What is CNAPP
A CNAPP or Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform is an integrated security solution specifically designed to address the security challenges of cloud-native apps. CNAPP security combines a range of security capabilities into a single solution that helps organizations secure cloud workloads, containers, Kubernetes environments and serverless functions.
The key function of CNAPP solutions is to provide comprehensive visibility, efficiently streamline security operations, and minimize the risk of cloud-native environments. CNAPP provides end-to-end security by combining capabilities such as posture management, runtime protection, vulnerability detection, and more. This results in a comprehensive solution that enables businesses to stay ahead of potential security breaches while maintaining compliance with industry standards.
Key features and components of CNAPP
Cloud native applications protection platforms (CNAPPs) are designed to be an all-in-one cloud-native security solution. Its unified framework integrates numerous tools and capabilities to power visibility, protection, and compliance. Key features and components of CNAPP solutions include:
CNAPP Architecture and Functionality
CNAPP security architecture ideally encompasses cloud-native application security during the development, deployment, and run-time phases of the cloud-native application lifecycle. With multiple layers of integrated security, CNAPP provides an appropriate degree of protection that clouds demand. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of its functionality and design:
1. Centralized Control Plane
As part of CNAPP cloud security, the control plane is the decision-making control center. This enables the core functionality of centralized view and management across multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments. It collects datasets within cloud infrastructure, workloads, and applications, offering a single point of access to monitor, configure, and respond to security events.
2. Integration Across Cloud Layers
CNAPP is integrated throughout cloud layers and offers end-to-end security.
- Infrastructure Layer: Provides detection and protection for virtual machines, storage systems, and network components, ensuring foundational security.
- Workload Layer: Secures containers, Kubernetes clusters, and serverless functions against vulnerabilities and runtime threats in dynamic settings.
- Application Layer: Delivers runtime protection for application-level risks, including securing APIs against potential attacks.
By integrating and analyzing these layers in tandem, CNAPP provides organizations with the holistic security, visibility, and compliance needed to thrive in multi-cloud or hybrid environments, allowing developers to work securely and efficiently.
3. Key CNAPP Components
The key functional CNAPP components includes:
- Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM): Continuous monitoring of cloud configuration, identifying misconfigurations, and enforcing compliance mandates.
- Workload Protection: Detects weaknesses in containers, virtual machines and server-less environments. It also offers runtime protection to counter in-application risks.
- IaC (Infrastructure as Code) Security: Scans Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) templates for misconfigurations and vulnerabilities at design time, before deploying, to ensure secure infrastructure at release.
- Threat detection and response: Utilizes behavioral analysis, machine learning, and anomaly detection to detect and predict threats and respond instantaneously.
- Compliance Automation: Compliance automation to meet industry standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and other regional compliance requirements.
4. API-Based and DevOps Integrated
CNAPP helps integrate with DevOps workflows and CI/CD pipelines, embedding security checks earlier in the development process. Its API driven nature allows easy integration with your existing tools and platforms.
5. Scalability and multi-tenancy
Designed for large-scale cloud workloads, CNAPP has multi-tenancy support, making it suited for large enterprises and managed service providers that must enforce secure, isolated environments for its various teams or customers.
6. Real-time Insights and Reporting
CNAPP cloud security further provides actionable insights and detailed reporting for organizations to understand security posture, address gaps and report compliance to stakeholders.
These architectural elements and functionalities are brought together to help organizations proactively secure their cloud-native environments, reduce complexity, and maintain compliance while facilitating agile development and operations (DevOps).
Benefits of Using CNAPP
Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) provides several benefits promising to deliver maximum value to organizations facing cloud-native environment challenges. CNAPP reduces complexity and increases security by integrating multiple security functions into a single platform.
End-to-End Security
CNAPP delivers full lifecycle protection, from development to deployment to runtime. It avoids complexity, the need of using disparate tools, and ensures consistency to secure each layer.
Enhanced Visibility
As it has centralized monitoring methodology, CNAPP enables utmost visibility in cloud environments, workloads, and applications. This tool helps organizations’ proactively find and remediate vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.
Streamlined Compliance
CNAPP helps ensure compliance—the process of making sure your data and applications follow the relevant industry regulations. CNAPP automates the compliance checks, which minimizes the likelihood of a violation and alleviates the burden of having to prove compliance with industry regulations.
