You might have heard of Cloud Security Posture Management. A CSPM is a package that checks on the settings of a SaaS package to ensure that the system is hardened against security attacks. CSPM looks at all cloud assets, which might be a hosting package or a storage account; SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) focuses just on SaaS packages.
Two types of businesses are concerned with SaaS security: the companies that produce those systems and the companies that use them. SaaS packages are great for businesses that don’t operate in the technical realm. Those non-tech enterprises don’t have to pay for the overhead of technical experts who don’t drive the money-making core of the business. However, that convenience comes with a great loss of control.
Here is our list of the best SaaS Security Posture Management tools:
- Valence Security EDITOR’S CHOICE This SaaS security package is delivered from the cloud and examines issues such as dormant user accounts, long-running but forgotten permissions granted to external organizations, and direct connections to external software, which creates third-party risk.
- Wing Security This tool starts with the surprising fact that many organizations don’t know what SaaS systems their users are accessing and it implements a discovery service as part of its onboarding process.
- Adaptive Shield This large platform provides a range of SaaS security measures that include asset discovery and SSPM.
- Obsidian Security This platform combines the preventative services of its SSPM with live security monitoring for threat detection.
- AppOmni A platform of SaaS security services that includes protection systems for the consumers of SaaS packages and others for the vendors of SaaS applications.
- Tailscale Secure SaaS Integrates your SaaS packages into your ZTA environment and also assesses the security of those applications.
We will cover each of these packages later in this review.
SSPM is designed for those companies that use SaaS systems. They deal with situations where you don’t have the power to go behind the scenes and fix software problems. With a SaaS package, all you can do is make the most of the options that the settings of your account allow you to influence.
Given that SSPM systems are intended to assist companies that choose black-box packages of services, you should expect that these tools are easy to use without deep technical skills.
The field of SSPM is new and the majority of these tools are presented by small startups, often with only one product. The big providers in cybersecurity are on the back foot in the field of SSPM and there are a lot of buyouts going on right now while those larger corporations shortcut their way into the market. So, many of the tools on this list might change their brand shortly.
Two excellent products in the field are Atmosec and Canonic Security. Both of these systems are currently in the process of being bought out by larger, well-established cybersecurity enterprises. This shows how dynamic the industry is at the moment. Atmosec will become part of Check Point and Zscaler has acquired Canonic Security but has yet to integrate the service into its brand.
Before examining this industry further, let’s take a look at the products that we are going to be focusing on later in the review.
The Best SaaS Security Posture Management Tools
The field of SaaS Security Posture Management is new, and many pre-existing tools could be counted as SSPM packages. For example, CSPM tools include SaaS configuration scanning, so they could easily be packaged as SSPM+ systems. However, we are focusing on services to secure SaaS tools in this review, so we need to define some parameters for the selection of recommended tools.
Our methodology for selecting SSPM systems
We reviewed the market for SaaS Security Posture Management tools and analyzed candidates based on the following criteria:
- A tool that focuses on the security of SaaS packages rather than cloud systems in general
- Examination of the configurations of a SaaS package
- User account auditing to identify abandoned accounts
- Assessment of direct access by third-party tools through integration mechanisms
- Analysis of access events to deduce the necessary settings for the platform
- A free trial or a demo to enable the service to be assessed before paying
- Value for money from a package that is appropriately priced for the extent of the services that it offers
With these selection criteria in mind, we scanned the market for SSPM tools and identified packages that we are confident will emerge as the leaders in the field.
1. Valence Security
Valence Security is a SaaS risk management platform. The core of a risk assessment is a scan of the configuration of the SaaS accounts. So, this is an SSPM system – the tool doesn’t assess any other type of cloud service. The platform is divided into four modules: SaaS Configuration Management, SaaS Identity Management, SaaS Data Protection, and SaaS Integration Governance.
Key Features:
- Configuration management: Provides a template of settings to implement
- Identity management: Identifies abandoned accounts and applies strong password policies
- Privileged access controls: Restricts the number of elevated privilege accounts
- Data protection: Closes access routes to data, reducing to a few controllable avenues
- Integration management: Discovers, analyzes, and shuts down connections to external applications
Why do we recommend it?
Valence Security is a comprehensive package of SaaS platform protection measures. This tool is designed for use by businesses that subscribe to SaaS systems, not those that create and manage them, so it matches the SSPM definition requirements exactly. Check on connections to third-party platforms and close off those that aren’t necessary with this system.
