In a recent study conducted by Westcon-Comstor, cybersecurity leaders at large enterprises are gearing up to increase their expenditure on cloud security in 2025 and are seeking assistance from channel partners to optimize their return on investment. This research, which involved surveying 500 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and other senior security executives from end-user organizations with a minimum of 1,000 employees across France, Germany, Italy, the UAE, and the UK, revealed some intriguing insights.
One of the standout findings from the study is that a staggering 83% of security leaders have plans to invest in Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) and other cloud security technologies within the next year. This intention to invest was particularly prominent in Italy and the UAE. Across all the surveyed regions, the top three priority areas for investment were identified as AI Security Posture Management (AI-SPM), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), and Application Security Posture Management (ASPM).
The increased interest in investment presents lucrative growth opportunities for channel partners, with 95% of respondents currently engaging with partners such as resellers and managed security service providers for procurement and deployment of solutions. Among the benefits highlighted by security leaders in their collaboration with channel partners, training and enablement emerged as the most valued, with 40% emphasizing the significance of knowledge-building support to enhance cloud security capabilities.
Furthermore, a significant portion (32%) of respondents pointed out cost-effective access to new solutions as the primary reason for partnering with channel associates, while 28% highlighted the importance of guidance in navigating the cloud security market and identifying optimal solutions. When discussing the main drivers behind CNAPP adoption, security leaders emphasized the need to consolidate capabilities into a unified platform, streamlining operations and minimizing blind spots that may arise from using multiple cybersecurity vendors and tools.
Additionally, factors such as seamless integration of security and compliance testing, along with a unified view of risks across cloud environments and the application development cycle, were cited as motivating forces for embracing CNAPP. An overwhelming 75% of security leaders agreed on the necessity of adopting a DevSecOps approach to align with the trend of operational responsibilities transitioning towards developers and cloud architects.
The release of this research coincides with the announcement by Westcon-Comstor of its plans to establish a new X2C cybersecurity approach in 2025, focusing on facilitating partner and vendor growth across various domains such as code to cloud, infrastructure to cloud, data to cloud, and identity to cloud. “CNAPP offers a holistic approach to securing cloud infrastructure, bringing together various security functions and capabilities in a single, unified platform to provide comprehensive security across the entire software development lifecycle, from code to cloud,” stated Daniel Hurel, Senior Vice President at Westcon EMEA Cybersecurity & Next-Generation Solutions.
In conclusion, as the cloud security landscape continues to evolve, the demand for comprehensive solutions like CNAPP is on the rise. Channel partners who position themselves in this high-growth area and provide essential support in terms of training and enablement are poised to benefit significantly in the coming years and beyond. Westcon-Comstor, with its global presence and years of expertise, remains at the forefront of driving innovation and success in the realm of cybersecurity.