An In-Depth Guide to Securing SaaS in 2023 

SaaS Explained 

Software as a Service (SaaS) is under the umbrella of cloud computing. It provides application access to users over the cloud or the Internet. Instead of buying software and hardware to use it, users pay for service. SaaS offers a subscription-based model. Users who subscribe to the SaaS architecture pay monthly or annual fees.

Microsoft 360, Zoom, Skype, and Canva are some examples of SaaS. If you are a subscriber to at least one of them, you may be familiar with the working principles of these applications. You can access them via your Internet browser. You can benefit from different services by paying a sum of money. As you utilize them, you use software without the need for any software purchase at high prices. 

See also: Tools/Resources 

In this article, we will discuss safety tools for securing SaaS. You can enlarge your research by visiting this site or take some ideas from Wikipedia about SaaS’s role in cloud computing. 

SaaS in Business

SaaS is usually utilized by businesses. Managers, employees, and clients can access company applications, networks, and data resources via SaaS. In the SaaS distribution model, applications become always accessible to end users. 

The need for access to data resources, applications, and networks is indisputable. For many organizations today, SaaS is of vital importance. Companies can pursue their daily operations with ease thanks to SaaS.This is because cloud computing is a part of business life. Organizations often set their business infrastructures as depending on cloud-based environments. Because cloud-based systems are affordable and convenient compared to physical systems. Another reason for migration to the cloud environments is remote work models. Since many companies switch their work models to remote or hybrid models, the need for remote access has accelerated. This requirement compels organizations to adopt cloud computing. 

Securing SaaS in 2023 

Security risks and threats are not new. Furthermore, they will be always with us as long as we continue to use information technologies. The need for security tools and safety precautions also exist in our lives for years. As a part of cloud computing, SaaS also requires security precautions. 

First of all, we need to inform our readers about the security vulnerabilities of cloud systems. Although cyber threats exist in legacy models, cloud systems are more likely to be a victim of cyber risks.

The prominent cloud-related risk for companies is data breaches. Data is the new treasure of today’s world. Currently, it is the most attractive thing for cybercriminals. This fact raises a question in companies’ minds. What should we do to protect our data resources? The answer is simple and also complex. It is simply because we can immediately say that companies must adopt security tools and set safety architectures in their organizations. However, when it comes to applying all cybersecurity principles, it is not an easy job. Total security in the cloud system requires the joint participation of the organization’s members and the structures. Employees should keep their actions on the line and companies should benefit from the latest technologies in the cybersecurity world. 

How to Secure SaaS? 

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Uncontrolled or unauthorized access to the company’s data resources poses a great security risk. The very first step of SaaS security should be access management. In this regard, Identity and Access Management is a pleasant security solution. 

IAM proposes a proper level of access to the data resources. Companies should limit user access to the resources by considering their job descriptions. For instance, an employee from your sales department does not need access to the finance data. To avoid over-access to the specific resource you can hinder your sales team from finance data access. 

Identity and access management require authentication methods. As a manager, you must be sure that only authorized users can access the specific resources of your company. Biometrics such as 2FA (two-factor authentication), MFA (multi-factor authentication), or biometrics such as fingerprints are used in IAM solutions. As long as you monitor and control access behaviours, you can diminish threats to your resources. Remember that more access means more threats. Any irrelevant access to your data enlarges your attack’s surface. 

Zero Trust Security Solutions 

As the name suggests, Zero Trust refers to guaranteed and authenticated access to the resources without any privileges to any user. 

Zero Trust solutions are popular with cloud environments and in SaaS too. Zero Trust prompts the idea that you should always verify the identity of users who wants to access company resources. Unauthorized and risky access to your vulnerable data can be avoided by verifying identities. 

As distinct from other security solutions, Zero Trust is not a one-time product or software that you take and start to use. Zero Trust is a security architecture that consists of many security tools, principles, and applications. 

Zero Trust has been utilizing SaaS to mitigate security risks and become compliant. Compliance refers to being compliant with security regulations that companies have to obey. As an example, you can check out the news about US data protection laws here.

Secure Web Gateway (SWG) Solution

A Secure Web Gateway solution is another tool for SaaS security. In this solution, the main idea is controlling web content. Malicious web traffic threatens businesses. Any unsafe access to harmful websites increases the risk of attacks or data breaches. The solution is to avoid employees from accessing these websites. Here, is where SWG shows up. By benefitting from Secure Web Gateway offerings, you can prevent your employees from putting your data on the line. SWG is vital, especially for the remote workforce. Because they are more intimate with cloud applications and SaaS and this increases the risk of data leakage. 

Conclusion

SaaS is indispensable for businesses today. As the popularity of SaaS has been growing, the concern about SaaS security grows too. Protecting applications, networks, and vulnerable data from breaches and attacks is vital. As a business owner, you must utilize at least one of the SaaS security solutions to pursue your business at your best.