Your employees might have invited outsiders to share files, and your technicians might have set up connections with external applications. In these cases, there is no central record of all the outsiders that can get into all or part of your data stores. The Valence Security scans through your cloud drive accounts and discovers how many of these external paths have been created. It documents them in an inventory and allows an administrator to close down those that are reported to have had no recent activity.
Who is it recommended for?
Valence Security doesn’t publish a price list, so it is impossible to judge whether its services would come within the budgets of small businesses. The package is necessary for companies that use SaaS products, particularly Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. As well as a hosted SaaS package, you can get Valence Security as a service on Azure Marketplace.
Pros:
- Imposes centralized controls: Reigns in departmental use of SaaS tools without the IT department’s knowledge
- Tightens data controls: Reduce external access channels to your data and prepare for sensitive data management
- Enforces best practices: Provides automated workflows
- Reveals unknown weaknesses: Documents all configurations of all the enterprise’s cloud accounts so they can’t be overlooked
- Policy templates: Supports the creation of enterprise-wide security policies
Cons:
- Available on Azure: It isn’t available on AWS or GCP
Valence Security doesn’t publish a price list for its SSPM. You can start your investigation into the platform by requesting a demo.
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Valence Security is our top pick for a SaaS Security Posture Management tool because it covers all aspects of working with a SaaS platform and examines how each element can be tightened to improve security. Many companies do not maintain a central register of SaaS platform usage, so Valence Security starts by assembling an inventory. It then examines access rights, external shares, integrations, and account configurations, explaining methods to close security loopholes. The system includes a library of security policy templates. Setting up of these enables a consistent security approach to be applied across platforms.
OS: Cloud based
2. Wing Security
Wing Security discovers all the SaaS applications that your company uses and creates an inventory of them. It then examines how these systems are set up and how they link to other systems through integrations. The service continues to scan for new applications, which can uncover unauthorized subscriptions.
Key Features:
- File sharing analysis: Block the sharing of sensitive data
- Data access tracking: Get alerts for all file access events and file movements
- User behavior analytics: Identifies insider threats and account takeovers
- Configurations library: Maintains templates of ideal application settings
Why do we recommend it?
Wing Security provides a central access control assessment system that can disconnect a user from all SaaS platforms in the case of suspicious activity or when an employee leaves. The system scans for abandoned accounts and highlights them for deletion. Activity data can also be used to calculate the usage and return on investment for each SaaS package.
The package can analyze third-party risk, which is a growing threat to businesses – if a hacker discovers a weakness in a platform or service provider, many client systems could be compromised. The Wing Security service provides assessments for each subscription service. These are part of the SOC2 and ISO 27001 compliance features in the platform.
Who is it recommended for?
This system is suitable for mid-sized and large businesses. The package specializes in tracking the spread of SaaS packages that a central IT department might not know about. That’s a service that small businesses wouldn’t need. The company offers four plans, which include a Free edition for application discovery and SaaS inventory tracking.
Pros:
- AI discovery: Prevent users from ingesting company data into novel online AI products
- Automated risk mitigation: Ban unauthorized applications
- Reveal permissions granted to third-party systems: Reduce the risk of data leaks
- Generates data access logs: For compliance with GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOX
Cons:
- Doesn’t discover sensitive data: Access controls apply to all files
The lowest paid plan covers a minimum of 50 users with a rate per year for each extra user. Start by accessing the free Risk Assessment module.
3. Adaptive Shield
Adaptive Shield maintains a list of 120 applications with which it can interact. The tool links to your accounts on these platforms and compares their configurations to its stored templates. The system provides instructions on alterations that will improve resistance to attack. This platform checks on user devices as well as the SaaS systems that they connect to.
Key Features:
- Endpoint profiling: Logs each endpoint that connects to a SaaS account
- Cybersecurity orchestration: Can exchange activity reports with XDR and ZTA systems
- Sensitive data access controls: Ban sharing for files that contain sensitive data
Why do we recommend it?
Adaptive Security creates a central security policy for SaaS activities that cover user account controls, application tracking, data access controls, and third-party service connections. The package implements security checks and generates usage reports that can be tailored to a specific data privacy standard. The system can enforce compliance with eleven standards.
Once your SaaS platforms have been tuned to improve security and compliance, this system will raise an alert if configurations loosen. The package will display alerts in the system console and can also forward them to specific users as notifications by email or a Service Desk ticketing system. Records of new system security weaknesses are accompanied by recommendations on how to improve security.
