What is SaaS Application Discovery?

SaaS Application Discovery is the process of identifying, tracking, and managing all cloud-based software applications used within an organization. It provides visibility into both approved and unapproved SaaS tools, helping businesses address security, compliance, and financial concerns.

With the growing adoption of SaaS applications, employees often introduce new tools without IT approval, leading to shadow IT—a major cybersecurity and compliance risk. SaaS discovery solutions help organizations monitor these applications, ensuring proper governance and security.

Why is SaaS Application Discovery Important?

Modern organizations rely on SaaS applications for productivity, but without proper oversight, they can introduce security risks, compliance challenges, and unnecessary costs. Effective discovery and management of SaaS applications provide several key benefits:

• Prevents Shadow IT Risks – Detects unauthorized SaaS usage, reducing the risk of data breaches, compliance violations, and security gaps. Without visibility, employees may unknowingly introduce high-risk applications that expose sensitive company data.

• Optimizes SaaS Costs – Identifies redundant, underutilized, or abandoned SaaS subscriptions, helping businesses cut unnecessary expenses and optimize IT budgets. Organizations can also negotiate better contracts based on actual usage data.

• Improves IT Governance – Provides IT teams with better control over SaaS adoption, ensuring access permissions are properly managed and only approved applications are used. This reduces risks associated with unauthorized data access and integration failures.

• Strengthens Data Protection – Monitors data transfers within and between SaaS applications, preventing leaks, credential theft, and insider threats. It ensures that sensitive data is stored and shared securely, reducing the chances of accidental exposure.

How to Implement SaaS Application Discovery

Organizations can adopt a structured approach to SaaS discovery using these best practices:

1. Leverage Identity Provider & Authentication Logs – Many SaaS applications are discovered through logs from Single Sign-On (SSO) providers like Google or Microsoft, which track where users authenticate. Additionally, cloud security platforms can analyze these logs, along with network activity and financial records, to automatically detect SaaS applications in use.

2. Monitor Network Traffic & Logs – Analyze firewall, DNS, and proxy logs to identify previously unknown SaaS usage, providing better visibility into employee-adopted applications.

3. Enforce Security Policies – Establish strict governance frameworks that require IT approval for all SaaS applications and enforce access controls to mitigate risks.

4. Conduct Regular SaaS Audits – Perform periodic assessments to detect new or unauthorized SaaS applications, ensuring a continuously updated and secure inventory.

5. Educate Employees on SaaS Security – Train staff on the importance of security policies, shadow IT risks, and responsible SaaS usage to reduce the likelihood of unmanaged app adoption.

ShiftControl Makes SaaS App Discovery Easier

ShiftControl provides automated SaaS discovery and security management, helping organizations gain visibility and control over their SaaS ecosystem. With our App Discovery feature, businesses can:

• Gain Complete SaaS Visibility – Automatically detect and track all SaaS applications in use, whether approved or not.

• Reduce Security & Compliance Risks – Identify unauthorized apps and enforce security policies to mitigate potential threats.

• Optimize SaaS Costs & Usage – Track spending, eliminate redundant subscriptions, and ensure efficient license utilization.

• Enhance Access Management – Integrate with IAM tools to streamline permissions and enforce governance policies.

By leveraging ShiftControl, businesses can proactively secure their SaaS environments, prevent shadow IT, and maintain regulatory compliance. Learn more about our App Discovery feature here: Introducing App Discovery.