Cloud security is a never-ending arms race, and the latest volley comes from CrowdStrike and AWS. They’re teaming up to streamline cloud security workflows, aiming to dismantle the bottlenecks that plague Security Operations Centers (SOCs) drowning in data and struggling to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated attacks. The goal? To deliver faster, more scalable security in the cloud.
For years, the expansion of cloud environments has outstripped the ability of traditional Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to effectively monitor and secure them. This partnership seeks to address this critical gap.
The core problem? Traditional SIEM architectures, designed for a different era, simply can’t handle the sheer volume and velocity of data generated in modern cloud environments. High API call volumes, identity-driven activity, and ephemeral compute instances create a visibility nightmare, forcing organizations to choose between exorbitant ingestion costs and incomplete data collection.
According to Daniel Bernard, VP of AWS Marketplace and Partner Services, aligning cloud operations with cloud security is now paramount. “The alignment between what you do in the cloud and how you secure the cloud is becoming the most strategic and important element for where cybersecurity is going.”
SIEM’s Struggle with Scale
Companies deepening their AWS footprint often discover the traditional centralized SIEM model falters under the weight of cloud telemetry. Maintaining visibility becomes a herculean task, demanding a more agile and cost-effective approach.
A key element of the CrowdStrike-AWS collaboration is the embrace of real-time event flow via Amazon EventBridge. Many SOCs still rely on delayed or batched ingestion pipelines, a critical flaw when responding to rapid cloud incidents. This delay can be the difference between containing an attack and merely cleaning up the aftermath.
As explained by AWS, this integration reduces the delay from hours to minutes, offering a significant advantage to customers. Immediate access to context-rich data transforms reactive security into responsive security.
Context is King
Immediate context, made possible by faster data ingestion, is the linchpin of responsive operations. It allows security teams to quickly understand the impact of configuration changes and identify potential threats before they escalate.
The shift towards consumption-based pricing and federated search reflects a broader industry trend of re-evaluating SIEM economics for the cloud era. The traditional model of centralized ingestion often leads to difficult choices as cloud observability data explodes. This partnership aims to give organizations more control over storage and querying, without the burden of ingesting everything into a single, expensive repository.
Flexibility in storage and access has been a missing piece in modernizing SIEM workflows. Querying data in place, rather than duplicating it, can significantly reduce costs and improve scalability.
The integration also includes guided onboarding through AWS Marketplace, streamlining the initial setup process. Anyone who’s wrestled with manually configuring cloud services, IAM roles, and log pipelines understands the time-consuming nature of these early steps. The aim is to provide a predictable and repeatable starting point, eliminating unnecessary mechanical overhead.
Accenture is named as an inaugural partner, highlighting the importance of services in modernizing SOCs. This isn’t just about swapping out tools; it’s about redesigning workflows and fostering tighter collaboration between cloud and security teams.
We see ourselves as at the forefront of that revolution and something we’re very proud of and very vocal about,
notes Bernard, underscoring the intertwined nature of cloud adoption and security modernization.
These developments suggest a future where security teams benefit from:
- Faster access to cloud-native telemetry
- Greater reliance on distributed data access
- Increased automation based on identity and configuration activity
- Simplified onboarding through cloud platforms
- Closer alignment between cloud and security operations
CrowdStrike and AWS are betting on a future where real-time data, distributed access, and tighter collaboration are essential for effective cloud security. While their approach offers one vision, the wider market will ultimately shape the evolution of the security operations center.
