM can reduce cloud-based security issues by 80%.

This article tells you everything you need to know about the best cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools, what it is, why is it important and how it works.

em360tech image

What is Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)?

In simple terms, cloud security posture management (CSPM) is a system used in cloud computing platforms to detect risks and perform remedial actions. It spots vulnerabilities in cloud environments and conducts uninterrupted monitoring along with providing automated visibility to security teams in enterprises.

Essentially, it provides automated visibility into cloud resources, finds vulnerabilities, and enforces security policies to ensure compliance and reduce the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks.

These processes are applicable across a variety of cloud infrastructures including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (Saas), and Platform as a Service (PaaS).

CSPM also plays a critical role in securing complex cloud environments. It integrates with DevOps practices and tools, automates security checks and carries out security policies throughout the development and deployment pipeline.

This proactive approach helps organisations identify and address vulnerabilities early on, reducing the risk of breaches.

Why is Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Important?

CSPM is crucial for enterprises using cloud infrastructure as the security system aims to prevent cyberattacks like data theft and data leaks. It continuously monitors cloud environments, identifies vulnerabilities in the system and prevents malicious activities before threat actors can exploit the cloud architecture.

It also helps organisations mitigate risk and compliance violations by identifying and fixing misconfigurations in public cloud environments.

According to Microsoft, CSPM is one of its cloud’s main pillars functioning as a defender. CSPM provides detailed visibility into the security state of an organisation’s assets and workloads and provides hardening guidance to help them efficiently and effectively improve their security posture.

Top Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Tools