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Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP)

A unified security platform that combines CSPM, CWPP, and other cloud security capabilities into a single solution.

Cloud SecurityAlso called: "cloud native application protection"

CNAPP consolidates multiple cloud security tools into one platform, reducing complexity and improving visibility across cloud environments.

What CNAPP combines

  • CSPM: Configuration and compliance monitoring.
  • CWPP: Workload protection for containers, VMs, serverless.
  • CIEM: Cloud infrastructure entitlement management.
  • IaC scanning: Security checks for Terraform, CloudFormation.
  • Container security: Image scanning and runtime protection.

Why organizations adopt CNAPP

  • Reduces tool sprawl and vendor management overhead.
  • Provides unified visibility across multi-cloud environments.
  • Correlates findings across configuration, identity, and runtime.
  • Simplifies compliance reporting with single dashboard.

Key vendors

  • Palo Alto Prisma Cloud
  • Wiz
  • Orca Security
  • Lacework
  • Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Evaluation criteria

  • Coverage across your cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP).
  • Agentless vs. agent-based deployment options.
  • Integration with CI/CD pipelines.
  • Attack path analysis and risk prioritization.