Your cloud is complex and compliance deadlines like SOC 2 are always looming. Automated cloud security assessment tools are great for catching common issues, but they can't think like a real attacker. You're left with a false sense of security and a pile of alerts, all while paying for software that doesn’t satisfy auditors on its own.

This guide reviews the top cloud security assessment tools, from native platforms like AWS and Azure to advanced solutions like Wiz and Orca. We’ll cover the key features of each so you can make an informed choice. But remember, a tool is just a tool.

At Affordable Pentesting, we provide what tools can't: fast, affordable penetration testing from certified experts. For a simple flat fee, we complete your urgent penetration testing in as little as 48 hours. You get a clear report that satisfies auditors for SOC 2 and actually makes you more secure.

Know Your Cloud Security Options

Affordable Pentesting’s service stands out from automated cloud security assessment tools, especially for businesses that need serious security without the huge price tag. We go beyond basic scanning by using manual expert analysis to simulate realistic cloud attacks. This isn't just about finding flaws; it's about delivering a security evaluation that meets tough compliance goals like SOC 2.

Our biggest strength is aligning with frameworks like SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001. This makes us the go-to for companies needing to pass audits without the slow timelines of traditional firms. Our OSCP, CEH, and CREST certified pentesters provide clear, actionable reports so your team can fix what matters. We provide fast, affordable, and reliable security.

Understand Key Features and Use Cases

Our methodology is built to satisfy auditors for frameworks like SOC 2 and HIPAA, making it perfect for pre-audit security validation. The mix of manual expertise and automation finds both common misconfigurations and complex business-logic flaws. The reports focus on practical fixes, helping your team prioritize effectively. You can order an ASAP pentest before a major release.

Get The Best Value For Your Money

We focus specifically on cloud infrastructure security challenges and our findings map directly to SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 requirements. We are the affordable alternative to expensive firms, with fast turnaround times. The work is led by certified ethical hackers who simulate real attacks.

Learn more about our Environments - Cloud Pentesting service.

Find The Right Tools For AWS

For teams in the Amazon Web Services ecosystem, the AWS Marketplace is a direct way to find cloud security assessment tools. You can find security software and services that integrate directly with your AWS account. This simplifies billing onto your existing AWS invoice and speeds up deployment.

A good feature is Vendor Insights, which centralizes security and compliance information from sellers. This lets you check a tool’s security posture without the usual back-and-forth, speeding up vendor onboarding. This is best for AWS-native organizations looking to quickly get security tools.

Visit the website: https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace

Use Microsoft Defender For Cloud

For organizations in the Azure ecosystem, Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers a native security platform. It acts as a central hub for strengthening security posture, providing continuous assessments and recommendations right in the Azure portal. It simplifies security management by combining tools for posture management (CSPM) and workload protection.

Its key strength is the Azure Secure Score, which gives a number to measure your security posture, making it easy to track improvements. Its free foundational CSPM tier offers immediate value, while advanced plans add features like agentless vulnerability scanning and attack-path analysis. It's best for Azure-centric organizations.

Visit the website: https://azure.microsoft.com/services/defender-for-cloud

Check Out Google Cloud Security

For organizations on Google Cloud, the Security Command Center (SCC) is the native solution for managing security. As one of the main cloud security assessment tools for GCP, it provides a central dashboard for asset discovery and compliance monitoring. It simplifies security by consolidating alerts from various Google Cloud services into one view.

A key difference is its transparent, pay-as-you-go pricing for its Premium and Enterprise tiers, which is much clearer than competitors. The Enterprise tier also has multicloud features, allowing teams to secure workloads across different cloud providers from one platform. This is best for GCP-centric organizations that need a native security tool.

Visit the website: https://cloud.google.com/security-command-center

Consider Wiz for Enterprise Security

Wiz is a big name in the Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) space. Its agentless approach allows for very fast onboarding, connecting to your cloud environments via APIs to map all resources in minutes. This quick visibility gives immediate insights without the slowdown of traditional agent-based cloud security assessment tools.

The platform’s core strength is its Security Graph, which shows risk by mapping combinations of vulnerabilities, permissions, and network exposures. This helps teams prioritize the most critical threats. To see how this differs from other security testing, you can learn more about vulnerability assessment vs. penetration testing. It's best for enterprise organizations with complex multicloud environments.

Visit the website: https://www.wiz.io

Review Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud

For enterprise organizations using Palo Alto Networks, Prisma Cloud offers a very comprehensive security platform. This solution gives a unified view of security from code to cloud, covering everything from Infrastructure as Code (IaC) scanning to Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM). Its approach helps teams eliminate security gaps across multi-cloud environments.

