With the advancement in technology, most enterprises are moving to digital platforms for better performance and reach. A cloud connects with multiple networks daily, which makes it more powerful and useful for enterprises to run and expand their business. However, there are also various cybersecurity challenges in the cloud that demand a secure cloud-based system. 

To identify compliance risks across the cloud infrastructure, Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools were introduced in the market. Here, we will discuss CSPM tools, their features, importance, and things to consider when buying IT security tools for the enterprise. Also, we have shortlisted some of the best CSPM tools available in the market that can be beneficial for your enterprise.

Here is our list of the best CSPM tools:

1. PingSafe – EDITOR’S CHOICE This Cloud-native Application Protection Platform implements both CSPM and a Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP) through a vulnerability manager. Infrastructure-as-Code and Content Disarm and Reconstruction are other services on the platform. Access a free demo.
2. CrowdStrike Falcon Horizon This CSPM provides system security assessments for resources hosted on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
3. Datadog Cloud Security Posture Management This service continuously scans cloud assets for security weaknesses and produces compliance auditing.
4. Check Point CloudGuard A package that combines CSPM and workload protection and is suitable for development as well as live system monitoring.
5. Trend Micro Cloud One Protects on-site systems plus cloud resources hosted on AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Azure.
6. BMC Helix Cloud Security This SaaS package scans cloud assets for security weaknesses, fixes them, and documents everything for compliance reporting.
7. Lacework This cloud platform extends its security assessments of cloud resources to access rights management and also provides risk prioritization.
8. Threat Stack Cloud Security Platform With this platform of security systems, you get ongoing security monitoring as well as vulnerability assessments.
9. Palo Alto Prisma Cloud This service focuses on cloud storage systems and the access permissions operating on them, plus it provides compliance logging.

Methodology for selecting the Best CSPM Tools

Choosing the best CSPM tool for your organization is a critical decision. The right tool can help you automate security processes, streamline operations, and reduce costs. Here, we will provide a methodology for selecting the best CSPM tool:

• Check if it offers automated remediation and can discover underlying services
• Does it provide instant alerts on discovering issues?
• CSPM activity logging is available or not?

What is Cloud Security Posture Management?

CSPM are security tools designed to discover misconfiguration issues and remediate risks across the diverse cloud infrastructure ((Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS)). The main reason behind designing the powerful tool was to monitor the diverse cloud infrastructure on a continuous basis for security gaps, risk visualization, and assessment.

The term CSPM was coined by Gartner to help automate security in the cloud using a set of security products. These security products also had the capability to examine public and private clouds against the defined practices and provide compliance assurance. Also, most of the tools have features like an alert system to update cloud customers about the security risk and how to remediate them. While the sophisticated ones prefer Robotic Process Automation (RPA) features to automate remediation.

It is one of the best choices for enterprises that wish to secure hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments. In most cases, it is used by organizations to discover misconfiguration issues and eliminate compliance risks across PaaS cloud environments, SaaS, and IaaS. 

Features of Cloud Security Posture Management Tools?

CSPM tools perform continuous monitoring and include some of the advanced features that enable automatic detection of configuration mistakes without any delay or human intervention.

Here are some of the other key features of CSPM tools: 

• Automates identification and remediation of misconfiguration issues in the cloud
• Uses best practices to detect cloud configurations and other issues
• Maintains consistent enforcement across all cloud environments
• Offers policy visibility
• Instance scanning for misconfigurations
• Conducts risk assessments
• Storage bucket monitoring
• Mapping of configuration statuses to security control framework
• Compatible with hybrid and multi-cloud environments
• Automates remediation of risk across all cloud infrastructures, including SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS platforms
• Monitors encryption and account permissions 
• Conducts analysis over data resources in different environments
• Provides real-time visibility 
• Generates audit-ready reports for analysis
• Provides protection against threats
• Delivers quality insights into potential compliance risks
• CSPM tools allow monitoring the creation of new instances

Why You Need Cloud Security Posture Management Tools?

