How to Eliminate Security Silos Across the Hybrid Multi-Cloud With Illumio

Cloud security is crowded.  

With so many tools from both third-party vendors and cloud providers, there are many overlaps. But unfortunately, they still leave gaps.

Cloud providers follow a shared responsibility model — they secure the cloud infrastructure, but customers must secure their own data and applications. To help, each provider offers security tools, but these tools are cloud specific. This is why AWS security tools don’t work in Azure and vice versa.

Some solutions try to extend security across clouds by linking network segments, but visibility and enforcement remain separate. This creates security silos, making it harder to detect and respond to breaches quickly.

In this blog post, I’ll walk through the most common cloud security solutions, including their benefits and pitfalls, and why it's crucial to have breach containment with Illumio.

The 2 types of third-party cloud security solutions

Third-party security vendors use different methods to protect data across multiple cloud providers. Their solutions usually fall into two main types:  

• Network solutions: These focus on securing data as it moves between different cloud systems.  

• Workload scanning solutions: These check cloud applications and files for security risks.

1. Network solutions

Network solutions work by creating overlay networks that link different cloud providers together. Virtual network segments run on top of existing networks in each cloud, acting like tunnels between environments.  

For example, if a company has resources in both AWS and Azure, a security vendor will build an overlay network "on top" of both. They will then place virtual firewalls or other virtual network security tools at key points to inspect traffic moving between the cloud networks. This helps keep data safe as it travels between different cloud systems.

The main benefit of this approach is that it creates one network that works across different cloud providers. It’s agnostic to each underlying cloud infrastructure, making it easier to manage.

Since this method uses virtual firewalls in a way that’s similar to traditional data center security, it feels familiar to companies already using network-based security. Businesses with on-premises security systems will find this solution an extension of what they already have.

The challenge with this approach is that it layers one virtual system on top of another. Cloud networks are already virtual, and adding another virtual security layer can slow things down. Every step in the process has to be translated “down” multiple times before reaching the actual cloud infrastructure, which can make workflows less efficient.

Another issue is the added complexity. You have to manage both the cloud’s built-in network and the extra security network created by the vendor.  

This means twice as many networks to handle compared to a traditional data center. And in cybersecurity, complexity is the enemy — it makes it harder to detect and respond to attacks quickly.

2. Workload scanning solutions

Another common way to secure multiple clouds is workload scanning. Just like cybersecurity tools which scan data center servers and endpoint devices for threats, many security vendors scan cloud resources for vulnerabilities or attacks.  

One example is Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP). CNAPP scans cloud workloads for threats and weaknesses, focusing on keeping them secure and running smoothly.

If a cloud resource is attacked, CNAPP tools try to remove the threat quickly or fix the security gap that allowed it. The goal is to keep cloud systems safe and working properly.

This method follows a detect-and-respond approach. But it has a major weakness: threats spread faster than security teams can react.  

Even if an attack is found and stopped on one cloud resource, the damage is already done — it has likely spread to other connected resources. In cybersecurity, the biggest challenge isn’t just detecting threats but stopping them from spreading as fast as possible.

Microsegmentation: Contain breaches before they move

Cyber threats come in many forms, but they all have one goal: to move. The first system they infect isn’t their real target — it’s just a way in. From there, they spread, and in the cloud, they can only move through segments.

Segments connect cloud resources, making them the only path threats can take. Stopping this movement is critical. Human error is unavoidable, and many cloud breaches happen due to simple mistakes.  

While training can help, the best way to stop an attack is to control movement between cloud resources, no matter how advanced the threat is.

This is even more important with AI-powered malware. While some fear an AI-driven cyber apocalypse, one thing is certain: AI threats still need to move. Just like today’s threats, they rely on segments to spread. That’s why segmentation must be the foundation of every cybersecurity strategy — it’s the key to stopping attacks now and in the future.

Get visibility across multi-cloud resources with Illumio

Segmentation focuses on securing the connections between workloads, not just the workloads themselves.

Illumio Segmentation sets a baseline for normal traffic behavior across these connections and takes action when something unusual happens.

Unlike traditional security tools that wait for a threat to be detected before responding, Illumio flips the process — it acts before a threat spreads.

To do this, visibility is key. But cloud environments are often siloed, making it hard to see across multiple cloud providers. Illumio solves this problem by providing end-to-end visibility across all cloud connections, without relying on complex network tools or waiting for a scanning tool to find an issue.

Illumio maps all cloud resources and their dependencies across different cloud vendors. This allows security teams to clearly see how resources interact, which is the first step to securing them.

AI-powered insights help identify risks faster. Illumio collects and analyzes cloud activity, surfacing vulnerabilities that would otherwise be difficult to find.  

With Illumio, you don’t just detect threats — you stop them before they spread.

Use Illumio’s policy model to enforce security with cloud-native tools

Illumio uses a simple, label-based policy model to identify workloads based on business functions or applications — not network addresses. This same model works across the hybrid multi-cloud, data centers, and endpoints, ensuring a consistent security approach everywhere.  

Illumio maps cloud tags to Illumio labels, which then define policies between resources. These policies are automatically enforced through cloud-native tools like AWS Security Groups and Azure NSGs, providing clear visibility and streamlined enforcement in one unified workflow.

Consistent segmentation across the cloud

Illumio combines end-to-end visibility with a simple, human-readable policy model. It's a scalable segmentation solution across cloud environments, eliminating blind spots.  

Illumio doesn’t replace workload security tools. It completes them by focusing on the one thing all threats rely on: movement through segments.

By mapping and enforcing all segment behaviors, Illumio stops even undetected threats that slip past advanced security tools like CNAPP.

Segmentation is the foundation of cloud security, and Illumio makes it possible.

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