Why Runtime Intelligence Is the Future of Cloud Security: The Upwind Advantage

Secure your cloud infrastructure

Bottom Line, Up Front

Cloud security is broken. Traditional Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPPs) scan your infrastructure from the outside, generating thousands of alerts with no understanding of what matters.

The result: security teams drowning in false positives while real threats slip through.

Upwind takes a fundamentally different approach, monitoring your cloud workloads at runtime to understand actual usage patterns, active threats, and real risk.

For CISOs managing complex multi-cloud environments, this shift from configuration-based to usage-based security represents the only path forward. 

"Security teams are drowning in false positives while real threats slip through. "

The Problem: Alert Fatigue Is Killing Cloud Security

Picture this: Your security team receives 10,000 vulnerability alerts on Monday morning. Which ones matter? Which systems are actively exploitable? Which vulnerabilities exist in code that never executes? Which misconfigurations create real exposure versus theoretical risk? 

Traditional CNAPP tools can't answer these questions. 

Why Outside-In Security Falls Short 

Legacy cloud security platforms scan your infrastructure externally—looking at configurations, scanning container images in registries, checking IAM policies, and inventorying resources. This "outside-in" approach creates three critical problems: 

Problem 1: No Context on Actual Usage 

A vulnerability scanner finds a critical CVE in a container image. Sounds urgent, right?

But what if: 

• The vulnerable package is installed but never imported 

• The container runs in a completely isolated network segment 

• The code path containing the vulnerability never executes 

• The container has no internet exposure or sensitive data access 

Traditional tools flag all of these scenarios identically—as "critical vulnerabilities." Your security team wastes hours investigating threats that pose zero actual risk. 

Problem 2: Configuration vs. Reality 

Your CSPM tool flags an S3 bucket as "publicly accessible" because of its configuration. Terrifying headline. But is it actually exposing sensitive data? Is anything actively reading from or writing to it? Does it contain production data or test artifacts? 

Configuration-based tools can't tell you. They see the policy but not the behavior. 

Problem 3: The Alert Volume Death Spiral 

According to recent industry surveys: 

• Average security teams receive 11,000+ cloud security alerts per month 

• Security analysts spend 27% of their time on false positives 

• 67% of security teams report alert fatigue as a top operational challenge 

• Mean time to investigate (MTTI) has increased 42% year-over-year 

The math doesn't work. You can't hire enough analysts to manually triage this volume. You need a fundamentally different approach. 

"Traditional tools flag all of these scenarios identically—as 'critical vulnerabilities.' Your security team wastes hours investigating threats that pose zero actual risk. "

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The Shift: From Configurations to Usage 

Upwind represents the next generation of cloud security powered by runtime intelligence. Instead of scanning your cloud from outside and guessing what matters, Upwind deploys lightweight sensors directly into your workloads to observe actual behavior in real-time. This shift from configuration-based to usage-based security changes everything.

"Runtime security tells you which doors are unlocked, which ones people are using, and who's walking through them carrying what."

Outside-In vs. Inside-Out: A Critical Distinction 

Outside-In (Traditional CNAPPs): 

• Scans infrastructure externally and statically

• Analyzes configurations, policies, and images 

• Generates alerts based on what could happen 

• No understanding of runtime behavior 

  Result: High alert volume, low signal-to-noise ratio 

  
  

Inside-Out (Upwind's Runtime Approach): 

• Monitors workloads from within at runtime 

• Observes actual network traffic, API calls, and data flows 

• Correlates threats with active usage patterns 

• Understands application context and business logic 

  Result: Prioritized alerts based on actual risk and active threats 

  
  

Think of it this way: Configuration-based security tells you every door in your building is unlocked. Runtime security tells you which doors are unlocked, which ones people are using, and who's walking through them carrying what. 

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How Upwind Actually Works 

Upwind's platform combines three core capabilities that traditional tools can't match: 

1. Runtime Sensor Architecture 

At the heart of Upwind's approach is a lightweight eBPF-based sensor deployed directly into your cloud workloads VMs, containers, Kubernetes clusters, and serverless functions. 

