Meet Laura Franzese, CMO of Cloud Security Platform: Prowler

Tell us about Prowler

 

Prowler is built on a simple but radical idea: cloud security should be open, transparent, and adaptable.

Most security tools operate like a black box—you get a list of risks, but no real insight into how those risks were identified or how to tailor security to your unique environment. Prowler changes that. As an open-source security platform, it gives teams full visibility into their cloud posture across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes, with clear, customisable checks that fit the way they actually work.

It started as a project to solve a real security problem, and that DNA hasn’t changed. Whether you’re using the open-source tool or the SaaS platform, Prowler puts control back in the hands of security and engineering teams.

 

 

 

 

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

 

Prowler was born out of the need to think outside the black-box and challenge the traditional, closed door approach to cloud security. A decade ago, open-source technology was seen as a risky, unpredictable choice and something which organizations were hesitant to trust. But today, it’s the glue holding modern infrastructure together, powered by the best and brightest minds collaborating out in the open.

While other vendors operate in secrecy, Prowler thrives in the sunlight. Security threats evolve quickly and when a new vulnerability emerges, Prowler helps you instantly assess its impact and fix it before it makes headlines. That transparency, speed and community drive approach are what makes Prowler unique.

What makes Prowler different is its transparency and adaptability. Being open source means that you can see exactly what our security checks are doing, tailor them to your specific needs, and even contribute your own.

Another key differentiator is our community. Most security tools give you what the vendor thinks you need. With Prowler, you’re part of a global network of contributors and users. Every new feature or improvement comes from solving real problems faced by teams in the field. This makes Prowler more agile and practical than traditional tools.

 

 

What is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

 

My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? Build in the open.

There’s a tendency to keep things locked down—your product, your roadmap, even your struggles—because it feels safer. But the more open you are, the more you invite collaboration, feedback, and trust. Whether it’s open-source code, transparent business decisions, or honest conversations with your users, putting your work out there forces you to stay accountable and adaptable.

You don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to be willing to share what you’re learning along the way.

 

What most excites you about Prowler?

 

What excites me most about Prowler is its openness and transparency. Your cloud infrastructure is built on choices—configurations, services, and workflows tailored to your needs. But cloud security? That’s historically been the exact opposite: black-box solutions, rigid frameworks, and “trust us” messaging that leaves you guessing.

Prowler flips that on its head. It’s an open-source security platform where you see exactly what’s being checked, why it matters, and how to tailor it to your environment. No hidden rules. No assumptions. Just clear, customisable security that works with you, not against you.

 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 

Prowler started as a simple open-source project—a way to audit AWS environments for misconfigurations. It wasn’t built to be a company; it was built to solve a real problem. But as more engineers started using it, suggesting features, and contributing code, it became clear that security teams needed something different: a tool that was open, transparent, and adaptable to how they actually worked.

Over the past few years, Prowler has evolved from a side project into a full-fledged multi-cloud security platform, expanding beyond AWS to provide deep visibility across Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes. But what hasn’t changed is its open-source DNA. Everything we’ve built—whether in the open-source tool or the SaaS platform—stays true to the idea that security should be customisable, clear, and built for engineers.

 

What can we hope to see from Prowler in the future?

 

The future of Prowler is all about continuous evolution and innovation on behalf of the community that feeds into us and relies on us. Organisations are facing an unprecedented surge in cyber threats – they need proactive, adaptable security solutions. By fostering a community-driven approach and continuously evolving our toolset to meet the needs of modern cloud environments, Prowler aims to make cloud security simpler, more accessible, and more effective for organisations of all sizes.