Misconfigurations in the cloud are common, but with the help of CSPM, one can secure the cloud environment and reduce the risk of data breaches. 

A cloud connects with multiple networks on a daily basis. It increases the risk of cyberattacks. Thus, to protect and secure cloud-based systems, investing in CSPM tools is the right thing to do. 

The security tools provide unified visibility across multi-cloud environments, which helps prevent the data from accidental vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. Also, the administrators can monitor, scan, and assess the environment on a continuous basis and uncover hidden threats.

Further, it helps reduce alert fatigue, i.e., the false positives using artificial intelligence.

Things to Remember Before Choosing Cloud Security Posture Management Tools

There are various factors one must always consider when selecting a CSPM tool. Have a look!

• Company’s requirement Discover the key problems and prioritize your requirements from the company’s point of view. Think and analyze all the vulnerable areas of your organization and cloud environment before investing in a new tool. Go through a number of tools and then select the one that suits your business needs.
• Look for the Advanced Features Automatic configurations, monitoring capabilities, etc., are a few advanced features that play a vital role and must be taken into consideration before picking a tool for your organization.
• Details about Pricing Do not miss on thinking about your budget. You can find various tools online that offer advanced features at a low price. Instead of investing in an expensive tool with similar features, it is best to invest in a tool with adequate prices. Go through the plans and pricing of each tool before making a final call.
• Free Trial Session Availability Many tools offer free trial features, including the necessary resources that are required to start the procedure. It is best to look for such tools, and check if the team members find them sufficient enough to commence the process. It can also help you analyze the tool and switch if necessary.

The Best CSPM Tools

CSPM tools are highly advantageous for any organization as they offer around-the-clock monitoring, automated detection features, and full visibility of security posture. Thus, protecting the organization’s crucial data safe from threats and vulnerabilities. Have a look at some of the top CSPM tools that can protect and secure cloud data:

1. PingSafe – GET DEMO

PingSafe is a Cloud-native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) that implements both preventative measures and live security monitoring for cloud assets. This tool is easy to set up, thanks to a high degree of service automation in the platform.

Key Features

• Cloud asset discovery
• Simultaneous tracking for assets on multiple platforms
• Scanning for systems hosted on AWS, GCP, Azure, and Digital Ocean
• Examination of compute services
• Cloud storage configuration scanning
• Assessment of containers and Kubernetes
• Misconfiguration detection
• A database of more than 1,400 vulnerabilities
• Exploit testing with an Offensive Security Engine
• Vulnerability details
• Fix guidance
• Automate response option
• Alerts for detected problems
• Connections to Slack and PagerDuty for alert channeling
• Log forwarding to Splunk or Sumo Logic for SIEM threat hunting
• Compliance reporting

The vulnerability scanning service includes scans for Infrastructure-as-Code. It can also scan through code repositories to look for weaknesses in applications that are under development. The tool can automatically strip out erroneous code, which is called Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR). 

The PingSafe platform offers one package – it is an all-in-one system and you subscribe to the whole bundle rather than to individual modules.

Trial: There isn’t a free trial for PingSafe but you can access a demo to find out more about the platform. 

2. CrowdStrike Falcon

CrowdStrike Falcon is a great choice to ensure that your company’s crucial data remains secure. It is a popular cloud-based endpoint protection solution that detects and prevents misconfigurations and ensures compliance across multi-cloud environments.

Key Features

• Lightweight and fast CSPM tool
• A lucid tool that offers high-level protection and efficiency
• Threat detection
• Identification and monitoring data breaches
• Reduces security blind spots
• Enforce permissions
• Supports seamless integration with SIEM solutions
• Access valuable context and insights 
• Provides suggestions to prevent future security incidents
• Provides visibility into multi-cloud environments
• Constant monitoring of cloud resources
• Provides details automatically upon deployment
• Full control 
• Reduces alert fatigue
• 50+ IOA detections
• Eliminates compliance violations

CrowdStrike Falcon is a fast and lightweight CSPM tool equipped with an endpoint detection capability. Using these tools, users can gain access to complete visibility across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Further, it provides suggestions to developers and helps them avoid costly mistakes.

