SaaS Security: The Hidden Risks and How to Mitigate Them
Did you know that 70% of the software used in companies are SaaS applications? With their unmatched ease of use and accessibility, SaaS applications have become essential for modern businesses. However, with this increased flexibility comes greater responsibility. The data driving these applications is often sensitive, and security breaches can severely impact operations and customer trust. Thus, SaaS security is no longer an option but a necessity.
In this blog, we'll discuss this in more detail and explore how LivLyt is emerging as a powerful solution for SaaS security challenges.
The Evolving SaaS Landscape
The SaaS landscape is evolving. According to BetterCloud, organizations leverage an average of 130 applications today, making it difficult to maintain visibility and control.
Decentralized IT, where employees use unsanctioned apps ("shadow IT"), further complicates matters. Unmanaged or poorly secured SaaS applications create backdoors for breaches.
Hence, understanding SaaS security challenges is pertinent to navigating the SaaS security landscape with confidence.
Common SaaS Security Challenges
Learn about these critical SaaS security challenges to effectively safeguard your data and ensure uninterrupted business operations.
1. Data Protection and Privacy
Securing data is a major concern when using SaaS applications, as the vendor holds the responsibility for data storage and security measures. Understanding the vendor's data protection methods, such as encryption and access controls, is essential.
You also must understand the data governance policies laid out by SaaS vendors, including data management, usage, and security. Furthermore, compliance with industry regulations like GDPR and HIPAA is crucial for data privacy. Understanding these policies and regulations will help ensure that your SaaS provider meets your organization's security needs.
2. Access Management and User Provisioning
Each SaaS platform has its own login system and access controls, making it difficult for organizations to maintain a centralized view of user permissions. This complexity can lead to improper access control, where users have unnecessary privileges or maintain access after they no longer require it. These vulnerabilities open the door to security risks like unauthorized access, data breaches, and insider threats.
SaaS management platforms like LivLyt can help by offering a unified view of user access across all applications, streamlining provisioning and de-provisioning, and ultimately strengthening your organization's SaaS security.
3. Visibility and Control
Maintaining SaaS visibility and control is another security challenge, particularly in environments where IT lacks oversight over all subscriptions. This gives rise to Shadow IT, where employees utilize cloud services without IT approval.
Since IT is unaware of these unsanctioned apps, they can't track usage, identify potential security risks, or enforce company policies. This lack of visibility creates security blind spots that attackers can exploit.
To mitigate these risks, organizations need a comprehensive view of all SaaS applications and their usage. This will enable them to monitor usage patterns and the security status of each application. It is where SaaS management platforms like LivLyt can help!
Strategies for Effective SaaS Security Management
Looking to minimize SaaS security risks? Consider these strategies:
1. Develop a Comprehensive SaaS Management Policy
A strong foundation for SaaS security starts with a well-defined policy. This policy should clearly outline expected behaviors and responsibilities for everyone using SaaS within the organization. Key elements to include are:
By setting these expectations, you can proactively mitigate risks and ensure everyone is on the same page regarding SaaS security.
2.Implement Strong Access Controls and Authentication
Strict access control is important for securing your SaaS environment. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security beyond passwords. Role-based access control ensures users only have access to the data and features they need for their job. Single sign-on (SSO) simplifies login while reducing password fatigue.
To further strengthen security, user provisioning (granting access) and de-provisioning (revoking access) should be streamlined to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to your SaaS applications.
3. Monitor and Audit SaaS Usage and Security Posture
Constant monitoring of your SaaS security is essential to uncover potential security threats and ensure compliance. Key metrics to track include user activity, data access attempts, and configuration changes.
This ongoing evaluation enables you to identify suspicious behavior and tighten access controls before vulnerabilities become a cause for concern. Proactively monitoring your SaaS landscape helps maintain a strong security posture.
4. Leverage Automated SaaS Security Tools
With hundreds of applications and configurations to manage, handling SaaS security manually can be a daunting task. This is where automated SaaS security tools come into play.
Solutions such as Livlyt offer centralized visibility, delivering a comprehensive view of your SaaS environment. These tools also simplify access control and continuously monitor compliance, freeing up your team's time and mitigating the risk of human error. With automation, you can efficiently manage your SaaS security with minimal effort.
Keeping Your SaaS Secure with Livlyt
Livlyt empowers your business to manage its SaaS applications while prioritizing security. The platform offers real-time visibility into all your SaaS applications, giving you a centralized view of what tools are being used and by whom. This eliminates "shadow IT," those unauthorized apps that can create security risks.
Additionally, LivLyt automates access control, ensuring that employees only have access to the applications they need for their roles. This minimizes the risk of data leakage and simplifies the offboarding process, automatically removing access when an employee leaves the company.
As a result, 70% of organizations using Livlyt have seen significant improvements in their SaaS security, including reductions in unauthorized access and data breaches. Take control of your SaaS security with Livlyt.
Conclusion
The ever-evolving SaaS landscape demands constant vigilance. As the volume and sophistication of threats increase, you need to have a more proactive and holistic approach in place to safeguard your organization's data and applications. Livlyt's powerful SaaS management platform automates essential tasks, simplifying security management and allowing IT professionals to focus on strategic initiatives.
So what are you waiting for? Take control of your SaaS security today.
Want to learn more about how Livlyt empowers organizations to navigate the complexities of SaaS security and achieve peace of mind??