Recently, MarketsandMarkets released a report stating that the global Cloud Security Posture Management market is projected to grow to $8.6 billion by 2027, up from $4.2 billion in 2022, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 15%. It’s actually true that the cloud revolution has brought numerous benefits to businesses, including flexibility, scalability, and increased efficiency.
However, as this shift occurs, another challenge arises: the need to ensure secure interactions. Mark you: Exploding Topics reports that over 940,000 attacks happen every day. Since this figure could increase in the coming days, you don’t want to ignore your cloud security even for a minute.
This is why infrastructures like Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) are becoming popular. Read on to discover what cloud security posture management is and why it is becoming so popular.
Understanding cloud security posture management
We have already hinted at how cyberattacks have increased and the increasing need to be secure. In fact, according to SpaceLift.io, more than eight in ten companies experienced cloud security issues in 2024, with another 60% encountering issues related to public cloud storage. Given that traditional methods are proving insufficient, the need for more advanced ones has become very apparent.
Thankfully, infrastructures like CSPM are here to help. By allowing users to detect, control, and address risks and any cloud misconfigurations, CSPM significantly improves cloud security. Through its collection of security solutions, this infrastructure enables users to remediate various misconfiguration issues, such as internet-exposed virtual machines and inactive open ports, among others.
It often works by examining and comparing cloud environments against a predefined set of best practices. Some Cloud Security Posture Management tools will notify a customer if they’re supposed to remediate a security risk; others that are more advanced will use robotic process automation to remedy issues automatically—their application cuts across IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS environments.
While MarketsandMarkets expects CSPM’s market to grow by about 15% CAGR, other studies expect even much more growth. Gartner, for instance, recently forecasted it to increase by 213%. Additionally, more integrated offerings are quickly replacing standalone CSPMs, underscoring the growing importance of cloud security.
Where have we come from?
Gartner became the first institution to coin the phrase ‘cloud security posture management’ in 2014. After many businesses had largely adopted cloud infrastructures in the 2010s, traditional infrastructures struggled to handle security architecture effectively. A good example is how they couldn’t enforce perimeter security similarly.
To access the environment securely, you needed to be in a secure location, such as the company’s office, in most cases. The only way the ‘outer world’ could connect with the system was through one or two entry points. This put pressure on companies to ensure outsiders didn’t have access to the office computers and also required establishing stronger firewalls and network protection.
However, with the shift to the cloud, the number of entry points increased – users no longer needed to be in the office – and perimeter security could no longer be sufficient. Plus, the increased configuration mistakes led to a greater number of security issues. Greater attack surfaces were created as more people could access cloud environments without the knowledge and approval of IT teams.
Such challenges inspired the first generation of CSPM, which emerged when companies could only utilize the AWS cloud. This first generation was mainly focused on detecting non-compliance and agent-based models. While agent-based models helped monitor cloud activities, they required extensive computing resources and good cooperation between Security Operations (SecOps) and Development Operations (DevOps), which was not always available.
This led to the second generation, which focused on detecting misconfigurations, assessing risks, and analyzing compliance. Automation followed later, becoming the foundation of the third generation of Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM). The innovation continues to this day with the emergence of context-aware solutions that address the automation challenges of the third generation.
Why is adoption increasing?
Looking at how much cyberattacks can cost you, you don’t want to ignore this aspect even for a second. In fact, according to IBM, you may need at least $4.88 million to get to your feet after such incidents. This is besides the harm these incidents cause to your brand reputation.
Surprisingly, cxscoop.com suggests that up to 83% of customers will be less likely to return to a brand following an attack; 21% confirm they will never return. Acquiring new customers has become extremely expensive, which is why you want to leverage such statistics to stay ahead.
And given that, according to experts, Cloud Security Posture Management can reduce cloud-based attacks caused by misconfigurations by 80%, it makes sense for more companies to welcome it.
Other reasons why more companies are adopting it include:
- CSPM continuously monitors cloud environments, allowing proactive identification and remediation of issues before they can be exploited
- There is improved adherence to regulatory standards like GDPR and HIPAA
- There is improved visibility into all cloud resources, which allows IT teams to understand their cloud environments more effectively
- Automated remediation allows companies to save time and money
At this point, it is undeniable that the global cloud security posture management market will continue to grow, as predicted by MarketsandMarkets. In fact, it could even surpass the predictions, given the growing need for more secure environments. Additionally, future solutions may be more robust as companies strive to stay ahead of cyber attackers.
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Kyle Lewis is a seasoned technology journalist with over a decade of experience covering the latest innovations and trends in the tech industry. With a deep passion for all things digital, he has built a reputation for delivering insightful analysis and thought-provoking commentary on everything from cutting-edge consumer electronics to groundbreaking enterprise solutions.
