Introduction
The explosion of cloud-based applications, or SaaS (Software-as-a-Service), has transformed the way businesses operate. From marketing automation to project management, these tools offer incredible functionality and flexibility. However, with this increased reliance on SaaS comes a new set of security challenges. Unlike traditional on-premise software, organizations don’t have complete control over the security posture of the SaaS applications they use.
This is where SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) tools become crucial. They offer comprehensive visibility into all the SaaS applications an organization uses, even those outside of IT’s purview (shadow IT). SSPM tools continuously monitor these applications for suspicious activity, misconfigurations that could expose sensitive data, and potential security threats within the SaaS platform itself. By proactively managing SaaS security posture, SSPM tools empower organizations to prevent data breaches, operational disruptions, and other security incidents before they happen.
Top 8 SSPM Software for 2024
As we head into the second half of 2024, it’s important to recognize the top SSPM software that are making significant steps in enhancing cloud application security. These tools maintain security standards and at the same time, actively improve how organizations protect and manage their SaaS environments. Here, we highlight some of the standout 8 SSPM solutions in the market:
Reco
An identity-centric SaaS security solution, Reco provides organizations with full visibility into every app, identity and their actions. It continuously assesses SaaS applications against established security best practices, keeping them aligned and secure. This constant monitoring helps prepare your organization for IT audits without relying on manual processes, which are often time-consuming and costly. Reco ensures ongoing compliance by matching security settings against leading compliance standards such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HITRUST, and more.
One of Reco’s exceptional features is the ability to monitor for configuration drifts. The platform automates the management of misconfigurations, alerting you when adjustments are needed to maintain robust security. Its user-friendly dashboard simplifies the complex task of monitoring security configurations, offering clear guidance and actionable steps for addressing any issues. This not only strengthens the security posture but also streamlines the management process, saving time and reducing operational costs.
Adaptive Shield
Adaptive Shield offers an SSPM solution focused on securing the entire SaaS stack. Through risk management, threat prevention, detection, and response, Adaptive Shield’s platform provides a suite of capabilities. This includes continuous monitoring for misconfigurations and security risks, compliance mapping, and identity security posture management. Additionally, it offers Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) and SaaS-to-SaaS access and discovery, along with device-to-SaaS risk management.
With Adaptive Shield’s comprehensive security coverage, customers benefit from enhanced visibility, security control, and application integration. The platform enables easy management of both sanctioned and unsanctioned applications connected to the core SaaS stack. This minimizes the risk of SaaS-to-SaaS or third-party application access. Furthermore, it empowers security teams to measure access levels to sensitive data across the organization’s SaaS stack.
AppOmni
With its agentless architecture, AppOmni ensures continuous monitoring, surfacing data exposures, and detecting threats promptly. The platform helps manage identities, privileges, and configuration drift, providing essential insights and remediation guidelines to prevent data breaches. Its insights prioritize security issues, correlating configurations, SaaS events, behavior, and policy violations.
AppOmni’s Identity Fabric ensures consistent identity security governance, analyzing privileges and enabling role-based access control based on least privilege and Zero Trust principles. Additionally, its SaaS-to-SaaS management feature secures connected applications, mapping third and fourth-party apps and identifying unauthorized connections.
Netskope
Netskope ensures continuous monitoring of SaaS application settings against various security policies and industry benchmarks. Its integration with CASB technology enhances its capabilities even further, providing graph-based detections and visualizations to discover hidden risks and security gaps. Organizations receive timely alerts and remediation instructions when risky configurations or policy drift are detected, enabling proactive risk mitigation and compliance adherence.
Netskope monitors third-party app connections, automatically assigning risk scores to them for better risk management and control. With features like predefined detection rules and low-code and no-code query language, it offers comprehensive coverage and seamless integration with Netskope Intelligent SSE. This way, it ensures robust security and compliance management for organizations.
Zscaler
Zscaler focuses on providing secure access to SaaS applications through a comprehensive security approach. The platform ensures that only authorized users can access critical cloud services, safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized breaches. Zscaler’s security measures are designed to work seamlessly across multiple environments, enhancing protection without complicating the user experience.
By employing advanced encryption and authentication technologies, Zscaler maintains a secure connection between users and cloud applications, preventing potential cyber threats. The platform also continuously monitors and adjusts security settings to respond to emerging risks, ensuring robust protection at all times. This proactive security management helps organizations maintain continuous access to their cloud applications while keeping their data safe.
Obsidian Security
Obsidian Security provides advanced tools to secure SaaS applications and protect sensitive data. It focuses on fine-tuning SaaS settings and managing user privileges to reduce risks and comply with regulatory standards. Obsidian strengthens SaaS configurations to prevent unauthorized changes and ensures continuous compliance to protect customer trust. The platform excels in detecting and mitigating sophisticated threats such as account takeovers, insider threats, and third-party integration abuses.
By employing Obsidian Security, organizations can prevent attackers from exploiting SaaS environments through advanced techniques like SIM swapping or session token misuse. Additionally, its real-time monitoring capabilities help identify and mitigate integration risks, keeping business-critical applications secure. With Obsidian, security teams can customize threat detection using Obsidian Query Language (OQL), enhancing their ability to respond to security incidents quickly and effectively.
Lumos
Lumos revolutionizes SaaS security by integrating access management tools that help organizations control application use, manage access, and oversee vendor interactions from one platform. The solution is designed to reduce software costs by automating access reviews, managing licenses, and protecting administrative accounts efficiently. Lumos provides deep usage and license analytics through more than 80 connectors and an API, creating a real-time overview of license, permission, and usage data.
This enables businesses to automatically remove unused licenses and minimize software expenses by ensuring access is granted only as needed. Ultimately, Lumos streamlines IT operations by automating helpdesk tasks and speeding up access reviews with audit-friendly features. This innovative approach enhances operational efficiency while at the same time strengthening security by enforcing least-privilege access and reducing insider threats.
BetterCloud
BetterCloud specializes in managing SaaS operations, with a strong focus on enhancing security posture management. The platform is engineered to help businesses gain control over their SaaS environments by streamlining operations and strengthening security protocols. It offers tools for automated policy enforcement, real-time threat detection, and management of user interactions across various SaaS applications.
This allows companies to enforce security policies consistently, detect anomalies, and respond to incidents swiftly, ensuring a secure SaaS ecosystem. With BetterCloud, organizations benefit from improved visibility into their SaaS applications, making it easier to manage access, configurations, and compliance. The platform’s dedication to comprehensive SaaS management helps businesses maintain a robust security stance while optimizing operational efficiency.
Conclusion
As cloud computing continues to grow, SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) tools have become a necessity for keeping SaaS applications secure and compliant. Every SSPM tool we’ve discussed, from Reco to BetterCloud, brings unique strengths to address different security needs. These tools are vital for businesses that rely on cloud applications, offering ways to monitor, protect, and enhance security configurations consistently. Choosing the right SSPM solution can significantly strengthen an organization’s ability to handle emerging security challenges, and maintain a robust defense in a digital-first world.