An on-premises deployment for CSPM involves installing and running the CSPM tool within an organization’s infrastructure, rather than relying on a cloud-based or managed service model. In this deployment model, the CSPM tool is hosted and managed internally by the organization, allowing for direct control and visibility over the security posture of both on-premises and cloud environments. As organizations are moving to clouds, on-premises deployment has become significantly less common compared to cloud-based or hybrid deployment models. The majority of CSPM solutions in the market are designed to be cloud-native or offered as a managed service. This is because cloud environments often require continuous monitoring and the ability to scale dynamically, making cloud-based solutions more suitable and convenient. It may not be even a smarter idea to deploy a CSPM tool on-premises. However, for on-premises environments, other security and compliance tools serve a similar purpose but are tailored to traditional data centers and local infrastructure. Organizations use tools that fall under the category of configuration manager database (CMDB) in combination with vulnerability and patch management tools. These tools help organizations ensure that their on-premises infrastructure is configured securely and is free from vulnerabilities. Here are examples of such tools:
- BMC Helix CMDB: BMC Helix CMDB manages and tracks configuration items, which include hardware, software, and other components within the IT infrastructure. It provides visualization tools and reporting capabilities to help users understand the current state of the IT infrastructure, dependencies, and trends.
- Ansible: Ansible is an open source automation tool that is commonly used for configuration management, application deployment, and task automation. Ansible can be used to define and enforce security policies for on-premises infrastructure by automating configuration changes, ensuring consistency, and detecting and remediating misconfigurations.
- Tenable Nessus: Tenable Nessus is a widely used vulnerability management tool that helps organizations identify and assess vulnerabilities in their systems and networks. Nessus can be used to scan and assess the security posture of on-premises servers, network devices, and other infrastructure components. It provides reports on vulnerabilities and helps organizations prioritize and remediate issues.
- Chef: Chef is an automation platform that allows you to define and manage the state of your infrastructure as code. Chef can be used for configuration management in on-premises environments. It enables organizations to define and enforce security policies by automating the deployment and configuration of servers and applications.
Now, let’s understand the hybrid deployment model.