Last Updated on April 17, 2024 by Ali Hamza

There is a growing need for more robust, integrated cybersecurity solutions as more organizations shift their digital activities to the cloud. To fill this gap, cloud-native application protection systems, or CNAPPs, offer a single, all-encompassing security solution in favor of fragmented methods that employ various, separate security solutions. Moreover, many CNAPP companies or vendors have started providing this tool therefore, a lot of confusion is in the market right now.

While a CNAPP may significantly reduce security expenses and difficulties for businesses, there are a few factors that executives should take into account before putting one into place.

A Holistic Approach Is Crucial

From a governance and compliance standpoint, protection is crucial, but most of these frameworks overlook the reality that recovery is just as crucial. We believe enterprises should have a comprehensive framework in mind while employing CNAPP solutions.

The Best Platforms Deal With Issues Beyond Security

Businesses are increasingly choosing all-in-one platforms and cloud-native solutions, and CNAPPs exemplify this broader trend. At the same time, there is a role for “best-of-breed” options, “best-of-platform” solutions guarantee that all applications, from security to other IT activities, run in harmony. It is a good trend since it allows industrial firms to maximize their technological investments.

The most crucial thing is to protect your data.

The CNAPP appears to react to the fragmented (and some would say, more difficult) security landscape. Whether a CNAPP solution is appropriate for your company, ensuring your data is safe is crucial. Businesses must provide security features while adhering to fundamental privacy laws like GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA.

Technology is still developing.

To provide developers, cloud infrastructure teams, and security teams with a single tool in the complicated cloud environment, CNAPPs incorporate several cloud security management solutions. Dismantling security silos enables the team to evaluate security risks for all cloud services. The technology is still developing, so you might require additional “foolproof” precautions.

A CNAPP Is Not A Temporary Fix

Customers should know that a CNAPP is not a temporary tactical fix but an ambitious concept for their security approach. A CNAPP cannot simply be “plugged in” to replace an existing tool. Instead, businesses should search for chances to implement integrated security operations covering the development lifecycle and runtime.

Future Technical Debt Must Take Into Account

Any technology that is cloud-native in general requires a rigorous examination. Locking oneself into a cloud-specific technology may be more straightforward and produce quicker results in the near term. Still, you will incur future technical debts because you will probably have to deal with various cloud platforms.

A CNAPP Could Increase Costs And Complicate Things

Most cybersecurity professionals will agree that the majority of CNAPP are still developing. Most solutions have both advantages and disadvantages. You might unintentionally increase vulnerability while also increasing cost or complexity. It is not to argue that they are worthless. Proceed with caution, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the potential options, and pick the most effective one.

Make Certain You Are Visible Applications Can Use Anywhere

A CNAPP is designed to enable end-to-end visibility (in the production and CI/CD environments) instead of employing various solutions that exclusively address particular security vulnerabilities. The solution should recognize different types of workloads and be able to analyze, track, monitor, and regulate them. It should also be able to safeguard your apps wherever they’re hosted, whether they are on-premises, in the clouds, or in a hybrid cloud environment.

CNAPPs Strongly Emphasize The Serverless Cloud

CNAPPs are now receiving a lot of interest. They primarily emphasize the serverless cloud, one of the most significant drawbacks. Since not all apps are created this way, your application’s usage potential is drastically reduced.

A CNAPP Can Be Useful When Planning a Project

It’s important to note that you may utilize CNAPPs for both your project’s production and development phases. You’ll have data from all aspects if you can protect your cloud-native software over the whole lifespan, which may assist avoid breaches and raise the overall quality of your solution.

CNAPPs Can offer real-Time Threat Detection and Response.

End-to-end security for applications created in cloud-native settings is the aim of a CNAPP platform. A CNAPP can identify risks in real-time and take immediate action in response to them. That is far more beneficial than only focusing on danger reduction.

The CNAPP acts as a security reaction to the broader IT trend of increased granularity and distribution. And in that way, we have already passed the tipping point.