Upwind CSO: Real-time data is the new defense

In a new analysis, Upwind Chief Security Officer Rinki Sethi argues that runtime visibility has become the critical frontier for cloud defense, Security Boulevard reports.

Reflecting on a 2022 insight, Sethi underscores that static configuration checks and compliance scans are no longer sufficient. Technologies like eBPF, which enable lightweight kernel-level monitoring without degrading performance, have made it feasible to observe live behaviors across containers, virtual machines, and AI workloads. Sethi also critiques the tension between "shift-left" and "shift-right" security, asserting that while developers must engage early, flooding them with alerts creates friction. Instead, she calls for context-rich scanning and real-time feedback loops. Looking ahead, she warns CISOs that fragmented security tools won’t withstand the coming AI-driven complexity. "Stop buying features disguised as products," Sethi advises, advocating for unified platforms rooted in runtime data that integrate posture, identity, and network intelligence to provide actionable insights for both security and engineering teams.