What eBPF Enables: 

• Zero-overhead monitoring: Less than 1% CPU impact 

• Kernel-level visibility: Observes system calls, network connections, file access 

• No application changes: Works with any runtime or language 

• Real-time telemetry: Sub-second detection and response 

  
  

This architecture provides visibility that configuration scanning simply cannot achieve: 

• Which processes are running 

• Which network connections are established 

• Which files and secrets are accessed 

• Which APIs are called with what data 

• Which packages are loaded and executed 

  
  

Deployment Simplicity: 

• Kubernetes: DaemonSet deployment 

• VMs: Agent installation via cloud-init or configuration management 

• Serverless: Layer integration for Lambda, Cloud Functions, Azure Functions 

• Multi-cloud support: AWS, Azure, GCP, and hybrid environments 

  
  

2. Context-Aware Risk Prioritization 

Every vulnerability, misconfiguration, or security finding gets enriched with runtime context to determine actual exploitability and business impact. 

Upwind's Prioritization Framework: 

For Vulnerabilities: 

• ✅ Is the vulnerable package actually loaded/imported? 

• ✅ Does the code path containing the vulnerability execute? 

• ✅ Does the workload have internet exposure or sensitive data access? 

• ✅ Are there active network connections to/from the vulnerable service? 

• ✅ What privileges does the workload run with? 

  
  

For Misconfigurations: 

• ✅ Is the misconfigured resource actively used? 

• ✅ Does it handle sensitive data in practice? 

• ✅ Is there active network exposure or public access? 

• ✅ What identity permissions are actually exercised? 

  
  

For Secrets Exposure: 

• ✅ Are the exposed secrets actively used by applications? 

• ✅ Do they provide access to production systems? 

• ✅ Are they transmitted over the network? 

• ✅ What data do they protect? 

  
  

This context-aware approach reduces alert volume by 85-90% while increasing detection accuracy for threats that actually matter. 

3. Unified Detection and Response 

Upwind doesn't just detect threats—it provides automated response capabilities based on runtime context. 

Detection Capabilities: 

• Anomaly detection: Baseline normal behavior, flag deviations 

• Threat hunting: Runtime indicators of compromise (IOCs) 

• Attack path analysis: Map potential lateral movement 

• Data flow tracking: Monitor sensitive data access patterns 

• API security: Discover and protect APIs based on actual traffic 

  
  

Automated Response Actions: 

• Terminate malicious processes within containers 

• Quarantine compromised workloads from network 

• Revoke IAM credentials for compromised identities 

• Block network connections to suspicious endpoints 

• Generate forensic snapshots for investigation  

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Real-World Impact: Cloud Security That Actually Works

Use Case 1: Vulnerability Management Without the Noise

The Traditional Approach: A financial services company scans 5,000 container images weekly, generating 47,000 vulnerability findings. Security team spends 160 hours per week triaging alerts, still misses critical exploits buried in the noise. 

With Upwind: 

• 47,000 findings → 380 runtime-confirmed risks (99% reduction) 

• Focus on vulnerabilities in actively executing code paths 

• Prioritize based on actual network exposure and data access 

• Mean time to remediation (MTTR): 14 days → 2 days 

  
  

Business Impact: 

• Security team reclaimed 140 hours per week (3.5 FTEs) 

• Zero successful exploits of production vulnerabilities in 12 months 

• Shifted resources from triage to proactive threat hunting

Use Case 2: Container Security at Scale

The Challenge: Healthcare organization runs 12,000 containers across 200 Kubernetes clusters (AWS EKS and on-premises OpenShift). Traditional tools provide configuration scanning but no runtime visibility into actual threats. 

