Integrating Governance, Processes, People, and Technology with Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

Executive Summary
As organizations continue to migrate their workloads to the cloud with multi-cloud strategies, and on-premises integrations with legacy technologies, the need to ensure robust security and compliance becomes increasingly critical. The strategy involves a centralized platform that will pull together the visibility of cloud-native governance, processes, people, and technology to protect cloud-native applications disbursed across multi-cloud environments. This white paper explores how CNAPP can be effectively aligned with organizational governance frameworks, operational processes, human resources, and technological infrastructure to enhance security and compliance in a cloud-native environment, without the need for additional resources to support and maintain the technology.

Introduction
Cloud-native applications leverage microservices architectures, containers, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and other modern practices to deliver scalable, resilient, and agile solutions across multi-cloud providers. This is a shift from the “days of ole” where applications were lifted and shifted to virtual machines, data either remained on-premise or lifted and shifted to large cloud data stores, and security was considered an afterthought often treated as a “bolt-on” function.

However, the modernization of legacy cloud workloads and data strategies has introduced new security challenges. CNAPP is a solution that is designed to address the modernization journey and challenges by providing end-to-end security for cloud-native applications, encompassing infrastructure, runtime, and application layers – known as code-to-cloud security and compliance.

To maximize the effectiveness of CNAPP, it is essential to integrate it within the broader context of organizational governance, operational processes, workforce capabilities, and technological infrastructure. This white paper outlines a strategic approach to achieving this integration.

Before we dive in, it is important to provide context for the governance, people, processes, and technology (GPPT) concepts. Much like C.I.A. (not the 3-letter Federal agency: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) that many of us are aware of and is the bedrock when talking about fundamental GPPT has the same stigma. In my view, this is because the context of GPPT has been overused without an understanding of the importance of how the concepts fit within security and how GPPT, like the CIA, are important foundations for a successful IT/IS security program.

Figure 1: The Organization Functions are guided by the Governance requirements by following the established processes and leveraging technology to enforce the processes and to provide reports on violations of the Governance requirements. No technology will be successfully operationalized with Governance, trained resources, and approved processes.

 
Governance
Defining Governance in the Context of CNAPP
Governance refers to the framework of policies, procedures, and standards that guide an organization's processes to operationalize to ensure compliance, risk management, and alignment with business risk appetite, goals, and objectives. When integrating CNAPP, governance needs to encompass security policies, regulatory compliance, and risk management specific to cloud-native environments.

Key Governance Elements

1. Policy Development • Define security policies that address cloud-native threats. • Define security policies to protect data stored in the cloud. • Define security policies to protect Policy-as-Code and Infrastructure-as-Code. • Establish guidelines for the use of CNAPP tools and technologies.
2. Compliance Management • Ensure adherence to industry regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS). • Implement continuous compliance monitoring using CNAPP features.
3. Risk Management • Conduct risk assessments focused on cloud-native applications. • Develop mitigation strategies and incident response plans. • Update remediation requirements focused on cloud-native assets, functions, and code (Policy-as-Code, Infrastructure-as-Code). • Define or update 3rd party risk to include 3rd party applications, cloud-native, and open-source components and assets.
4. Inventory Management • Update asset management guidelines to include 3rd party and open-source components, cloud-native applications, infrastructure, assets, and data • Update Incident Response and Incident Management guidelines to incorporate cloud-native platforms and assets
5. Patch Management • Update policies to regularly identify and evaluate available patches from vendors and for 3rd party and open-source components. • Establish monitoring systems to track the status of patches and generate reports on compliance, exceptions, and patching effectiveness.

Governance Framework Implementation

1. Policy Framework • Develop a comprehensive policy framework that leverages the CNAPP-specific policy management capabilities to support consistency across multi-cloud environments. • Regularly review and update policies to reflect evolving security threats and regulatory changes.
2. Compliance Integration • Leverage CNAPP's compliance monitoring capabilities to automate compliance checks, alerting, and reporting. • Conduct regular audits to ensure continuous compliance.
3. Risk Management Process • Integrate CNAPP into the organization's risk management processes and key governance elements. • Use CNAPP's threat detection and response features to integrate into and enhance incident management and incident response capabilities.

Processes

Aligning Processes with CNAPP
Operational processes need to be aligned with CNAPP to ensure seamless integration and optimal functionality. This involves updating existing processes and creating new ones where necessary to support CNAPP's capabilities.

Key Process Areas

1. Runtime Protection • Develop processes that include the management of the lifecycle of cloud resources from creation to retirement, ensuring efficient use and security throughout. • Establish processes for data backup, container and virtual machine images, and recovery planning to ensure business continuity and recovery from an incident.
2. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) • Define processes that highlight key integrations for security checks into the CI/CD pipeline using CNAPP tools. • Define processes that will determine how and when to automate vulnerability scanning, policy enforcement, and compliance checks.
3. Incident Response • Develop incident response processes that leverage CNAPP's real-time threat detection and response capabilities. • Conduct regular drills and simulations to test and refine incident response procedures.
4. Change Management • Ensure that all changes to cloud-native applications are evaluated for security impacts. • Use CNAPP to monitor and enforce security policies during the change management process.
5. Inventory Management • Update inventory management processes to include inventory of all cloud assets and software bill of material (SBOM) for all projects. • Update patch management processes to include the monitoring and patching for cloud assets and SBOMs.

Process Optimization

1. CI/CD Integration • Embed security tools within the CI/CD pipeline to automate security testing and policy enforcement. • Use CNAPP to provide continuous visibility and control over the development lifecycle.
2. Incident Response Enhancement • Utilize CNAPP's automated detection and response features to accelerate incident identification and mitigation. • Establish clear communication channels and escalation paths for incident response.
3. Change Management Efficiency • Implement automated checks and balances using CNAPP to ensure secure application deployment and updates. • Foster collaboration between security and development teams to integrate security into the development process.

