The Buyer's Guide to Exposure Assessment Platforms
Table of Contents
Introduction
The state of exposure management
Core capabilities of an EAP
Introduction
Modern security environments are increasingly complex—making exposure management more difficult. As organizations grow and technology evolves, attack surfaces expand, which makes it more challenging to maintain comprehensive visibility and to protect against threats. Exposures across the attack surface are evolving, too. New employees join, others depart, systems require regular updates, software contains vulnerabilities, and people, process, and enterprise technologies introduce unforeseen risks. Meanwhile, attackers continuously adapt, finding new ways to exploit gaps.
To manage the dynamic landscape, security teams need a continuous feedback loop that collects,
analyzes, and enables action on data so they can stay ahead of potential cyber threats.
This is where Exposure Assessment Platforms (EAPs) come in. An EAP serves as the central command center for your security team—consolidating information about various attack surfaces: internal, external, end user, cloud, and digital. And, provides deep context on exposure within the attack surfaces – devices, users, software, vulnerabilities, deployed security tools, and threats—so you can effectively manage the risks in your environment. EAPs streamline the process of identifying exposures, prioritizing risks, and enabling timely and effective remediation.
According to Gartner
“Exposure assessment platforms (EAPs) continuously identify and prioritize exposures, such as vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, across a broad range of asset classes. They natively deliver or integrate with discovery capabilities, such as assessment tools that enumerate exposures like vulnerabilities and configuration issues, to increase visibility.”
Organizations are increasingly adopting EAPs as they focus on proactive security strategies. The market is growing fast, valued at USD 2.54 billion in 2024 and expected to rise to USD 23.26 billion by 2033, with a 27.9% annual growth rate. This reflects the increasing recognition of EAPs as a critical component of robust security operations. However, as adoption accelerates, it’s important to note that not all EAPs offer the same capabilities. Understanding which features best support robust and resilient security operations is key.
This guide will provide a technical roadmap of the essential capabilities you should look for in an EAP. By the end, you’ll be equipped to select and implement a solution that keeps your security operations running smoothly, continuously, and effectively.