Cloud security, the right way: What the industry should demand (and why "good enough" isn't)

Cloud security is facing a critical challenge as rapid development and fragmented tools lead teams to compromise between speed and security. The industry is urged to move beyond "good enough" solutions and embrace the "right way" to secure cloud environments, which involves three core pillars: agentic AI that provides actionable insights rather than merely generating alerts, open innovation that encourages collaboration and transparency over proprietary systems, and runtime insights that offer real-time visibility into live cloud systems. Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPPs) are presented as a unified approach to cloud security, though not all are equally effective. Effective CNAPPs consolidate security functions across the cloud lifecycle, enhancing real-time understanding of threats and vulnerabilities. By adopting these best practices, security can evolve from static visibility to dynamic defense, enabling teams to protect their systems without sacrificing speed or innovation.