Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
Improve Visibility Of Your Cloud Assets
How many cloud applications are your users using now? A dozen? Maybe 24? According to the Cloud Security Alliance, almost all IT managers think they are running less than 50 applications when the reality is closer to 500. Shadow IT has been a powerful enabler for end users – but is a nightmare for IT managers. Many users aren’t even aware they are using cloud services. Cloud now goes well beyond copying a file to a personal Dropbox or emailing a half-completed document to finish at home.
Cloud is subtle and ubiquitous as illustrated by the following examples you may be familiar with:
• The marketing intern needs 50,000 customized letters printed. The printing company now has a new ‘print to cloud’ application. A spreadsheet of all your customer data is uploaded into the web application. What happens to it after it’s printed?
• A senior executive is in a business negotiation. He takes notes – both minutes and his personal thoughts on Evernote. When he’s done, the notes automatically sync. Where? To the cloud?
• A business development manager enters all his accounts’ details into his Android phone. The phone is company issued but he also signs in using his personal Gmail account. When he leaves the company, his access to Salesforce is revoked immediately and he hands back the phone. But when he buys a new phone and logs into it, what will Google do? Repopulate his contacts from the cloud?
While most data leaks happen despite well-intended staff activities, employee everyday actions can cause huge headaches for IT managers and result in increased security risks for your organization.
If you haven’t put controls in place to detect and stop unauthorized cloud use, it’s time to take stock. This is where Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) can help. CASB works as a gatekeeper extending your security policies beyond your infrastructure. CASBs enable you to discover how serious the problem is in your organization so you can take appropriate action – before it’s too late.
Want to know more about Cloud Access Security Brokers and how we can help you with that?