Get insights into the overall security posture using CrowdStrike Falcon. Another advantage of investing in CrowdStrike Falcon is its API enables users to easily connect with various security solutions. 

It supports multiple prevention features that help detect malware and fight off new techniques that cybercriminals come up with. Furthermore, the CSPM tool’s cloud-based architecture allows it to turn operational in minutes. 

Trial: You can register for a 15-day free trial.

Website Link: https://www.crowdstrike.com/cloud-security-products/falcon-horizon-cspm/

3. Datadog

Datadog is a trusted CSPM tool that provides continuous monitoring and scanning of containers, hosts, accounts, and network performance. With Datadog, you do not require any additional agent as it has a unified Datadog Agent. The security tool also features deep observability capabilities that help users to identify, discover, monitor, and respond to threats. 

Key Features

• Continuous scanning configurations
• one-click security posture monitoring across your infrastructure 
• Full Visibility into configuration status
• Instant threat response
• Configuration monitoring
• Monitors cloud accounts, hosts, and containers
• Insightful reports
• Installs in minutes
• Timely notify about configuration alerts 
• Provides alerts about potential misconfigurations and violations
• Scale efficiently
• Data aggregation
• Supports container monitoring
• 500+ integrations
• Distributed tracing

With the help of Datadog, administrators can keep a track of incoming threats that are hidden in the cloud instances and containers. Another feature that makes it different from the rest security tools is that Datadog supports 600+ integrations and hardly takes any time to install.

Users can also monitor the threat movement in real-time, track security posture scores across your infrastructure, and perform continuous configuration checks. If you are looking for a security tool that helps detect threats quickly and helps identify misconfigurations and suspicious files in real-time, look no further. 

Website Link: https://www.datadoghq.com/product/security-platform/cloud-security-posture-management/

4. CloudGuard Posture Management (Dome9)

CloudGuard Posture Management helps visualize your security posture, automates governance and compliance across multi-cloud services. It is another trusted security tool that helps detect misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and threats. Further, it enforces best security practices and policies across different projects, accounts, and virtual networks to protect your sensitive data.

Key Features

• Automates governance and compliance
• Enforcement of gold standard policies
• Visualization of security posture 
• Access to prioritize and auto-remediate events
• Comprehensive reporting
• Offers high-fidelity visibility
• Customizable policies
• Access control
• Data discovery
• Supports Identity Access Management (IAM) roles
• Performs audits to detect irregular activities
• Cloud intrusion detection
• Protects from insider threats
• Provides real-time alerts
• Offers workload protection and application security
• Secures cloud assets and spots potentially unauthorized activities
• Threat intelligence feeds

CloudGuard Dome9 also allows users to scale across different cloud platforms, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). It is an innovative service that protects your company’s data against insider threats.

Another reason for adding the CSPM tool to the list is CloudGuard Dome9 is a fast and effective cloud security platform that provides pain-free compliance and governance. CloudGuard Posture Management offers control over IAM users and roles, thus allowing administrators to find it easy to manage granular permissions across multi-cloud environments. 

Website Link: https://www.checkpoint.com/cloudguard/cloud-security-posture-management/ 

5. Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security Solution

Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security Solution is an all-in-one solution that helps the organization meet all cloud security needs. It is a flexible and unified cloud security solution that detects threats, misconfigurations and secures cloud infrastructure. 

