Aqua Cloud Native Application Protection Platform

Aqua Cloud Security Platform's main use case is scanning for vulnerabilities and detecting vulnerabilities, which allows me to manage our CIS benchmark as well.

I use Aqua Cloud Security Platform for vulnerability scanning, particularly with the open-source tool called Trivy, which helps identify bugs in Docker images. I only need to install that software into the system and run a couple of commands. Based on those inputs, it analyzes the image package and provides suggestions on the vulnerabilities, how to fix them, the consequences, and the pros and cons. I also use Kube-bench with Aqua Cloud Security Platform to scan Kubernetes clusters for vulnerabilities, bugs, and issues at the cluster levels. Once I run the Kube-bench commands at the cluster levels, it provides detailed information on what exactly needs to be taken care of, what should be removed if an unnecessary package is present, or if something unnecessary has been allowed, such as permissions for all users. It provides all the essential information on exactly what needs to be done.

As I mentioned, I used Aqua Cloud Security Platform with Trivy, which is a great lightweight open-source tool, and Kube-bench, which follows CIS benchmarks, making it an industrial standard that can be implemented in test, UAT, production, or development environments. This use case can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines, automating tasks, generating reports, and sharing those reports with development teams for reviewing and rectifying issues, bugs, or vulnerabilities.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform offers several features, including code and supply chain security for scanning vulnerabilities, where it is a lightweight and fast scanning tool for lightweight images and serverless functions. Additionally, it provides cloud and infrastructure posture management, continuously monitoring cloud assets and infrastructure configuration to ensure compliance with organizational standards. There is also advanced runtime protection, known as ARP or CWPP, for real-time threat detection, addressing issues such as agent failures. Lastly, there are AI and generative security features involving machine learning, along with many additional security features, but these are the main ones I can identify.

As a cloud engineer and DevOps engineer, my day-to-day tasks mostly involve cloud interactions with cloud service providers. In this context, cloud security posture management scans public cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, and GCP, detecting misconfigurations. If storage, such as buckets, is exposed in public environments, it alerts me to take necessary actions. Kubernetes security posture management leverages Kube-bench and CIS benchmarks for continuous audits of Kubernetes clusters, control planes, and node configurations against the CIS benchmark. If something is missing, it alerts me and guides me on how to rectify it.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform has positively impacted my organization with a drastic reduction in vulnerability search time. Manual processes consume more time and lower productivity, but using Aqua Cloud Security Platform increases productivity and reduces time spent searching or identifying vulnerabilities. It also accelerates DevSecOps principles, automating the checks developers need without waiting for manual security sign-offs. Prior to Aqua Cloud Security Platform, development teams blamed security teams and vice versa, but Aqua Cloud Security Platform has bridged that gap, reducing tension between the two teams.

Since adopting Aqua Cloud Security Platform, I have observed around a 40 to 45 percent increase in productivity and a reduction of around 35 to 40 percent in time taken for tasks that previously required manual intervention, such as Python linting. Before, I performed manual checks line by line, but now Aqua Cloud Security Platform automates these processes, generates reports, and allows me to take immediate action.

One additional feature of Aqua Cloud Security Platform is cloud infrastructure entitlement management, which tracks human and machine identities across cloud platforms while discovering privileged accounts, unused permissions, and potential threats. It escalates alerts if something poses a real threat to the organization.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform could improve by streamlining the onboarding process and initial policy tuning to reduce the feeling of exhaustion or fatigue. Additionally, enhancing the user interface would be beneficial as tools such as Trivy scanner and Kube-bench typically operate on CLI. A user interface that integrates smoothly with CI/CD pipelines and Kubernetes clusters would be a significant improvement. Also, reporting could be clearer and more actionable, rather than presenting a massive list of open issues, which could overwhelm busy development or testing teams. Advanced documentation for enterprise-level users would also enhance the platform, making it accessible for startups or mid-sized organizations with limited budgets.

Improving the user interface would provide better visibility, especially for newcomers trying to understand Aqua Cloud Security Platform. If new users find it easier to integrate with CI/CD pipelines or Kubernetes clusters through a more straightforward interface, that would be a significant achievement.

I have been using Aqua Cloud Security Platform for around three to four years.

I take off those two points because it lacks sufficient open-source documentation; it is primarily available at the enterprise level, which could hinder users who want to learn about Aqua Cloud Security Platform without enterprise access. My overall review rating for this product is 8 out of 10.

My main use case for Aqua Cloud Security Platform is securing the cloud environment through CNAPP, which is Cloud Native Application Protection, posture management, workload protections, and container security.

Regarding how Aqua Cloud Security Platform fits into my workflow, it absolutely provides strong runtime protection. Aqua is very strong in runtime security using behavioral monitoring and control. Controls detect anomalies beyond signature-based threats. For example, if a container suddenly starts running crypto mining or suspicious processes, Aqua flags and stops it immediately, even if the attack was not known earlier. It detects the abnormal behavior.

Another key aspect is shift-left security. It integrates security early in CI/CD pipelines, giving developers visibility before deployment. Additionally, Aqua Cloud Security Platform provides strong compliance and governance with built-in policies for compliance standards like CIS, PCI DSS, and NIST, along with continuous compliance monitoring. It also offers secrets and sensitive data protection, identifying secrets like API keys, tokens, and passwords in images and repositories to prevent accidental exposure.