People

Empowering People with CNAPP
The successful implementation of CNAPP requires a skilled workforce that understands cloud-native security principles and can effectively use CNAPP tools. This involves training, role definition, and fostering a security-first culture.

Key People Elements

1. Training and Education • Provide comprehensive training on CNAPP tools and cloud-native security best practices for Security, Developers, Operations, and Compliance organizations. • Offer continuous learning opportunities to keep staff updated on emerging threats and technologies.
2. Role Definition • Define clear roles and responsibilities for security, development, and operations teams. • Ensure that each role understands its part in using and managing CNAPP tools.
3. Culture and Awareness • Foster a culture of security awareness throughout the organization. • Encourage cross-functional collaboration to integrate security into all aspects of the development lifecycle and modernization efforts.
4. Building a Security-First Culture • Enhance existing processes to promote security awareness through regular workshops, seminars, and communication campaigns. • Encourage collaboration between security, development, and operations teams through joint initiatives and integrated workflows.

Technology

Integrating CNAPP with Existing Technology

CNAPP must be seamlessly integrated into the existing technological infrastructure to maximize its effectiveness. This involves compatibility with current systems, leveraging new technologies, and ensuring scalability and resilience. CNAPP will support the Governance requirements and automate the key Processes to support seamless risk management and mitigation within the organization.

Key Technological Considerations

1. Compatibility and Integration • Ensure CNAPP tools are compatible with existing cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP). • Integrate CNAPP with existing security information and event management (SIEM) systems, log management tools, and other security solutions.

3. Automation and Orchestration
   • Utilize automation to streamline security processes, such as auto-remediation, vulnerability scanning, policy enforcement, and incident response.
   • Leverage orchestration tools to manage and deploy security policies consistently across environments.

4. Scalability and Performance
   • Ensure CNAPP solutions can scale with the organization's growth and handle increased workload demands.
   • Optimize performance by leveraging cloud-native technologies like microservices, containers, and serverless computing.

Technological Implementation

1. Seamless Tool Integration • Use APIs and integrations to connect CNAPP with existing security and IT management tools, including SEIM, asset managers, change management, ticket systems, notification systems, and backlog/issue tracking systems. • Implement centralized dashboards to provide a unified view of security posture and compliance status for Executives, Managers, Operations, Development, Security, Business, and Compliance.
2. Enhanced Automation • Automate routine security and compliance tasks to reduce manual effort and minimize human error. • Use infrastructure as code (IaC) and software composition analysis (SCA) to manage and enforce security configurations and identification of 3rd party and open-source vulnerabilities. • Enable auto-discovery of new cloud assets, identify and access management, and compute resources.
3. Scalability and High Availability • Design CNAPP deployments for high availability and fault tolerance. • Use cloud-native scaling features to ensure CNAPP can handle varying loads efficiently.

CNAPP Implementation Strategy

High-level step-by-step Implementation Plan

1. Assessment and Planning • Align policies, guidelines, and procedures to the key elements of Governance and Processes. • Conduct a thorough assessment of the current security posture and identify gaps. • Develop a detailed implementation plan, including timelines, resource allocation, and key milestones.
2. Pilot and Evaluation • Define Success Criteria for the evaluation of the CNAPP solutions. The criteria must align with Governance requirements, Processes, and RACIs. • Implement the CNAPP solution in a pilot environment to test its functionality and effectiveness. • Evaluate performance, document the results for each success criterion, and make necessary adjustments and configurations.
3. Full Deployment • Create an implementation plan focusing on key areas to support the modernization efforts and will provide visibility and insight to externally facing environments. • Roll out CNAPP across the organization based on the refined implementation plan. • Ensure continuous monitoring and support during the deployment phase.
4. Continuous Improvement • Regularly review and update CNAPP configurations and policies to adapt to emerging threats. • Conduct periodic audits and assessments to ensure ongoing compliance and effectiveness.

Metrics for Success

1. Security Posture Improvement • Measure the reduction in vulnerabilities and security incidents over time. • Track the effectiveness of threat detection and response capabilities.
2. Compliance and Audit Readiness • Monitor compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies. • Track audit outcomes and implement corrective actions as needed.
3. Operational Efficiency • Measure the reduction in manual security tasks through automation. • Track improvements in incident response times and overall security operations efficiency.

Conclusion
Integrating governance, processes, people, and technology with Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) is essential for securing modern cloud-native environments. By aligning these elements, organizations can enhance their security posture, ensure compliance, and achieve operational efficiency.
CNAPP provides a comprehensive approach to protecting cloud-native applications, but its success depends on effective governance, well-defined processes, a skilled workforce, and seamless technological integration. By following the strategies and best practices outlined in this white paper, organizations can effectively implement CNAPP and ensure robust protection for their cloud-native applications.

About the Author

Mark Wireman is the owner and founder of Dharmatech Consulting LLC, a Service Disabled Veteran-Owned, Small Business. Mark is a cybersecurity expert with extensive consulting experience in software engineering, cloud security, governance, risk management, and compliance. With a background in developing and implementing security strategies for various organizations, Mark is dedicated to helping businesses and Federal agencies enhance their security posture and achieve compliance in the digital age.

References

1. Cloud Native Computing Foundation. (2020). Cloud Native Landscape.
2. Gartner. (2021). Hype Cycle for Cloud Security, 2021.
3. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2020). NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
4. Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). (2021). OWASP Cloud-Native Application Security Top 10.
5. SANS Institute. (2020). Cloud Security Fundamentals.