CSPM tools compared
Cloud security posture management checks your cloud configuration against a baseline and reports drift. Each provider has one built in. Third-party tools earn their price across several clouds or at scale.
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For one cloud, use the provider's native posture tool: Security Hub with AWS Config, Defender for Cloud, or Google Cloud's security command console. They are cheap at small scale, cover the provider's services first, and produce evidence auditors recognise. Look at third-party CSPM or CNAPP platforms such as Wiz, Orca, Prisma Cloud or open-source Prowler when you run more than one cloud, need attack path analysis across accounts, or want one findings queue across a large estate.
Native posture tools
| Provider | Tool | Standards reported against | Pricing basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS | Security Hub with AWS Config | AWS Foundational Security Best Practices, CIS, PCI DSS, NIST SP 800-53 | Per check and per configuration item |
| Azure | Defender for Cloud | Microsoft cloud security benchmark, plus ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS and others on the dashboard | Foundational CSPM free; Defender CSPM and workload plans paid |
| Google Cloud | Security Command Center | CIS, PCI DSS, NIST, ISO 27001 in Premium | Standard included; Premium and Enterprise usage-based |
Third-party options
- Agentless CNAPP platforms
- Wiz, Orca Security and similar scan cloud accounts, workloads and data stores without agents, correlate findings into attack paths and cover several providers. Priced by workload count, usually on request.
- Suite platforms
- Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud and similar combine CSPM with workload protection and code scanning.
- Open source
- Prowler and ScoutSuite run checks against AWS, Azure and Google Cloud and output reports mapped to benchmarks. Free, run on a schedule, no workflow of their own.
How to choose
- One cloud and under 50 people: native tooling.
- One cloud, need a second opinion or a point-in-time report: run Prowler before the audit.
- Two or more clouds with production data, or hundreds of accounts: a third-party platform with one findings workflow.
- Whatever you pick, the audit evidence is the triage history, not the dashboard.
Do I need a CSPM for SOC 2?
You need configuration monitoring and a record of acting on findings. The native tools satisfy that on a single cloud. A third-party CSPM is a convenience at scale, not a requirement.
What is the difference between CSPM and CNAPP?
CSPM checks cloud configuration. A cloud-native application protection platform adds workload scanning, container and Kubernetes security, sometimes code scanning, and correlates them. Vendors use the terms loosely.
Want a posture review before buying a tool?
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