A Unified Approach to Cloud Security with Fortinet’s Lacework FortiCNAPP

For enterprises, protecting and securing their systems and applications is paramount. But with enterprises increasingly moving to the cloud and integrating AI into their systems, securing systems has become even more complex which traditional security systems and tools cannot manage effectively. This means enterprises need to build strong security defenses that enable threat detection and equip teams to interpret malicious actors before they can impact systems. This includes securing enterprise systems and applications with AI/ML enabled real-time insights and visibility that can keep up with security demands and reduce the risk of breaches and their impact.

Fortinet’s Lacework FortiCNAPP addresses these challenges and allows enterprises to secure their applications and systems by focusing on both preventing security incidents and equipping teams to respond effectively when they do occur by providing the necessary context so that teams can make effective and timely decisions. Lacework FortiCNAPP integrates different cloud security tools into one simple platform and enables teams to focus on what matters most by automatically linking risk insights with real-time threat data. This makes it easy to find and fix the most critical security issues quickly and with less effort. For example, in case of a cloud-native ransomware attack, the alert can reveal important details like compromised cloud identity and its admin privileges. All this information can enable security teams to act swiftly to neutralize the threat.

With its ML/AI based threat detection, the solution also acts as a proactive prevention tool. It offers features like compliance checks and vulnerability assessment that prevent attackers from gaining entry. From highlighting misconfigurations in the cloud environment to listing vulnerability hosts and associated critical vulnerabilities, Lacework FortiCNAPP equips teams to proactively prevent threats and run critical business applications effectively.

Lacework FortiCNAPP also provides users to visualize complex networks between entities, risks and threats and detect potential attack paths. For example, while a vulnerable host if not exposed to the public internet does not pose any immediate threat, it becomes a significant risk if the same host is connected to an admin identity with broad privileges as it can access and control critical parts of the system. If attackers manage to exploit the vulnerable host, they can use the admin identity to steal data, shutting down services, or take over the system.

Case in point: LawnStarter, a cloud platform connecting consumers with lawn mowing and landscaping providers, identified that its employees had limited visibility into security events and lacked tools to identify vulnerabilities or anomalies. The company partnered with Fortinet and deployed Lacework FortiCNAPP to protect its applications. The Lacework FortiCNAPP platform allows LawnStarter to add multiple layers of protection throughout its software development and delivery process which meant that security was built into every stage, starting from when the software is created (build stage) to when it is actively used (production stage). By embedding security at these critical points, LawnStarter has been able to strengthen its overall security, making it harder for potential threats to succeed. This approach has also helped the company reduce compliance violations—issues where they didn’t meet required security standards—by 75% in the last year. As a result, LawnStarter has saved both time and money by avoiding penalties and reducing the effort needed to fix these issues later.

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