SaaS functions comprise a wealth of delicate knowledge and are central to enterprise operations. Regardless of this, far too many organizations depend on half measures and hope their SaaS stack will stay safe. Sadly, this strategy is missing and can depart safety groups blind to menace prevention and detection, in addition to open to regulatory violations, knowledge leaks, and important breaches.
In the event you perceive the significance of SaaS safety, and wish some assist explaining it internally to get your group’s buy-in, this text is only for you — and covers:
- Why SaaS knowledge must be secured
- Actual-world examples of SaaS apps assaults
- The assault floor of SaaS apps
- Different kinds of much less appropriate options together with CASB or guide audit
- ROI of an SSPM
- What to search for in the best SSPM
What Is in Your SaaS Knowledge?
Almost all enterprise operations run by SaaS. So does HR, gross sales, advertising, product growth, authorized, and finance, in reality, SaaS apps are central to almost each enterprise operate, and the info that helps and drives these capabilities are saved in these cloud-based apps.
This contains delicate buyer knowledge, worker data, mental property, funds plans, authorized contracts, P&L statements – the listing is infinite.
It’s true that SaaS apps are constructed securely, nonetheless, the shared duty mannequin that ensures that SaaS distributors embrace the controls wanted to safe an software, leaves their prospects those who’re finally accountable and answerable for hardening their environments and ensuring they’re correctly configured. Functions sometimes have a whole lot of settings, and hundreds of consumer permissions, and when admins and safety groups do not absolutely perceive the implications of settings which can be distinctive to particular functions, it results in dangerous safety gaps.
SaaS Functions ARE Beneath Assault
Headlines have proven that SaaS functions are getting the eye of menace actors. An assault on Snowflake led to 1 firm exposing over 500 million buyer data. A phishing marketing campaign in Azure Cloud compromised the accounts of a number of senior executives. A breach at a significant telecom supplier uncovered information containing delicate data for over 63,000 staff.
Threats are actual, and they’re rising. Cybercriminals are utilizing brute drive and password spray assaults with regularity, accessing functions that might face up to a lot of these assaults with an SSPM to harden entry controls and an Identification Risk Detection & Response (ITDR) functionality to detect these threats.
One breach by menace actors can have important monetary and operational repercussions. Introducing an SSPM prevents many threats from arising on account of hardened configurations, and ensures ongoing operations. When coupled with a SaaS-centric ITDR answer, it gives full 360-degree safety.
You’ll be able to learn extra about every breach on this weblog collection.
What Is the SaaS Assault Floor?
The assault floor contains plenty of areas that menace actors use for unauthorized entry into an organization’s SaaS functions.
Misconfigurations
Misconfigured settings can permit unknown customers to entry functions, exfiltrate knowledge, create new customers, and intervene with enterprise operations.
Identification-First Safety
Weak or compromised credentials can expose SaaS apps to assault. This contains not having MFA turned on, weak password necessities, broad consumer permissions, and permissive visitor settings. This sort of poor entitlement administration, particularly in complicated functions resembling Salesforce and Workday, can result in pointless entry that may be exploited if the account is uncovered.
The identification assault floor extends from human accounts to non-human identities (NHI). NHIs are sometimes granted in depth permissions and are regularly unmonitored. Risk actors who can take management of those identities usually have a full vary of entry throughout the software. NHIs embrace shadow functions, OAuth integrations, service accounts, and API Keys, and extra.
Moreover, there are different assault surfaces inside identification safety:
- Identification’s Units: Excessive-privileged customers with poor hygiene units can expose knowledge by malware on their machine
- Knowledge Safety: Assets which can be shared utilizing public hyperlinks are in peril of leaks. These embrace paperwork, repositories, strategic shows, and different shared information.
GenAI
When menace actors acquire entry into an app with GenAI activated, they will use the device to shortly discover a treasure trove of delicate knowledge regarding firm IP, strategic imaginative and prescient, gross sales knowledge, delicate buyer data, worker knowledge, and extra.
Can SaaS Functions Be Secured with CASBs or Handbook Audits?
The reply isn’t any. Handbook audits are inadequate right here. Modifications occur far too quickly, and there may be an excessive amount of on the road to depend on an audit carried out periodically.
CASBs, as soon as believed to be the best SaaS safety device, are additionally inadequate. They require in depth customization and may’t cowl the completely different assault surfaces of SaaS functions. They create safety blindness by specializing in pathways and ignoring consumer conduct throughout the software itself.
SSPM is the one answer that understands the complexities of configurations and the interrelationship between customers, units, knowledge, permissions, and functions. This depth of protection is strictly what’s wanted to stop delicate data from reaching the fingers.
Within the latest Cloud Safety Alliance Annual SaaS Safety Survey Report: 2025 CISO Plans & Priorities, 80% of respondents reported that SaaS safety was a precedence. Fifty-six p.c elevated their SaaS safety workers, and 70% had both a devoted SaaS safety group or position. These statistics current a significant leap in SaaS safety maturity and CISO priorities.
What Is the Return on Funding (ROI) with an SSPM Answer?
Figuring out ROI in your SaaS software is definitely one thing you may calculate.
Forrester Analysis carried out this kind of ROI report earlier this 12 months. They appeared on the prices, financial savings, and processes of a $10B international media and data service firm, and located that they achieved an ROI of 201%, with a internet current worth of $1.46M and payback for his or her funding in lower than 6 months.
You can even start to calculate the worth of elevated SaaS Safety Posture by figuring out the precise variety of breaches which have taken place and the price of these breaches (to not point out the unquantifiable measurement of reputational harm). Add to that the price of manually monitoring and securing SaaS functions, in addition to the time it takes to find a configuration drift and repair it and not using a answer. Subtract the whole advantages of an SSPM answer, to determine your annual internet advantages from SSPM.
An ROI calculation makes it simpler for these controlling the funds to allocate funds for an SSPM.
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Choosing the Proper SSPM Platform
Whereas all SSPMs are designed to safe SaaS functions, there may be fairly a disparity between the breadth and depth of safety that they provide. Contemplating that just about each SaaS software comprises a point of delicate data, search for an SSPM that:
- covers a broader vary of integrations out-of-the-box and in addition helps customized, homegrown apps. Make sure that it even screens your social media accounts.
- has the flexibility to watch customers and their units
- offers visibility into linked functions
- is ready to detect shadow apps with capabilities to guard GenAI apps because the proliferation of GenAI inside SaaS apps is a significant safety concern.
- contains complete Identification Risk Detection and Response (ITDR) to stop undesirable exercise whereas detecting and responding to threats.
SaaS functions kind the spine of contemporary company IT. When making an attempt to justify SSPM prioritization and funding, make sure you stress the worth of the info it protects, the threats encircling functions, and ROI.