What Is Application Security?

How Does It Work?

How does application security work?

Application security encompasses securing an application throughout its life cycle. These three states are critical for applications to be secure:

• Building secure applications on secure workloads
• Securing applications during runtime, including access of applications to users and devices
• Maintaining adaptative security on applications as they change and get updated

How is security different for applications?

In order to keep up with applications running everywhere and constantly changing, security needs to be delivered in a way that is just as dynamic. Application security must be able to stretch across public cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments. It also needs to work seamlessly with the application environments (workloads) and tools that DevOps teams use to enable application owners so as not to become a bottleneck.

The following components are important for delivering security for applications:

• Security close to the application
• Security that remains continuous as applications change
• Security that is adaptive to application dependencies
   

Solutions for securing your applications

Application workload protection

Workload protection acts as a perimeter around your application workloads. Using an allow list method and microsegmentation, your application workload is in a secure silo. In the event of a breach within your cloud, hybrid, or on-premises environment, your workloads are safe from malicious activity delivered by east-west traffic. By reducing your application attack surface, you help secure your greatest assets.

Learn about Cisco Secure Workload

Cloud analytics for apps

Cloud analytics provides security alerts, allows for management and scalability, and extends visibility into threats across your public cloud, hybrid, and on-premises networks—all on one platform. Quick responses are critical to prevent security compromises from becoming devastating breaches. Cloud analytics provides the information IT teams need to make decisions that strengthen your security posture.

Learn about Cisco Secure Cloud Analytics

Multi-factor authentication

This kind of application security uses two forms of authentication to grant access to a system: traditional username and password, and the assurance from an associated device that the user requesting access is trusted. This zero-trust method is an additional layer of security that helps ensure threats will be blocked while your users gain secure network access.

Learn about Cisco Duo Beyond 

Observability

Unlike application performance monitoring, full-stack observability moves beyond domain-specific monitoring to deliver full-stack visibility, insights, and action with business context. Cisco Full-Stack Observability breaks down silos by correlating real-time telemetry to secure applications and protect against vulnerabilities with expanded threat visibility and risk prioritization. Now organizations can optimize resources and effectively deliver secure, always-on, and exceptional digital experiences for customers and employees.

Learn about Cisco Observability

Cloud application security

Application security promotes DevSecOps best practices. Developers can fix vulnerabilities faster while security teams can prioritize risks. This solution combines cloud security posture management, cloud workload protection, API security and infrastructure as code into a single protection platform. You gain visibility and reduce risks across the application lifecycle from a shared tool.

Learn about Cisco Cloud Application Security

Multicloud security

Multicloud security is a cloud security solution that allows comprehensive data protection across multiple cloud platforms, including both private clouds and public clouds, such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Organizations can use multicloud security to protect all cloud platforms and their varying functions.

Learn about Cisco Multicloud Defense