Security News > 2022 > September > Companies underestimate number of SaaS applications in their environment

A new research study focused on SaaS usage among enterprises across the USA, UK, and Europe, highlights a striking difference between consumption and security of SaaS applications.

The majority of respondents reported more than half of their applications are now SaaS-based, and 70% of organizations in the UK reported spending more on SaaS applications today than a year ago.

"The biggest concern with SaaS adoption right now is that most organizations are underestimating the number of SaaS applications that exist within their environment," said Dean Sysman, CEO of Axonius.

"SaaS offers numerous benefits, including more flexibility, accessibility, productivity gains, and more - anyone can register for a SaaS app and connect it to work data. But that also presents an enormous risk. IT and security teams already struggle to identify the assets that exist within their organizations. SaaS apps further complicate their ability to gain visibility into data and interconnectivity, manage configurations, and close security gaps, as well as track licensing, usage, and spend."

"These risks are no longer hypothetical, and without full visibility into the SaaS application landscape, organizations will continue to find themselves vulnerable to data loss from shadow SaaS, non-compliance with federal and industry regulators, and financial strain from lack of insight into organizational spend. Businesses can no longer wait to rein in SaaS complexity."

In the UK, 77% of respondents said knowing the amount of sensitive data being held in SaaS applications will most likely influence them to prioritize SaaS security in the future.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/09/02/number-saas-applications/