Lacework (now FortiCNAPP) vs Competitors: Side-by-Side Comparisons [2026]

Lacework was acquired by Fortinet in 2024 and has been rebranded as FortiCNAPP. The underlying Polygraph Data Platform technology remains intact and continues to be developed, but it is now part of Fortinet's Security Fabric portfolio and is being integrated with other Fortinet products such as FortiGate, FortiEDR, and FortiAnalyzer.

Traditional tools rely on predefined rules and signatures that must be written and maintained by security teams. Lacework's Polygraph engine uses machine learning to automatically build behavioral baselines of every entity in your cloud — users, processes, containers, network flows — and detects deviations as potential threats. This catches zero-day attacks and insider threats that rule-based systems miss.

FortiCNAPP supports AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for cloud account scanning. For workloads, it protects Linux and Windows servers, Docker containers, Kubernetes clusters (including EKS, AKS, GKE, and self-managed), serverless functions, and IaC templates including Terraform, CloudFormation, and Kubernetes manifests.

Pricing is enterprise-only and quoted based on factors including cloud account count, workload volume (typically measured in monthly active resources or vCPUs), modules enabled, and contract length. There is no published price list or self-service tier. Most mid-market deployments start in the $50,000–$150,000 annual range, while large enterprise contracts with hundreds of cloud accounts and full module coverage typically reach $250,000–$500,000+ annually. Contact Fortinet sales for a custom quote and to request a proof-of-value engagement.

FortiCNAPP is not a replacement for a SIEM or traditional EDR. It is a cloud-focused CNAPP that covers cloud posture, workload, identity, and Kubernetes security. It complements SIEM platforms by forwarding high-fidelity cloud alerts, and under Fortinet it integrates tightly with FortiEDR for endpoint coverage and FortiAnalyzer for SIEM-like correlation across cloud and network data.

FortiCNAPP does not offer a self-service free trial. However, Fortinet sales teams can arrange a proof-of-value (POV) engagement, typically lasting 2–4 weeks, where the platform is deployed in your environment with guided onboarding. This allows teams to evaluate behavioral detection quality and compliance coverage against their specific cloud infrastructure before committing to a contract.