Upwind's Approach: 

• Complete cluster visibility: Workloads, network topology, control-plane activity 

• Real-time threat detection: Crypto-mining, command-and-control communication, privilege escalation 

• Service mesh integration: Understand inter-service dependencies 

• Compliance automation: HIPAA, HITRUST evidence collection 

  
  

Business Impact: 

• Detected 14 compromised containers missed by traditional tools (crypto-mining) 

• Identified $47K monthly in unauthorized cloud compute costs 

• Automated 89% of Kubernetes security policy enforcement 

• Reduced container-related incidents 72% year-over-year ing compromised credentials to move laterally through your organization. 

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Competitive Differentiation: Why Upwind vs. Wiz, Prisma, Others 

Upwind vs. Wiz  

Factor	Upwind	Wiz
Architecture	Inside-out (runtime sensors)	Outside-in (agentless scanning)
Strength	Active threat detection, runtime context	Comprehensive config scanning, market maturity
Vulnerability Detection	Runtime SBOM, shows actively exploitable CVEs	Image/config scanning, extensive coverage
Data Security	Active traffic monitoring to sensitive data	Static analysis of data store configs
Pricing	Transparent per-asset pricing	Per-workload (can be unpredictable)
Best For	Runtime visibility, small teams, Prisma replacement	Mature security teams, compliance-first posture

Bottom Line: Choose Upwind for runtime intelligence and alert reduction. Choose Wiz for comprehensive compliance and mature security programs.  

Upwind vs. Prisma Cloud (Palo Alto) 

Factor	Upwind	Prisma Cloud
Architecture	Modern cloud-native	Legacy platform, complex architecture
Ease of Use	Minimal tuning, quick deployment	Requires significant configuration
Support	Responsive, agile product team	Enterprise support (variable quality)
Visibility	Complete network topology, data flows	Limited telemetry capabilities
Pricing	Clear, predictable model	Complex licensing, frequent surprise costs

Bottom Line: Upwind is the modern replacement for organizations frustrated with Prisma's complexity, cost, or support. 

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Is Upwind Right for You? 

Upwind delivers maximum value for specific organization profiles. 

Perfect Fit Organizations:

Digital-Native Companies (Software/SaaS/Tech) 

• Employee Count: 500-2,000 

• Revenue: $100M-$1B 

• Heavy cloud footprint with containerized workloads 

• Rapid development cycles (CI/CD-heavy) 

• Small security teams (2-8 people) 

• Need runtime visibility into application security 

  
  

Why Perfect Fit: 

• Cloud-native architecture matches development practices 

• Runtime intelligence addresses dynamic infrastructure 

• Ease of use critical for lean security teams 

• Tool consolidation aligns with efficient operations 

  
  

Mid-Market Organizations (All Industries) 

• Employee Count: 500-2,000 

• Revenue: $100M-$1B 

• Multi-cloud strategy (AWS + Azure or AWS + GCP) 

• Growing cloud adoption, limited security expertise 

• Compliance requirements (SOC 2, ISO 27001, industry-specific) 

  
  

Why Perfect Fit: 

• Simplified security across complex environments 

• Reduces need for specialized security engineering talent 

• Built-in compliance mapping accelerates audit readiness 

• Transparent pricing fits mid-market budgets 

  
  

Global 5000 Enterprises 

• Employee Count: 2,000+ 

• Revenue: $1B+ 

• Complex multi-cloud environments 

• Heavy Kubernetes adoption 

• Seeking Prisma Cloud replacement 

• Focus on real-time threat detection

Why Perfect Fit: 

• Enterprise-grade platform with modern architecture 

• Superior customer support vs. legacy vendors 

• Runtime capabilities address sophisticated threats 

• Better telemetry for network and data flow visibility 

  
  

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Common Questions from CISOs and Security Leaders 

Q: "How does Upwind handle performance impact on production workloads?" 

