Cloud security posture management (CSPM) is one of the fast-growing cybersecurity services offered by MSSPs, according to the Top 250 MSSP research results for 2021.
Indeed, fully 41 percent of our Top 250 MSSP survey participants now offer cloud security posture management (CSPM) to their end customers, MSSP Alert research found. (The research results and top 250 honorees will be unveiled September 16, 2021.)
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Definition, Market Forecast
CSPM tools allow MSSPs and end-customers to monitor and properly configure Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform and other public cloud workloads.
Demand for CSPM solutions is surging. Among the reasons: 90 percent of organizations are susceptible to security breaches due to cloud misconfigurations, according to the “2021 Cloud Security Report: Cloud Configuration Risks Exposed” from application lifecycle security company Aqua Security.
With those risks in mind, annual CSPM spending will reach $9 billion by 2026, up from $4 billion in 2020, according to Markets and Markets. That’s a 14.4 percent compound annual growth rate.
CSPM Mergers, Acquisitions and Product Launches
Amid that surging demand, multiple security technology companies have been acquiring CSPM tools. Example deals include:
- September 2021: Tenable acquired Accurics for approximately $160 million in cash.
- September 2021: FireMon acquired DisruptOps.
- June 2021: Deloitte acquired CloudQuest.
- April 2021: Zscaler acquired Trustdome.
- February 2021: Palo Alto Networks purchased Bridgecrew.
Moreover, Arctic Wolf and Datadog each introduced CSPM tools in August 2021. Also, Sophos has been in the CSPM market since at least 2020.
Not All CSPM Tools Are for MSSPs
Still, not all CSPM tools are created equally. Many of the options are designed specifically for corporate IT professionals to manage a single company's cloud configurations and associated security.
In stark contrast, some CSPM software is multi-tenant -- allowing MSPs and MSSPs to manage multiple customers from a single dashboard.
