IT leaders are responsible for maintaining security, but due to the explosion of cloud apps in business, they have less and less control over the security risks that they face. This lack of control and visibility with unsanctioned cloud apps creates Shadow IT. Shadow IT is a huge challenge for IT leaders because it isn’t addressed through existing security solutions. Firewalls, Secure Web Gateways, and Web Filters are not designed for today’s cloud access security. So what’s an IT leader to do?
To help businesses monitor and control Shadow IT, Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) interject security controls by brokering access to a cloud service. Having one control point for cloud app security is what businesses want, but there are a variety of ways to broker that security.
Since there is no go-to solution that is appropriate for every business, IT leaders need to prioritize what they need by defining an objective and working backward. With an objective, the features and tactics necessary are easier to identify. Each provider will have strengths and weaknesses with the following features:
For many businesses, going this far might be getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s take a step back:
If you aren’t sure what you need, don’t fret. Finding a solution is pretty tough when you haven’t even defined the problem. Since there are numerous factors to consider, most business’ first objective should be getting a clear picture of the risks. Cloud Access Monitoring is an easy and affordable way to shed a light on Shadow IT without making any major commitments. With Cloud Access Monitoring, businesses can understand their risks, prioritize and take reasonable steps towards addressing each one.
To see how Cloud Access Monitoring can give you a clear picture of your organization’s risks, watch our brief Product Tour video.