The SaaS market is growing at a fast pace. This means that businesses must have a thorough grasp of the SaaS apps they use, how they connect, and how they are structured to protect against cyberattacks.
Configuration settings are a crucial but often disregarded aspect of the security landscape, and nowhere is this truer than in SaaS services, where they create vulnerabilities and increase risk. Although SaaS management can help relieve this issue, security teams must first identify the primary concerns to establish a case for employing a dedicated solution.
Addressing Sprawl
SaaS sprawl increases as an organization’s SaaS stack expands, and as information in the many applications is dispersed, it becomes less and less centralized, resulting in SaaS sprawl.
To keep data safe, users must first know where it is. With sprawl, it’s tough to keep track of where information is stored and how it’s processed, who can access it, and how critical it is. This is compounded by the use of open APIs, which require SaaS companies to collaborate to increase operational efficiency.
Shadow SaaS
Because SaaS applications are so widely used, they foster shadow SaaS. This activity, neither new nor unusual, allows employees to use accessible SaaS solutions to suit their own specific needs, which they believe are not being served by the organization.
Shadow SaaS makes it impossible for security professionals to track if the apps being used are secure. The more unfamiliar SaaS apps are downloaded, the more security protections are bypassed, resulting in a larger attack surface; it is not safe to presume that SaaS apps have safeguards in place to protect sensitive data. Shadow SaaS prevents companies from complying with regulations governing how they can use, store, or transfer private data. Non-compliance can result in huge fines.
Also Read: Three SaaS Security Threats and Risks Enterprises Must Address
Managing Settings
Apps have become more available and more customizable as the SaaS market has developed to satisfy user expectations, posing new issues for security teams. Today, organizations may be employing thousands of SaaS services, requiring thousands of settings to reduce the risk of a breach. Apps can become more available outside the enterprise and a target for cyber-attackers if these are misconfigured. Employees can have excessive privileges, which increases the threat.
Addressing SaaS Security Challenges
Technology is currently being deployed to support security teams in addressing these issues.
Platforms for SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) work by providing automated, constant monitoring of SaaS apps, reducing potentially dangerous configurations, and better administration of security rules and compliance.
Organizations are also deploying SaaS Management Platforms (SMP) to optimize SaaS operations daily. Employee off boarding and onboarding are improved using SMP platforms, which track application usage and provide some visibility into SaaS licensing. Adequate knowledge regarding SaaS settings, misconfigurations, data flows, and user access is what they lack.
Comprehensive SaaS management
SaaS applications are here to stay, and businesses need solutions to help them get the most out of their SaaS investments. SaaS management, which focuses on both risk in one place and business value, can offer enterprises a unified perspective into their whole SaaS ecosystem, which is the most comprehensive path to success.
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