There's a big misunderstanding when it comes to the security settings of software-as-a-service apps. SaaS apps come with a robust set of native security features — but making sure each is properly configured falls to the organization's security teams, creating a day-to-day burden that is impossible to handle if done manually.

The top pain points for SaaS security stem from:

Gartner created the SaaS security posture management (SSPM) category to refer to solutions that solve these pains by continuously assessing security risks and helping security teams to gain visibility and control over their SaaS applications' security posture. An SSPM solution automates the identification and remediation of SaaS misconfigurations regardless of how vast and complex a business's SaaS environment has become. Better still, this can be accomplished without siphoning the security team's efforts from other critical areas of the business.

For those beginning the search for the right SSPM solution, here's a list of functionalities that are essential (excerpted from the complete guide):

Breadth of integrations: Make sure the SSPM offering you're considering can integrate with all or most of the applications you're already using and those you plan to purchase down the road. As a rule of thumb, I recommend starting with systems that can accommodate at least 60 integrations right out of the box and can run checks on all data types so teams can identify and mitigate misconfigurations immediately.

Depth of coverage for security domains: After integration, the next question is this: How many security domain checks can it assess? Remember, your security team doesn't have time or familiarity with all the SaaS apps and cannot follow up on thousands to tens of thousands of configurations and user permissions on a day-to-day basis. Some of the most prevalent security domains that an SSPM should check are:

Continuous monitoring: It's vital that issues are alerted on the spot and they can be remediated quickly.

Quick and easy remediation: To combat threats, fast remediation of any misconfiguration is critical and there are a few outstanding capabilities to support this.

Final Thoughts
We are moving into an era of prevention as opposed to detection and response. This is what SaaS security posture management is all about. It's a relatively new category; however, it's a foundational requirement needed to create a preventative state of protection for the SaaS stack. The right SSPM provides organizations continuous, automated surveillance of all SaaS apps, alongside a built-in knowledge base to ensure the highest SaaS security hygiene.

About the Author

A former cybersecurity intelligence officer in the IDF, Maor Bin has over 16 years in cybersecurity leadership. In his career, he led SaaS Threat Detection Research at Proofpoint and won the operational excellence award during his IDI service. Maor got his BSc in Computer Science and is CEO and co-founder of Adaptive Shield, the SaaS Security Posture Management solution built to help security teams gain control over their SaaS app security and prevent vulnerabilities that could lead to a leak or breach.