Key Features

• Flexible cloud security migration 
• Automates deployment and discovery 
• Supports direct integration into users’ DevOps processes
• Provides full protection to cloud environment
• Offers timely detection and instant protection
• Offers visibility
• Supports a Single security management console to detect threats for all environments
• Broad APIs
• Accelerates streamlined compliance
• Supports endpoint and mobile threat protection capabilities
• File storage security
• Container security
• Server security
• Performs real-time analysis
• Automated policy management
• Provides 24/7 Managed Detection Response (MDR) service
• It helps uncover Indicators of Compromise (IoC)
• Integrates with AWS, Microsoft Azure, VMware, and Google Cloud

Its security services are not only restricted to cloud platforms but also support integration with users’ DevOps processes and AWS, Azure, Google cloud toolchains.

Get more visibility and save time using its automated deployment and discovery features. Today, many organizations are using this powerful CSPM tool to embrace a DevSecOps culture and build better architecture in the cloud.

The Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security solution has a single security management console that helps detect threats for all environments and protects various physical, virtual, and cloud servers. 

Website Link: https://www.trendmicro.com/en_in/business/products/hybrid-cloud.html 

6. BMC Helix Cloud Security

BMC Helix Cloud Security is an agile CSPM tool that automates configuration checks and remediation across multi-cloud environments, IaaS, and PaaS resources. Users need to perform no coding for automated remediation. The popular security tool is designed for both cloud and on-premise-based infrastructure.

Key Features

• Automates configuration checks
• Automated remediation for cloud Iaas and PaaS
• Cloud security scoring
• Provides ready-to-use policies like CIS, GDPR, and PCI 
• Supports cloud advancement tools for updating user data
• Supports custom policies
• Anomaly detection
• Container configuration security
• Offer seamless integration
• Perform blind-spot detection and audit assessments
• Allows automated ticketing enrichment using ITSM integration
• Supports Integration to CI/CD pipeline
• Provides visibility into complex infrastructures
• Change management 
• Alerts Option
• Insightful reports
• Allows scanning of the entire infrastructure
• Map dependencies among on-prem, multi-cloud environments

 It supports advanced analytics and tracking tool that helps detect threats and enable organizations to improve productivity and strengthen security.

BMC Helix Cloud Security tool further simplifies all the patching-related processes and offers great speed and security. Using BMC Helix, administrators can also gain visibility and access to software, service dependencies, and hardware across different clouds. 

Another advantage of selecting BMC Helix Cloud Security over other CSPM tools is users can perform quick asset discovery and map dependencies of multiple devices and applications. 

BMC Helix Cloud Security is an agentless, lightweight, and scalable security tool that performs blind-spot detection and audit assessments to discover vulnerabilities and out-of-date software. 

Website Link: https://www.bmc.com/it-solutions/bmc-helix-cloud-security.html 

7. Lacework

Lacework is another Cloud Security Platform with an automated and scalable architecture that delivers complete cloud security and compliance across AWS, Azure, GCP, and private clouds. Also, the security tool provides full visibility into cloud infrastructure, workloads, and containers.

Key Features

• Insightful reports
• Security configuration audits
• Detects threats, suspicious activities, and misconfigurations
• Offers faster deployment
• Scalable architecture
• Audit management
• Risk management
• Incident management
• Container scanning
• Vulnerability management
• Performs continuous tracking
• Adapts documented best practices 
• Intrusion detection
• AWS security monitoring
• Workflow management
• Cloud gap analytics
• Security Auditing
• Access control
• Enables administrators to prioritize risks
• Infrastructure as code security
• Allows users to perform container and cloud workload analysis
• Behavorial analytics
• Simplified posture and compliance

Using its in-built machine learning analysis feature, administrators can faster discover, detect, and monitor threats and vulnerabilities in the cloud. Further, Lacework delivers contextual data covering all configuration problems and the latest updates. 

Nextdoor, VMware, FuboTV, snowflake are a few trusted supports of the popular Cloud Security Platform. It helps discover threats, vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and unusual activity across the entire multi-cloud environment with its advanced features. 

