A Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP) is a security tool for guarding against risks and vulnerabilities. These include malware, malicious intrusions, and unapproved applications for server workloads running in the cloud environment. For all the many components of the hybrid multi-cloud networks, such as on-premise servers, virtual machines (VMs), containers, and serverless applications; CWPPs enables visibility and security management.
CWPPs may offer consistent security for cloud assets regardless of location. Whether in a private cloud, public cloud, or data center, thanks to a workload-centric approach.
The best cloud-native solution for managing network security, compliance, and governance should be able to seamlessly integrate CWPP security modules like Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP).
What is Cloud Workload Protection (CWP)?
As workloads travel between cloud environments, cloud workload protection (CWP) guarantees their security. However, for a cloud-based application to operate properly without introducing any security threats, the complete workload must be operational. As a result, application security on a desktop workstation and workload protection for cloud services are fundamentally different.
Attackers are increasingly focusing on businesses and conducting ransomware operations. Security flaws are increasing in number along with cloud computing infrastructures. However, security measures that rely on proactive endpoint security or restrict access to endpoint devices fall short of what the cloud is doing.
Businesses employing private and public clouds must concentrate on safeguarding themselves from harm at the edge and the workload level to defend against cyberattacks.
The significance of Cloud Workload Protection (CWP).
Today’s organizations continue to rely heavily on cloud adoption as a major factor in driving digital transformation and growth because it enables them to deliver apps and services with the speed and scalability that only the cloud can provide. On the other hand, safeguarding the cloud requires securing an ever-growing attack surface, including virtual servers, cloud workloads, and other supporting technologies.
Cloud workload protection is crucial because it provides breach protection for workloads, containers, and Kubernetes while enabling businesses to continue quickly developing, deploying, and securing cloud applications.
The transition to the cloud from traditional applications is not seamless. You cannot just copy and paste your existing app into the cloud and expect it to function. The Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP) is crucial for the following four reasons:
Outdated Infrastructure
Many businesses are still using old and out-of-date infrastructure and apps, which prevents functionality from moving totally to the cloud.
Using Multiple Cloud Service Providers
Many businesses purposefully use many cloud service providers in accordance with their unique requirements. Because of this, security experts find it challenging to understand, identify, and manage applications and data in a fragmented environment.
Hybrid environments
Because of infrastructure differences and obsolete setups, cloud-native applications are not always easy to migrate from legacy platforms. Organizations cannot simply “copy and paste” their on-premises apps onto the cloud, which means that the majority of them will end up in a hybrid environment with some essential functionality still housed on-premises in data centers.
CI/CD strategy
The necessity to respond quickly to changing market needs drives firms to adopt a “continuous innovation and continuous development” (CI/CD) or “DevOps” strategy. Customers gain from quick product delivery, but there is a risk that speed has become a trade-off for security.
Security testing is no longer a distinct pre-deployment step in the software lifecycle. Developers must have tools that proactively facilitate security for each deployment as they try to shift left on security.
The Top Three Advantages of CWPPs
The implications of a CWPP are significant and fall into three categories.
Decreased complexity
Because CWPPs are designed for cloud-native environments, they provide protections in the cloud that are difficult, and more expensive to achieve with traditional solutions. Many historical tools were built on a managed endpoint or a physical server. They were not always built with virtualization or containers in mind, let alone serverless PaaS or function as a service.
As a baseline, CWPPs deliver the required security benefit even when running inside a container or VM, when enterprises lack control over the lower levels of the technological stack.
Consistency
Constancy is significant, observing how most businesses use the cloud. Microservices architecture, for example, has resulted in more numerous and smaller workloads; DevOps has resulted in decreasing the lifespan of each individual workload. As workloads are torn down and replaced with newer ones according to release cadence; multi-cloud and hybrid clouds have resulted in different environments being used in tandem.
These will result in lower visibility in the long run unless we design steps to prevent it. CWPPs provide a more uniform perspective, regardless of the number of workloads or their location.
Portability
The third implication is portability, which refers to products that promote security regardless of a workload’s location or type. For instance, a workload that is currently running on an on-premises hypervisor and moves to an IaaS provider tomorrow. Or a container that is currently running on an engine in a dedicated IaaS and is moved to AWS Fargate or Azure Container Instances tomorrow.