The prevalence of Shadow IT has grown exponentially over the years, with most organizations being unaware of the security risks of unauthorized cloud applications. Shadow IT is any application or cloud service being used by employees for business purposes, without being approved and managed by the IT department. Without proper management, Shadow IT threatens the security of organizations and their data function.
For organizations to eliminate Shadow IT and achieve a secure SaaS environment in 2023, they must first create SaaS awareness. Furthermore, they must be able to identify all of the unauthorized applications being used, then set policies and prioritize security when deploying new applications and tools.
The key steps to achieve a secure SaaS environment are:
1. Create awareness to understand all cloud apps – Organizations must starts by creating SaaS awareness, with everyone whose job involves using and managing cloud services understanding their security implications. Appropriate IT support should be provided for the employees to make the process easier for them.
2. Educate employees about secure cloud practices– Educating employees on secure cloud practices is essential to ensure proper usage and promotion of secure SaaS environments. This will ensure that any application or service used by the organization is approved and monitored by the IT Department.
3. Adopt monitoring and auditing for visibility and control– Corporations should adopt effective monitoring and auditing of third-party cloud applications and solutions to stay in complete control of any cloud environment used.
4. Invest in Shadow IT detection and alerting solutions – Having a Shadow IT detection and alerting solution in place will help to identify and respond quickly to any unauthorized system applications. This can be done using an automated monitoring system, which allows organizations to detect Shadow IT systems and take the necessary steps to address any issues.
5. Analyze Shadow IT activity and usage – One of the most important methods of securing a SaaS environment is to analyze Shadow IT activity and usage. By monitoring the usage of unauthorized applications and services, organizations can identify and address any potential security issues before they become a problem.
6. Maintain a comprehensive Shadow IT management strategy – Organizations must provide a comprehensive Shadow IT management strategy to ensure the safe use of cloud services. This should include a proactive approach to ensure timely response and security audits.
7. Leverage Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) – Leveraging IaaS, PaaS and SaaS is an effective way to secure a SaaS environment in 2023. IaaS and PaaS will provide secure cloud storage and ensure compliance with regulations, whereas SaaS will ensure that applications and processes run securely.
8. Implement robust cybersecurity measures– Organizations must also implement robust cybersecurity measures such as data encryption and two-factor authentication to ensure secure access and data protection.
By addressing the security risks associated with Shadow IT, organizations can eliminate the risk of malicious software and malware entering their environment, and achieve a secure SaaS environment in 2023. This can be done by creating SaaS awareness, educating employees to use cloud apps securely, adopting monitoring and auditing, adopting Shadow IT detection and alerting solutions, analyzing Shadow IT activity, maintaining a comprehensive Shadow IT management strategy, leveraging IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, and implementing robust security measures. By doing so, organizations can ensure the safety and security of their data and increase the visibility and control of their cloud environment.
This Cyber News was published on thehackernews.com. Publication date: Sat, 28 Jan 2023 10:53:02 +0000