As many companies have vastly increased their usage of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps over the past few years, so has their risk and exposure to cybersecurity and information security vulnerabilities. Users typically grant access and permissions without a second thought, and then completely forget about it, never revoking access. This leaves all sorts of potential risks open, which continue to grow over time. Eventually, the risk expands enough so that Security Teams soon find themselves becoming overwhelmed and “playing” Whac-A-Mole – closing one SaaS app vulnerability just in time for the next one to appear. These team’s’ responsibilities have sprawled exponentially, and they’re often understaffed and overwhelmed. But that’s where using an automated SaaS cybersecurity platform comes in, preventing mayhem and relieving much of the burden.
…each new SaaS app onboarded carries with it a possible cybersecurity risk for the organization…
5 Reasons to Automate your SaaS Cybersecurity
1. Enjoy the Benefits of SaaS
More employees and teams are adopting SaaS apps, often leading to the SaaS sprawl. This impacts companies’ ability to have true visibility of which apps are being used – and who is using them. Often, apps are onboarded but not added in real-time to the organization’s database of SaaS apps in use. And manual tracking using a spreadsheet (or similar) just doesn’t cut it.
With discovery and automation, cybersecurity issues that surface around scale and growth are addressed quickly. Adding a new SaaS app is no longer an issue, as security and visibility are taken care of.
2. No more overlooking vulnerabilities
Without a comprehensive system, security teams risk missing key information about whether or not an application has been breached or is out of compliance. This lack of awareness of problems or vulnerabilities within the apps is extremely risky. When a problem is uncovered it might be weeks too late if there is no process or automation in place. However, with automation, security issues are automatically detected and remediated , so you can know that you’re not missing anything.
“Without a comprehensive system, security teams risk missing key information about whether or not an application has been breached or is out of compliance.”
3. Scale with ease
Automation of SaaS security enables your company to keep using SaaS with ease and confidence. Here’s why:
Automatic remediation makes it possible to secure all online SaaS activities, while it lets security teams go about their workday without being hindered by the security solution. It runs in the background, notifying end users when they need to act. Having an end-to-end SaaS security solution will save a company both time and money in the long run.
4. Remediate BEFORE a breach occurs
Cybersecurity is under a lens now in almost all organizations. Kasey Panetta from Gartner predicts that by 2025, 40% of Boards of Directors will have a dedicated cybersecurity committee overseen by a qualified board member. And a Gartner survey found that 88% of Boards of Directors View Cybersecurity as a Business Risk. Security leaders do not want to have to explain to their board why there’s been a breach. With automation, vulnerabilities are identified in advance and mitigated so that IT leaders can be on top of emerging threats and risks, and address them before they lead to a devastating security breach.
“CISOs and security leaders do not want to have to explain to their board why there’s been a breach.”
5. Engaging employees into the SaaS security cycle.
Not all SaaS connections should always be closed. Sometimes users prefer keeping a SaaS connection open, as they are still working on it. This is where user-engagement comes in real handy. Security Teams can choose to begin the process of revoking a SaaS apps’ permission or token, but can loop in the end-user (the employee) to either reject the request or keep it open a bit longer while it’s still needed. They can choose the amount of control the users should receive.
With automation in place, Security teams can define their preferences for dealing with the various SaaS related security actions and let the platform engage with the end users based on those preferences, automatically.
Take SaaS app security to new heights with automated remediation
Max Yarchevsky, CEO and Founder at Boxmode stated, “Software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers have freed users from software and hardware management while taking care of the system’s security. But can we rest assured of a vendor’s approach to cybersecurity?”
That’s why customizable automation for SaaS cybersecurity is key – security solutions must offer remediation. However, remediation without automation is just adding to the already overworked security team. Tasks will be added to the very long to-do list and the vulnerabilities would remain open.
Ensure your SaaS security is strong, always-on and consistent, with minimal interference to the users’ workflow and productivity, with automated SaaS remediation.
