The enterprise environment has taken a sharp turn towards SaaS applications, thrusting business processes and sensitive data into this space at an accelerated rate. Yet, this migration does not come without its pitfalls. Accidental data exposure, overly liberal entitlements leading to data leaks, risky third-party vendor access, and  non-compliance configurations are hurdles that companies need to conquer. That's where SSPM comes in, providing a bird's eye view of SaaS risks and equipping organizations with the necessary controls and compliance management mechanisms to protect their business-critical applications against these burgeoning challenges.

Large amounts of corporate, personal, and sensitive data often find their home in SaaS applications. In many cases, vendors may be deficient in the expertise or resources needed to cultivate robust security policies with their users. The job of developing and applying a diverse range of security policies across various applications and users is no mean feat. SSPM steps in to streamline this process, continuously monitoring the configuration of SaaS applications against established policy profiles aligned with industry standards, such as CIS or NIST. Should any misconfigurations emerge, SSPM swiftly raises the alarm and enables users to remediate problems before they spiral out of control. SSPMs work hand in glove with CASBs (Cloud Access Security Brokers), providing both access control and secure configurations for SaaS applications.

SSPMs provide five key use cases:

1. Remediate SaaS Security Misconfigurations
SSPMs scan and monitor settings across various cloud applications, identify misconfigurations and privilege drift, and ensure proper utilization of native security controls within the SaaS applications, bolstering the overall security posture.

2. Manage User Identities
Identity management is a key feature of SSPMs, ensuring the right access for users. Through robust authentication and authorization protocols, SSPMs prevent unauthorized access and ensure least-privilege access, safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining compliance with privacy regulations.

3. Govern SaaS-to-SaaS Integrations
SSPMs streamline the governance of OAuth apps, API tokens and SaaS-to-SaaS third-party integrations. They detect anomalies, unused and over-privileged integrations and apply security policies consistently across integrated platforms, mitigating risks associated with data breaches.

4. Secure Data
To prevent accidental data exposure, SSPMs govern access to data such as files, sites and code repositories. These tools monitor data sharing settings, and enforce appropriate access controls. This protects sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands and ensures regulatory compliance.

5. Detect Threats
SSPMs enable proactive threat detection by continuously monitoring for anomalies and malicious and risky behavior. They leverage advanced analytics to identify potential threats, alerting administrators in real-time. This early detection and response capability is crucial to preventing or mitigating the impact of cyberattacks.

With the right SSPM partner you can maximize the benefits of SaaS and minimize the risks. To improve SaaS security in your business, join us at Valence Security. We offer a SaaS application security platform that lowers SaaS security risks by delivering automated, decentralized remediation workflows and other security functions.

‍Contact us to learn more about our solutions, or schedule a demo today to see our SSPM platform in action.