For Aqua Cloud Security Platform, I can provide a specific example of how I use it for container security and workload protection. Aqua Cloud Security Platform provides the CNAPP solution, which covers end-to-end cloud environment security. Aqua provides end-to-end security across containers, Kubernetes, serverless, and cloud workloads starting from build, deployment, runtime, and compliance in one platform. During image build, Aqua scans the container image and blocks deployment if critical vulnerabilities are found. At runtime, if a container starts unusual activities, it detects and blocks it.

The best features Aqua Cloud Security Platform offers are container and Kubernetes security, runtime protection, vulnerability management, and secret detection. I also appreciate the coverage perspective, as it covers serverless security as well. This is valuable because when using serverless functions, mainly Lambda or Azure functions, we do not have much visibility on that particular aspect since it runs behind the scenes. Aqua gives good visibility and confidence to run those functions securely.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform provides end-to-end coverage and is a very good CNAPP solution which covers CSPM, cloud workload protection, DevSecOps, infrastructure-as-code scanning, serverless, and vulnerability management. These are the key and essential features with respect to the cloud security environment domain.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform has impacted my organization positively. While solutioning or deploying this cloud-native security control, I found that from day one, it started providing ROI. It is very easy to implement through API integration and started showing its strength immediately. From the posture side, it gives good visibility of the cloud environment because visibility is most essential in cloud environments. When an administrator spins up a VM, multiple things happen in the backend such as block storage, IPs, and network security groups. Across these elements, Aqua shows how the environment is structured, what resources are available, and provides asset inventory on day one.

From the CSPM perspective, I receive comprehensive visibility. From the cloud workload perspective, Aqua provides features that run in the environment, identify threats, attack chain paths, vulnerabilities, and provide remediation steps. In the DevSecOps area, it provides security starting with the shift-left approach, allowing early detection of vulnerabilities and flaws before runtime protection. Aqua also offers secret detection, compliance coverage, and infrastructure-as-code scanning.

Regarding how Aqua Cloud Security Platform can be improved, the first area is the complex initial setup. Deployment and configuration can be complex, especially in large environments that require skilled resources. For Kubernetes environments, initial onboarding and policy setup takes time. Compared to Wiz onboarding, it is not very straightforward, as I have also worked with Wiz. The UI is powerful but not very simple for new users, as navigation and dashboard can be overwhelming.

Alert noise and tuning are required because Aqua generates a large number of initial alerts that need tuning to reduce false positives. Additionally, pricing can be high depending on workload scale, especially for large Kubernetes and multi-cloud environments.

For improvements to Aqua Cloud Security Platform, I think better integration with SOAR and XDR platforms, more AI-driven prioritization, and providing simpler out-of-the-box policies would be beneficial.

I have been using Aqua Cloud Security Platform for the last five years on this cloud security platform.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform is stable.

Aqua Cloud Security Platform has good scalability because it is a SaaS platform, so I do not need to think much about scalability.

The customer support for Aqua Cloud Security Platform is good.

I did not previously use a different solution related to Aqua Cloud Security Platform. I use different solutions for different customers and implement them as required. This is not about switching from one solution to another solution in my case.

Before choosing Aqua Cloud Security Platform, I evaluated other options including Wiz, Prisma, and Prisma Cloud.

Regarding the initial setup of Aqua Cloud Security Platform, the first area needing improvement is the complex initial setup. Deployment and configuration can be complex, especially in large environments that require skilled resources. For Kubernetes environments, initial onboarding and policy setup takes time. Compared to Wiz onboarding, it is not very straightforward, as I have also worked with Wiz.

From the metrics perspective for Aqua Cloud Security Platform, I can say that faster deployment and faster vulnerability remediation reduced time to fix vulnerabilities early in the pipeline. The impact can reduce remediation effort by 40% to 60%, avoiding production-level fixes which are costlier. Breach risk detection through runtime protection plus compliance reduces the risk of attack by 30% to 40%. Tool consolidation is another aspect where replacing multiple tools such as scanners, runtime compliance tools, and others can reduce tool cost by 15% to 25%.

From the ROI perspective, Aqua Cloud Security Platform provides value from day one in terms of identifying the posture of the environment, identifying vulnerabilities, and faster remediation. Remediation effort improved by at least 40% to 60%. Breach risk reduction is significantly increased by 30% to 50%. Regarding tool consolidation, I do not need different tools, especially for the DevSecOps pipeline perspective, as one tool can suffice for scanning, runtime, and compliance functions. When consolidating tools, costs reduce around 15% to 25%.

I am not directly involved in the pricing part, but while implementing Aqua Cloud Security Platform, I have seen that pricing is quite higher, especially for large-grade enterprises.

Before choosing Aqua Cloud Security Platform, I evaluated other options including Wiz, Prisma, and Prisma Cloud.

Regarding improvements needed for Aqua Cloud Security Platform that we have not discussed yet, I do not have additional areas to suggest.

Regarding Aqua Cloud Security Platform's AI capabilities, it helps organizations manage their compliance part in terms of whatever compliance standards they have. Built-in policies for compliance standards like CIS, PCI DSS, and NIST, along with continuous compliance monitoring, are very impactful for the organization because they help during audit time. For C-level people like CISO and CEO, it gives them confidence and trust in how the organization is performing. Aqua automatically checks if Kubernetes configuration follows CIS benchmark and generates an alert and compliance report if anything is misconfigured. This is very significant.

Regarding the accuracy and reliability of output from Aqua Cloud Security Platform, I have not seen any discrepancy. The output is good overall.

My advice for others looking into using Aqua Cloud Security Platform is to use it properly and leverage all its available features. This helps to get more visibility of the cloud environment.

I rate Aqua Cloud Security Platform a seven because it has quite good features, but there are a few things that need improvement, which is applicable for each solution and Aqua is not different from that.