The platform’s standout feature is its credit-based licensing model, which gives organizations flexibility to use different security modules based on their needs. This lets teams adjust their cloud security assessment tools and spending as their infrastructure changes. It's best for large enterprises, especially those already using Palo Alto Networks products.

Visit the website: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/prisma/cloud

See How Orca Security Works

For organizations that want fast, complete visibility with minimal work, Orca Security offers an agentless-first approach. The platform’s SideScanning technology provides a unified view of risks by collecting data without needing agents on every asset. This allows security teams to get deep insights into vulnerabilities and compliance gaps across multi-cloud environments.

A key differentiator for Orca is its unified data model, which puts security signals into a single graph of attack paths. This helps teams focus on the most critical threats and reduces alert noise. Orca is one of the most efficient cloud security assessment tools for teams needing to secure complex environments quickly.

Visit the website: https://orca.security

Use Tenable For Cloud Security

For organizations already using Tenable for vulnerability management, Tenable Cloud Security offers a native way to see into the cloud. It combines a full Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) into a single solution. This allows teams to manage cloud security posture alongside their existing Tenable dashboards for a unified view of exposure.

The platform's strength is its ability to contextualize risk across different layers—from misconfigurations to permissions—and prioritize findings. By integrating into CI/CD pipelines, it helps developers catch security issues before they reach production. This focus on a consolidated risk view makes it one of the more complete cloud security assessment tools available.

Visit the website: https://www.tenable.com/products/tenable-cloud-security

Check Out The Lacework Platform

Lacework provides a comprehensive Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) that unifies security across the entire development lifecycle. It offers a single solution for posture management, infrastructure entitlements, and runtime protection for containers. This integrated approach helps security teams get a complete view of risks across multicloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP.

The platform’s key differentiator is its Attack Path Analysis, which shows how attackers could exploit vulnerabilities. This context allows teams to prioritize the most critical threats instead of getting lost in alerts. Lacework's flexible deployment makes it one of the more adaptable cloud security assessment tools available.

Visit the website: https://www.lacework.com

Learn About Rapid7 InsightCloudSec

For organizations seeking transparent pricing and powerful automation in their cloud security assessment tools, Rapid7's InsightCloudSec is a great option. This Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) delivers continuous posture management across multicloud environments. It automates threat detection and remediation, reducing the manual effort needed to maintain security.

The platform’s major differentiator is its straightforward approach to pricing, with published starting costs. This transparency helps teams budget effectively. Its automation capabilities, powered by "bots," allow security teams to enforce security policies, which is a critical part of a complete cybersecurity risk assessment template.

Visit the website: https://www.rapid7.com/products/insightcloudsec

Use The Microsoft Azure Marketplace

For organizations in the Microsoft ecosystem, the Azure Marketplace is a central hub for finding cloud security assessment tools. It streamlines the process by allowing teams to get third-party security software and services that integrate directly into their Azure environment. This simplifies accounting by adding charges to your existing Azure subscription.

The platform’s key strength lies in its curated partner solutions, which range from short-term security assessments to fully managed services. These offerings are often integrated with Microsoft Defender for Cloud, ensuring they align with Azure security best practices. This makes it an efficient resource for finding specialized cloud security assessment tools.

Visit the website: https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com

Stop Scanning and Start Securing

Navigating the world of cloud security assessment tools is tough. From native CSPMs like Microsoft Defender to big platforms like Wiz and Orca, you have options for automated scanning. These tools are good for continuous monitoring and finding common misconfigurations. They provide a baseline for your security program.

But relying only on these tools creates a dangerous blind spot. Automated scanners find known problems. They create lots of alerts, and critical issues get buried. More importantly, they lack the creativity and business context of a human attacker. A scanner can’t find complex business logic flaws or chain together small issues to create a big exploit. This is critical when you need to meet compliance mandates like the SOC 2 penetration testing requirements.

This is where a manual, human-led penetration test proves its value. While the tools in this article are a good start, a pentest finds the critical risks they miss. A certified penetration tester simulates a real attack, giving a true assessment of your defenses. They prioritize vulnerabilities based on real-world exploitability, not just a generic score. This targeted approach gives your team a clear roadmap to fix what matters.

For startups needing to satisfy compliance, a traditional pentest is often too slow and expensive. We solve this problem. We provide fast, affordable penetration testing for companies that need real results without the enterprise cost. Our OSCP and CEH-certified experts deliver a thorough, compliance-ready pentest that hardens your defenses and proves your security. Don't just scan your cloud, truly secure it with our affordable penetration testing.

Automated tools find the easy stuff, but real security requires more. At Affordable Pentesting, we bridge the gap with fast, manual penetration tests that automated scanners can't replicate, starting at just $1,999. Get a real pentest, satisfy your SOC 2 pentesting requirements, and secure your cloud without the traditional cost or delay. Learn more at Affordable Pentesting.