A: Upwind's extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) based sensor introduces less than 1% CPU overhead, imperceptible to application performance. eBPF is a kernel-level technology that enables high-performance monitoring without requiring application changes or introducing significant overhead. Unlike traditional security agents that run in user space: 

• Kernel-level efficiency: Operations execute in kernel space without context switching 

• Selective data collection: Only relevant events are captured and forwarded 

• Zero application changes: No library instrumentation or code modifications 

• Proven at scale: Used by major cloud providers and tech companies for observability 

  
  

Real-world performance data from customer deployments: 

• CPU overhead: <1% average, <3% peak during intensive operations 

• Memory footprint: 50-100MB per host (minimal) 

• Network overhead: <10KB/s telemetry data

• Application latency: No measurable impact (<1ms) 

  
  

You can deploy Upwind to production without performance testing—it's that lightweight. 

Q:"What about deployment complexity in highly regulated environments?" 

A: Upwind supports air-gapped deployments, private cloud hosting, and granular data controls for regulated industries. Most regulated industries (healthcare, financial services, government) have unique deployment requirements: 

Data Residency & Sovereignty: 

• Deploy control plane in customer VPC (private SaaS model) 

• Keep all telemetry data within customer environment 

• No data egress to Upwind cloud (optional architecture) 

Compliance Certifications: 

• SOC 2 Type II certified 

• GDPR compliant 

• HIPAA-ready deployment patterns 

• Working toward FedRAMP authorization 

Granular Data Controls: 

• Mask sensitive data in telemetry (PII, secrets, proprietary info) 

• Role-based access control (RBAC) for platform users 

• Audit logging for all security actions and investigations 

• Retention policies aligned with regulatory requirements 

Air-Gapped Deployments: 

• Fully disconnected operation supported 

• Local threat intelligence updates via offline packages 

• On-premise license server for completely isolated environments 

  
  

Q:"How does Upwind integrate with our existing security tools?" 

A: Upwind provides native integrations with major SIEM, SOAR, ticketing, and collaboration platforms—plus REST API for custom workflows. 

SIEM Integration (Alert Forwarding): 

• Splunk, Azure Sentinel, Chronicle, Sumo Logic, IBM QRadar 

• Structured JSON events with runtime context 

• Configurable alert severity and filtering 

• Bi-directional enrichment for investigations 

  
  

SOAR/Security Orchestration: 

• Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR, Splunk SOAR, Tines 

• Automated response playbooks (quarantine, block, alert) 

• Incident investigation automation 

  
  

Ticketing & Workflow: 

• ServiceNow, Jira, PagerDuty integration 

• Automatic ticket creation with priority scoring 

• Remediation tracking and SLA monitoring 

  
  

Collaboration Platforms: 

• Slack, Microsoft Teams webhooks 

• Real-time threat notifications 

• Interactive investigation from chat

  
  

Compliance & GRC: 

• Export findings to GRC platforms 

• Automated evidence collection for audits 

• Compliance framework mapping (CIS, NIST, PCI-DSS, HIPAA) 

  
  

Custom Integrations: 

• REST API for programmatic access 

• Webhook support for event forwarding 

• GraphQL API for advanced queries 

  
  

Strategic Partnerships: Upwind maintains formal integrations with complementary security vendors like Cyera (DSPM), Tines (workflow automation), Torq (security orchestration), and Axonius (asset management). 

Q: "What's the difference between Upwind and Cloud Detection & Response (CDR) tools?" 

A:Upwind provides both CDR capabilities AND comprehensive posture management—it's a complete CNAPP with superior detection powered by runtime intelligence. 

Cloud Detection & Response (CDR) tools like Lacework focus narrowly on threat detection and incident response. Upwind includes CDR as one capability within a broader platform.

What Upwind Includes: 

1. Detection & Response (CDR): Runtime threat detection, anomaly analysis, automated response 

2. Posture Management (CSPM): Misconfiguration detection and remediation 

3. Vulnerability Management: Runtime-prioritized CVE analysis 

4. Data Security (DSPM): Sensitive data discovery and flow monitoring 

5. Identity Security (CIEM): Entitlement analysis and privilege monitoring 

6. Container Security (KSPM): Kubernetes-specific protection 

7. API Security: Discovery and protection of APIs based on traffic analysis 

   
   

The runtime sensor provides the foundation for ALL these capabilities—not just threat detection. 