Enhanced Operational Efficiency
By automating threat detection, response, and security policy enforcement, CNAPP minimizes manual intervention, allowing teams to focus on strategic priorities instead of manual processes.
Cost Savings
Bringing security tools under a single platform reduces costs associated with also managing multiple products, training personnel, and responding to breaches.
Future-Ready Scalability
Multi-cloud and hybrid environment support make CNAPP scalable whether an organization is small, medium, or enterprise level and adaptable to future cloud architectures.
The Only CNAPP with Heartbeat Monitoring
- Maintain near-real-time cloud security monitoring
- Avoid performance hits with secure offloading
- Eliminate the need for snapshots
CNAPP vs CSPM vs CWPP
Given is a brief comparison between CNAPP vs CWPP vs CSPM
| Aspect | CNAPP | CSPM | CWPP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definition | A unified platform integrating security for cloud-native applications across their lifecycle. | Monitors and manages cloud configuration to prevent misconfigurations and compliance issues. | Protects cloud workloads like VMs, containers, and serverless functions against runtime threats. |
| Primary Focus | End-to-end security combining posture management, workload protection, and runtime security. | Cloud infrastructure security and compliance. | Securing workloads and detecting runtime threats. |
| Core Features | Visibility, posture management, vulnerability management, and runtime protection. | Continuous monitoring of cloud configurations, compliance automation, and reporting. | Vulnerability scanning, runtime protection, and threat detection for cloud workloads. |
| Integration Level | Combines CSPM, CWPP, and other tools for a unified approach. | Focuses on posture management without runtime or workload-specific protections. | Specializes in workload protection but lacks visibility into overall cloud posture. |
| Use Case | Holistic security for DevOps, SecOps, and IT teams managing cloud-native applications. | Ensuring secure cloud configuration and regulatory compliance. | Protecting workloads during runtime and addressing workload-specific risks. |
| Scalability | Designed for multi-cloud and hybrid environments. | Supports cloud infrastructure security only. | Focused on workload security, with limited multi-layer integrations. |
The Fidelis Approach
Fidelis Halo® is an all-in-one Cloud Native Application Protection Platform purpose-built to protect against hybrid and multi-cloud environments. It’s true differentiator is real-time visibility and risk assessment features, which help maintain continuous compliance and security of cloud workloads, servers, containers, and even deployment pipelines.
Key features of Fidelis Halo® include:
- Hybrid Cloud Support: It seamlessly works with different cloud ecosystems.
- Heartbeat Monitoring: Real-time monitoring with minimal resource overhead.
- Automated Cloud Security: Speeds and secures cloud operations by automating security and compliance.
- Cost-Effective: No extra cloud resource costs; unlike other CNAPP cloud security solutions.
With Fidelis Halo® organizations can rest assured that their cloud environments are secure, compliant and tuned for best performance. It’s designed with the speed and agility needed to serve the accelerated needs of today’s cloud-native apps, immediately making the platform an excellent choice for those organizations looking to provide security to hybrid cloud environments.
Protect your cloud environments with the advanced features of Fidelis Halo®. Gain insights into:
- Scalable cloud security solutions
- Automated threat detection and response
- Streamlined compliance enforcement
Frequently Ask Questions
What are the key compliance checks for cloud environments?
CNAPP automates compliance and ensures compliance to various industry best standards including GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS etc. It also detects security misconfigurations, data privacy violations, and non-compliance in cloud environments.
How does CNAPP differ from SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)?
CNAPP provides complete visibility, posture management, vulnerability scanning, and runtime protection for cloud-native applications, workloads, and infrastructure. On the other hand, SASE is a combination of networking and security functions like SD-WAN, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and firewall for remote access and edge security. As CNAPP protects the application layer, SASE ensures secure network access for remote workforces and locations.
Why is CNAPP critical for securing DevOps and CI/CD pipelines?
DevOps and CI/CD workflows are the perfect synergy for CNAPP as it offers continuous security from development to runtime. CNAPP ensures that vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and compliance issues are identified during the development process through early automated security testing.
What are the Best CNAPP Vendors?
There are various options available in the market, but the CNAPP vendors need to be selected, based on features, integration and security posture. Best CNAPP vendors, including Fidelis Halo®, offer deep cloud-native application protection in hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Fidelis Halo® stands out for its:
- Seamless multi-cloud integration
- Automated compliance and security monitoring
- Cost-effective cloud protection
