I've been spending the last few years getting as intimately familiar as possible with the cloud security problem space.

One thing that stood out above all else during this process is the collective consensus that cloud security is a reactive game - with issues only being addressed after they are detected in production. By then, the damage is potentially done—sensitive data could be exposed, compliance may be at risk, and entire teams scramble to respond rather than address the underlying causes.

This isn’t just my personal observation. The numbers are hard to ignore. A 2024 report reveals that 61% of organizations dealt with cloud security incidents this year, and over a fifth led to data breaches. Even Gartner® predicts that through 2027, 99% of cloud compromises will stem from user misconfigurations.

What does this look like day-to-day? CSPM tools have improved visibility—they let us know quickly when something is amiss. But the fundamental nature of cloud security remains stuck in a reactive loop, generating a flood of unresolved issues, lengthy mean-time-to-resolutions, and friction between teams. As a result, security and operations teams often find themselves going down a rabbit hole, navigating complex, time-consuming investigations that distract from more strategic initiatives.

We need to find a way to break this reactive cycle. If we continue down the same path, the complexities of the cloud will keep outpacing us. Isn’t it time we started imagining a different way forward?
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Sources:

1. Checkpoint 2024 Cloud Security Report - https://lnkd.in/dJ22i5Sk
2. ‍Gartner® via Cloudflare - https://lnkd.in/dGjtfyxT