As your organization grows, so will your adoption of SaaS applications. In fact, on average, tech companies with more than 100 employees use over 200 SaaS applications!

But while SaaS adoption is a great sign of growth and ingenuity, it also poses some serious security risks, especially in the form of Shadow IT—those hidden applications adopted and integrated without IT’s knowledge.

Without visibility, IT cannot de-risk these applications, much less see the budget impact and usage data.

If this sounds familiar, don’t worry, not all is lost. Instead, your organization may simply need the help of SaaS management and Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions to keep track of this vital information for you!

In this post, we’ll uncover the power of combining SSO with SaaS Management and that dynamic duo will enable your company’s growth while also securing its sensitive data.

Automate SaaS Discovery and Mapping with SaaS Management

Keeping track of all your SaaS applications is a must for securing your organization. Just think about it—each and every app your organization downloads has sensitive data constantly flowing through it (even the apps no one’s using).

But, just having IT create a spreadsheet of your organization’s sanctioned apps won’t solve the problem.

Recently, we found that while most IT teams think they have 30-40 cloud apps in use, the real number is often three to six times that amount, many of which are non-sanctioned.

In another study we recently conducted, we found that 55% of IT leaders reported exceptions made ot their SaaS security protocols. 80% of the time, those exceptions were made due to application adoption outside IT’s purview. The upsetting aspect of that number? It can only account for occurrences of which IT is aware.

So, not only is your organization’s sensitive data most likely sitting in unused and even outright risky applications, but IT most likely isn’t even aware of it!

This is where SaaS management tools come in:

Saas Management tools remove the threat of Shadow IT by automating your tech stack’s mapping process. They immediately grant IT full visibility to all SaaS applications used by your organization, even the ones previously outside of their purview.

What’s more, SaaS Management Tools always keep IT in the know by sending alerts whenever a new application is downloaded, essentially removing human error from the mapping process.

Finally, SaaS Management Tools provide IT with an understanding of how apps are used—or left unused. With that insight, IT can identify which apps are essential and which ones are waste, ultimately eliminating SaaS clutter and reducing the number of channels through which your sensitive data is exposed (while also saving your organization some serious cash along the way).

Secure Your Apps with Single Sign-On (SSO)

Once you’re aware of all your SaaS apps, it’s important to understand which employees have access to them. That’s why you need a Single Sign-On solution (SSO).

Single Sign-On is an authentication service that grants a user simultaneous access to several software services by inputting a single login credential (hence the name). Most SSO services will only require a user to sign in once, meaning the user will not need to re-verify their authentication factors moving forward.

But, while it may appear as though SSO is just a fancy password manager, that’s far from the case. Many SSO solutions add an additional layer of security and control to your organization’s SaaS login process, ensuring that only the right people have access to your tech stack. (Learn more about the benefits of SSO here).

Conclusion

Managing your SaaS applications is impossible without the right tools.

Saas Management solutions like Torii demystify what apps your organization is using (and how), while  Single Sign-On solutions ensure that only the right people have access to them. By implementing this perfect combo, your organization can manage the SaaS explosion without all of its associated risks.

Put your organization’s security back in IT’s hands. Get started by checking out these Best Practices for SaaS Management and how Torii and Okta are partnering to provide the most holistic SaaS management solution on the market.