{"id":125946,"date":"2023-02-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/?p=125946"},"modified":"2023-11-15T10:37:05","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T18:37:05","slug":"microsoft-shifts-to-a-comprehensive-saas-security-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/2023\/02\/15\/microsoft-shifts-to-a-comprehensive-saas-security-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft shifts to a comprehensive SaaS security solution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Software as a service (SaaS) apps are ubiquitous, hybrid work is the new normal, and protecting them and the important data they store is a big challenge for organizations. Today, 59 percent of security professionals find the SaaS sprawl challenging to manage1<\/sup> and have identified cloud misconfigurations as the top risk in their environment.2<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To combat these attacks effectively, security teams need a new approach that protects their data within cloud apps beyond the traditional scope of cloud access security brokers (CASBs). That\u2019s why Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps<\/a> is now delivering full protection of SaaS applications. This includes new investments in SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM), advanced threat protection as part of Microsoft\u2019s extended detection and response (XDR) solution, and app-to-app protection\u2014while continuing to build upon other powerful CASB capabilities<\/a> like Shadow IT discovery and information protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we are excited to announce that Defender for Cloud Apps is extending its SSPM capabilities to some of the most critical apps organizations use today, including Microsoft 365, Salesforce,3<\/sup> ServiceNow,4<\/sup> Okta,5<\/sup> GitHub, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A holistic SaaS security approach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Historically, CASBs have been the main tool to address SaaS security needs with Shadow IT discovery, visibility into cloud app usage, and protection against app-based threats as the main use cases. However, the uptick in app usage combined with employees accessing company resources outside of the corporate perimeter has introduced new attack vectors. That\u2019s why Defender for Cloud Apps now delivers capabilities to address these new attack vectors across prevention and protection for a more holistic approach throughout the app usage lifecycle. The addition of SSPM enables security teams to improve the organization\u2019s security posture; app-to-app protection addresses a new threat scenario where apps exchange data directly; and the integration into the Microsoft 365 Defender<\/a> XDR solution enables powerful correlation of signal and visibility across the full kill chain of advanced attacks. These new sets of capabilities, combined with the traditional CASB scenarios, make up the Microsoft approach to holistic SaaS security and will help organizations effectively protect against app-based threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Microsoft\u2019s<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a recent research paper, Omdia applauds Microsoft\u2019s vision of a broader security offering for SaaS and suspects that other vendors will need to emulate its offering<\/a>, analyst firm Omdia recognized this new approach, confirming the need for a holistic strategy to protect cloud apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SaaS Security Posture Management is critical to prevention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prevention and optimizing their organization\u2019s security posture has become a critical focus area for security teams to limit the number of breaches. A key challenge in securing SaaS apps, however, is that security teams need to research configuration best practices for each app individually, which creates significant overhead. To streamline this process, Defender for Cloud Apps launched SSPM<\/a> in June 2022 to surface misconfigurations and provide recommendations to strengthen an app\u2019s posture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In preview starting today, Defender for Cloud Apps now provides security posture management for Microsoft 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Okta, GitHub, and more. Not only are we expanding the breadth of app coverage but also the depth of assessments and capabilities for each application. <\/strong>Here is what to expect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n