Cloud Security Compare

Lesson 10 · Running it · 2 min read

When to re-review a CNAPP decision

Cloud Security Compare editors · Matchups reviewed September 2026 · Editorial assessment

The short version

Re-review a CNAPP decision at each renewal and whenever the vendor changes in a way that affects your contract: an acquisition, a product merger, a change to what a plan includes, or a change to a free tier. Reuse your original scoring sheet, update the evidence, and compare the incumbent with one or two alternatives rather than the whole market.

What triggers a re-review?

  • A renewal. Start at least one quarter before the date, so a proof of concept can finish before you have to decide.
  • An ownership change. Google completed its acquisition of Wiz on 11 March 2026. Wiz states it remains multicloud; buyers on other clouds may still want the commercial terms confirmed in writing.
  • A product merger or rename. Palo Alto Networks merged Prisma Cloud with Cortex CDR to form Cortex Cloud, announced on 13 February 2025, and moved Prisma Cloud customers onto Cortex Cloud.
  • A packaging change. Microsoft states that from 27 October 2026 Foundational CSPM, the free tier of Defender for Cloud, becomes opt-in for new Azure subscriptions.
  • A gap in your own measures, such as coverage or fix time that stops improving.

How do you re-review without starting over?

Take the scoring sheet from the original purchase and update the weights first, before looking at any vendor. The estate may have changed: more Kubernetes, new AI services, a second cloud. Then update the evidence for the incumbent from your own operating data, which is better evidence than any proof of concept. Pick one or two alternatives that beat the incumbent on the criteria where it is weakest; each vendor's alternatives page lists which platforms score higher on which criteria.

Keep the review narrow. Comparing the incumbent with the whole market takes months and usually ends where it started. One or two challengers, the same accounts, the same written questions and the same scoring sheet are enough to show whether the gap is real. The compare page puts the incumbent and up to four alternatives side by side on every criterion.

What should the incumbent be asked?

  • Which capabilities in our plan have changed since we signed, and which new ones are priced separately?
  • What is planned for the criteria where we scored you lowest, and which of it is generally available today?
  • What will the renewal cost on our current estate, and on the estate we expect in a year?

When is switching worth it?

Switching has a cost: a second rollout, retraining, new integrations and a period with two tools running. It is worth it when the gap is on a criterion you weight heavily and your own measures confirm it, not when a competitor scores a few tenths higher overall. If the incumbent is close, use the review to negotiate the gaps into the renewal. Our scores are re-reviewed at least once a quarter and every page is dated, so check the current matrix before you start.

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