Website Link: https://www.lacework.com/platform/cloud-security-posture-and-compliance/ 

8. Threat Stack

Threat Stack is a CSPM tool designed for modern Apps and Cloud-Native Infrastructure that facilitates visibility across cloud management consoles, applications, and infrastructure. It is a popular cloud-based platform that helps businesses discover, prioritize, and respond to both real-time and unknown threats.

Key Features

• CloudTrail monitoring
• Application infrastructure protection
• Supports IAM policies
• Visibility to servers and cloud instances
• Configuration auditing
• EC2 inventory
• Configurable rules and alert system
• Vulnerability assessment
• Cloud gap analytics
• File Integrity Monitoring
• Intrusion detection
• Compliance tracking
• Incident management
• HIPAA compliant
• Policy management
• Advanced analytics
• Provides security and compliance across the entire cloud infrastructure
• Integrates with third-party SecOps tools
• Provides security to containers & Kubernetes 
• Anomaly detection
• Real-time monitoring

Also, it provides customers better results via its key capabilities and advanced features like Policy Management, Configuration auditing, Vulnerability Assessment, Incident Management, etc.

Threat Stack follows a unique approach to secure clouds using machine learning, rules, and combining full-stack telemetry. It is one of the best Application infrastructure protection tools that also support CloudTrail monitoring and IAM policies. If you are looking for a CSPM tool that responds to both known and unknown vulnerabilities and threats, then Threat Stack is a good solution for your business.

Website Link: https://www.threatstack.com/cloud-security-platform/cloud-management-console-monitoring 

9. Prisma Cloud

Prisma Cloud is a best-in-class cloud-native security platform that offers unmatched visibility and protection across different platforms like Azure and Google Cloud. It also provides protection against unwanted threats using its advanced feature. Container image sandboxing is a new feature added to the leading CSPM tool that helps discover threats by inspecting all the files, processes, and pre-deployments of network activity.

Key Features

• Supported by Application Programming Interface (API)
• Prisma cloud provides regular backups
• Integrates with third-party systems
• Automates risk prioritization
• Provides full visibility
• Protects cloud-native development
• Network data exfiltration detection
• Enforcement of governance policies
• Scans malware on public cloud storage
• Microsegmentation 
• Threat response
• Behavioral monitoring
• Ensures security to infrastructure, applications, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments 
• Container security
• Threat detection
• API security
• Supports integration with continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflow
• Allows scanning of Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) templates and container images
• Provides full-stack runtime protection
• Protects cloud workload, network, and security posture

Using Prisma cloud, developers can also discover and eliminate cloud blind spots. Further, with the help of Prisma cloud, the burden of alert fatigue is also reduced.

Prisma Cloud is a one-stop solution for all your cloud security needs that offers full control over public cloud environments, hosts, containers, and other platforms with its unified agent framework. It supports API security, container security, offers full-stack runtime protection, and full network visibility.

If you are looking for a CSPM tool that maintains compliance on multi and hybrid-cloud environments, go for Prisma Cloud.

Website Link: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/cloud 

Final Thoughts

CSPM are powerful tools that provide security to your cloud data and help identify misconfiguration issues and remediate risks across various cloud infrastructure. As more and more people are moving to cloud platforms, the need for powerful security tools has become a necessity.

This is where CSPM tools come into practice. These tools help detect compliance risks, carry risk visualization and assessment capabilities. Further, they support alert systems to update cloud customers about threats and other security risks. 

Using these tools, administrators can perform instance scanning for misconfigurations, maintain consistent enforcement across all cloud environments, monitor storage buckets, and conduct risk assessments.

We have also discussed various factors one must consider before investing their time and money into any of the above-listed CSPM tools. 

In this blog, we have also shared some of the popular and top-notch CSPM tools including Prisma Cloud, Datadog, CrowdStrike Falcon, CloudGuard Posture Management (Dome9), Trend Micro Hybrid Cloud Security Solution, Threat Stack, and other tools that can be highly beneficial for your cloud security.

CSPM tools offer full visibility and protection to your cloud. Choose from a wide range of security tools and compare them using their features before making a final call.