Upwind vs. Traditional CDR: 

• CDR alone: Alerts on threats, requires separate tools for posture/vulnerabilities 

• Upwind: Unified platform with runtime context across all security domains 

• Result: Lower tool count, better correlation, single source of truth

Q:"How quickly can we deploy Upwind and see value?" 

A: Initial deployment in days, demonstrable value in 2-3 weeks with complete rollout in 4-8 weeks. 

Week 1: Assessment & Planning 

• Scope cloud environments and workload distribution 

• Design deployment architecture and integration points 

• Set up POV environment (read-only monitoring) 

  
  

Week 2-3: Proof of Value 

• Deploy sensors to representative workloads (10-20% of environment) 

• Platform learns baselines and generates initial findings 

• Executive report: Threats found, alert reduction, ROI analysis 

  
  

Week 4-6: Production Rollout 

• Expand to full environment (VMs, containers, Kubernetes, serverless) 

• Enable enforcement policies (automated response) 

• Complete SIEM and workflow integrations 

• Train security team on platform capabilities 

  
  

Week 7-8: Optimization 

• Tune policies based on false positive analysis 

• Develop custom detection rules for organization-specific threats 

• Establish ongoing processes for threat hunting and investigations 

  
  

Time to Value Milestones: 

• Day 1: Sensors deployed, telemetry flowing 

• Week 2: First critical threats identified (that existing tools missed) 

• Week 3-4: Alert volume reduced by 80%+ 

• Week 6-8: Full production coverage with automated response 

• Month 3: Tool consolidation complete, operational savings realized 

  
  

Compare this to legacy CNAPP tools requiring 90-180 days of policy tuning before providing reliable detection. 

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The Bottom Line: Runtime Is the Future 

Cloud security has reached an inflection point. Configuration-based tools that scan from the outside can't keep pace with modern threats or provide the context security teams desperately need. 

The future of cloud security is runtime-powered. 

Organizations that embrace this shift will: 

• Reduce security team burnout by eliminating 80-90% of false positive alerts 

• Detect sophisticated threats missed by traditional tools 

• Respond faster with automated remediation based on actual risk 

• Consolidate security tools for operational efficiency and cost savings 

• Scale security programs without proportional headcount growth 

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The question isn't whether to adopt runtime security—it's when and with which platform. 

For organizations with substantial cloud footprints, lean security teams, and a need for real-time threat intelligence, Upwind represents the most compelling path forward. 

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Making the Decision: Next Steps 

Executive Security Assessment (No Cost) 

Dynamical offers a comprehensive cloud security assessment to help determine if Upwind is the right fit.

What's Included: 

• Current cloud security posture review 

• Tool stack analysis and consolidation opportunities 

• Threat landscape specific to your industry 

• ROI model for Upwind deployment 

• Competitive comparison (Wiz, Prisma, others) 

Time Investment: 90-minute consultation + 2-hour assessment delivery 

Deliverables: 

• Cloud security gap analysis report 

• Upwind proof-of-value proposal 

• Business case with 3-year ROI projection 

• Deployment and integration roadmap 

  
  

Proof of Value Program (Risk-Free) 

For qualified organizations, Dynamical facilitates Upwind POV deployments.

POV Scope: 

• 2-3 week deployment in production environment 

• Monitoring-only mode (zero operational risk) 

• Focus on highest-value workloads and security gaps 

• Executive readout with detailed findings 

POV Success Criteria: 

• Identify at least 10 critical risks missed by existing tools 

• Demonstrate 80%+ alert volume reduction through prioritization 

• Prove operational efficiency gains (hours saved on triage) 

• Calculate accurate ROI based on your specific environment 

What You'll Learn: 

• Actual threats in your environment that current tools miss 

• Quantified alert volume reduction potential 

• Tool consolidation savings and operational efficiency gains 

• Deployment complexity and integration requirements 

• Team training needs and ongoing management effort 

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Your next step:

Contact our Upwind experts and let's talk about how Upwind can propel your business forward.