12 Mar Harnessing the Democratization of SaaS Security: A Strategic Imperative

How to build a program capable of harnessing this power to deliver security alongside the benefits of SaaS.

– Hananel Livneh, Head of Product Marketing, Adaptive Shield

Tel Aviv, Israel – Mar. 13, 2024

The need for more effective SaaS cybersecurity is becoming evident amid the growing sophistication of attacks on SaaS targets, including by persistent nation-state threat actors.

Enterprises today use hundreds of SaaS apps to improve productivity and efficiency. Acquired and controlled by various business units, SaaS has become an infrastructure to manage corporate operations and data. Access to SaaS platforms doesn’t only jeopardize SaaS data, but also grants the ability to act, such as:

• Liability and Reputation
• Fraud (BEC, etc)
• Identity Theft
• Persistent Access
• Blocking Org’s Ability to Send Emails

Security teams are now finding themselves cut off from SaaS applications, with limited access to manage the jungle of security settings that stand between an organization’s data and cybercriminals. Misconfigurations are the leading cause of data breaches.

To further complicate security, each SaaS app is built differently and has its own unique set of security settings. It is an arduous task for security teams to manage SaaS app security together with app owners using traditional manual methods.

This democratization of SaaS requires a new security paradigm that enables the security team to oversee the corporate SaaS stack and work with app owners to prevent, detect, and respond to threats. This article will explore the fundamentals of SaaS security democratization, and look at the essentials to build a program capable of harnessing this power to deliver security alongside the benefits of SaaS.

Democratization of SaaS security

The democratization of SaaS has led to a democratization of SaaS Security. This conceptual shift makes security a collaborative effort where all stakeholders play a role in protecting digital assets, as opposed to putting all the ownership on the security team.

Democratization demands and empowers individuals in organizations to take charge of their own security. This can involve providing them with the tools and knowledge to assess and mitigate risks, as well as giving them a sense of ownership over their security posture.

Embracing this approach enables organizations to protect data in their SaaS applications by making security more accessible and user-centric. It integrates security solutions into SaaS platforms without disrupting workflows, and allows businesses to mitigate risks, enhance their security posture, and foster trust and confidence in cloud-based SaaS services. 

Supporting democratization of SaaS security

SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) has emerged as the  SaaS security solution for today’s democratized environment. It provides security teams and application admins with full visibility into the SaaS stack, enabling them to assess the security posture of their SaaS applications.

Through SSPM, those charged with securing the  SaaS ecosystem can detect any configuration drift and identify threats coming in from misconfigurations, connected third-party applications, users, and devices. 

Successfully implementing a collaborative SaaS security program ensures that organizations have the tools they need to secure the SaaS stack. However, fully functioning SaaS security programs require commitment from its stakeholders, adjustments in a cybersecurity program, and strategic planning.

Kickstarting a Strong SaaS Security Program

To transition from a traditional security regime to a program that supports the democratic nature of SaaS, enterprises should begin with these steps. 

1. Map out applications and security requirements: Begin by identifying all the applications in your SaaS stack that must be secured and your security requirements. Most organizations understand that every SaaS app contains critical data, although some applications, like Salesforce or Microsoft 365, have more to protect than others. Still, even apps used by smaller teams to conduct specific tasks may contain customer data, account data, or other information and need to be protected.
2. Appoint an owner from the security team who will be responsible for the SaaS security program and identifying stakeholders.
3. Define responsibilities between all the different stakeholders for an application with the help of an RACI chart. For example, the misconfiguration process might have the app owner as the responsible party to make the change, while the security team is accountable. Meanwhile, the CISO and compliance team would be informed of the changes.
4. Select a few applications for a pilot. Secure high-risk, low-touch items first. Choose some of the most critical applications that significantly impact business from different departments, for example, Sales, Marketing, Legal, Finance, and R&D. Define whether you are working horizontally or vertically, for example — by app, by security domain or by severity.
5. Define short-term goals. To get some quick wins and start improving SaaS security posture, look for high-risk failed security checks that impact a small number of employees. During the pilot, note the starting score for each SaaS application. Working with the app owner, set reasonable goals for improvement with timelines in place.

After securing initial pilot apps, continue adding and securing apps to upgrade the posture of the entire SaaS stack. Alongside SaaS security democratization, organizations empowered with the right tools can achieve high-security postures across apps and continue to grow their business safely.

Learn how an SSPM can automate these processes and keep your entire SaaS stack secure. 

Hananel Livneh is Head of Product Marketing at Adaptive Shield. He joined Adaptive Shield from Vdoo, an embedded cybersecurity company, where he was a Senior Product Analyst. Hananel completed an MBA with honors from the OUI, and has a BA from Hebrew University in Economics, Political Science and Philosophy (PPE). Oh, and he loves mountain climbing.

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