How Google’s $32B Wiz Acquisition Will Reshape Cloud Defense

Buying Wiz for $32 billion reduces Google’s dependence on external vendors for multi-cloud security, mirroring Microsoft’s approach with Defender for Cloud, said Gartner’s Charlie Winckless.

See Also: 5 considerations for effective multi-cloud threat detection

Wiz emerged as the pure-play cloud security market leader because of its strong product architecture that integrates cloud security posture management, cloud detection and response, and application security. Like Palo Alto Networks’ decision to move its cloud security unit under its security operations business, Winckless said Wiz’s CSPM capabilities will be integrated into Google’s broad security operations stack (see: Why Google Is Eyeing a $23B Buy of Cloud Security Phenom Wiz).

“There’s a lot of synergy here,” he said. “There is a lot of risk. The biggest risk is going to be perception. Now we are going to have to ask ourselves, ‘If I’m an AWS-first and Azure-first or OCI-first shop, is there going as much investment in capabilities and control for those in Wiz as there will be for GCP?’ I expect that will not change, certainly not in the short term. But that’s something to continue to watch for over time.”

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Winckless also discussed:

• How Wiz became the pure-play cloud security market leader;
• The convergence of cloud security and security operations;
• The perception of Wiz abandoning its multi-cloud neutrality.

Winckless focuses on zero trust, how to securely use the cloud and how to deliver network security outcomes from the cloud. His research coverage includes zero trust strategies and approaches, the security service edge and secure access service edge. Winckless’ cloud research incorporates IaaS, PaaS and SaaS security, governance and related markets such as CSPM, SSPM, CWPP and CNAPP.