Surging CNAPP investment is a big opportunity for the channel

UK cybersecurity leaders are planning to invest in cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) in 2025 as part of plans to increase security spending, new research from Westcon-Comstor shows.

The technology provider and distributor quizzed 500 chief information security officers (CISOs) and senior security personnel at end-user organizations with 1,000 or more employees across the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and the UAE.

The data revealed that 84% of UK participants intend to invest in CNAPP and cloud technologies over the coming twelve months, outpacing the global average of 83%.

Designed to offer a holistic approach to securing cloud infrastructure, CNAPP technology bundles a range of security capabilities into a single, unified platform for security across the entire development lifecycle.

This planned investment in CNAPP forms part of a wider appetite for cloud security investment this year, Westcon-Comstor said, with large organizations looking to channel partners to help them maximize return on investment.

IT channel engagement priorities

In terms of priorities, the data revealed the top three planned areas for investment as being AI security posture management (AI-SPM), cloud security posture management (CSPM), and application security posture management (ASPM).

In the UK specifically, security leaders also highlighted their intent to invest in software composition analysis, with 45% of survey participants singling the category out as a priority.

As organizations look to the channel for growth opportunities, the study found the majority of surveyed businesses are currently engaged with their channel partners (95%) when procuring and deploying security solutions.

Security leaders named training and enablement as the most valued benefit from channel partners, with 51% of UK participants stating it as their main requirement compared to the international average of 40%.

Elsewhere, 29% said cost-effective access to new solutions was their primary reason for engaging with partners, while 20% highlighted the ability to assist with navigating the cloud security market and identifying the best solutions.

CNAPP adoption

Notably, the survey highlighted the main reasons organizations are looking to CNAPP specifically, with leaders highlighting the need to move away from using multiple cybersecurity tools and instead consolidate capabilities into a unified platform.

By doing so, they benefit from reduced complexity and fewer blind spots, Westcon-Comstor said.

Other key factors include the need to seamlessly integrate security and compliance testing, as well as unification of risk visibility across cloud environments and the application development lifecycle.

As operational responsibilities continue to ‘shift left’ towards developers and architects, 81% of UK-based security leaders stated a need to adopt a DevSecOps approach, outpacing all other markets, as well as the international average of 75%.

“As the cloud security market continues to evolve, we’re seeing CNAPP become the go-to solution for securing cloud workloads,” commented Daniel Hurel, senior vice president of Westcon EMEA Cybersecurity & Next-Generation Solutions at Westcon-Comstor.

“Our research suggests that this presents an opportunity for the IT channel, with particularly strong demand for training and enablement. Partners who establish themselves in this high-growth area stand to reap the rewards in 2025 and beyond.”