The security status of the endpoints that connect to cloud SaaS packages by extracting assessments from on-device third-party protection systems. Optionally, devices can be blocked from SaaS access if they do not get a clean bill of health.
Who is it recommended for?
This system is particularly suitable for businesses that need to comply with data protection standards. It can be tuned to GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, SOC2, and ISO 27001 among other rulesets. The compliance module generates logs for events, which can be used for compliance auditing. It will also create compliance reports. The system can be integrated with endpoint protection systems.
Pros:
- An automated remediation option: A “Fix It” button launches corrections to discovered security weaknesses
- User account auditing: Insights into account activity, such as an inactive account list
- Privileged access scrutiny: Provides a record of all users who access a privileged access account
Cons:
- No compliance with PCI DSS: The package has policies for eleven data privacy standards but not for payment card data protection
Adaptive Shield doesn’t publish a price list. You can investigate the platform by accessing a demo.
4. Obsidian Security
Obsidian Security is a cloud platform with three modules for SaaS system protection. These include the Posture Hardening service, which is an SSPM package. The other two units are Integration Risk Management and Threat Mitigation. All three units work together to provide both preventative measures and live security protection.
Key Features:
- Continuous compliance: Specify a data privacy standard to follow
- Constant checks: Rescans to spot configuration drift
- Configuration sandboxing: Forecast the impact of changes before enforcing them
Why do we recommend it?
Obsidian Security is specifically geared towards compliance management. The package creates logs for its discoveries and also for the changes that were made to correct errors. These can be used for compliance auditing and reporting. The system provides a “posture score,” which provides a measurement of progress toward full compliance.
Processes in the Obsidian package include an access rights assessor. This examines user accounts and identifies accounts that should be deleted due to activity. The service also recommends a reduction in the number of people who use privileged access accounts. The access controls are the main method that the system uses for sensitive data protection.
The platform keeps an eye on SaaS packages and the integrations that are set up with third-party platforms. The system lists these connected applications, which enables a central administrator to identify unauthorized connections. Continuous tracking spots new integrations during Obsidian’s service life.
Who is it recommended for?
Obsidian Security is similar to the other platforms on this list because it relies on a list of familiar SaaS packages with which it can interact. Therefore, it is important to check that list and ensure that all of the applications that you use are on it before signing up. The platform’s ability to secure SaaS packages that are not on the list is limited.
Pros:
- Compliance management: For PCI DSS, SOC 2, CCM, ISO 27001, and NIST 800-53
- Examines SSO services: Identifies and cleans up the tokens that external authentication systems leave
- Application risk profile: Maintains a risk profile for each SaaS application, detailing recent data breaches
Cons:
- Limited list for compliance: Doesn’t cover GDPR, CCPA, or HIPAA
The Threat Mitigation module on the Obsidian platform focuses on user activity. The module deploys user behavior analytics to establish a pattern of behavior for each user account. Deviations from this standard will trigger an alert. It is up to the administrator to decide whether to suspend an account.
There is no price list for the Obsidian Security package but you can begin your investigation into the system by accessing a demo.
5. AppOmni
AppOmni provides two SaaS security services. One is an SSPM package for SaaS consumers. The other is the AppOmni Developer Platform, which provides security that integrates into SaaS platforms – SaaS vendors would access this option. The SaaS security program extends to configuration management, data protection, and user account analysis.
Key Features:
- Security policies: Impose a security standard across platforms
- Data access management: User activity tracking
- Permissions analysis: Looks at issues such as file sharing and open access settings
Why do we recommend it?
AppOmni is a competent platform of SaaS Security Posture Management services that competes well with the other tools on this list. The AppOmni Developer Platform is a unique feature among the platforms on this list – it competes with SaaS Security packages. The SSPM supports the creation of a central security policy that can apply across platforms, coordinating user access and permissions.
In all of its security weakness discovery processes, the AppOmni package posts notifications to the system console. These records show the severity of the issue and its priority. The notification also includes a guide on how to fix the problem. So, remediation is a manual process that has to be carried out by technicians. Rescans of the environment will confirm whether the initial problem has been fixed and whether its resolution has revealed other security weaknesses.
Who is it recommended for?
This SSPM is a competent rival to the others on this list. However, like many of those competitors, AppOmni doesn’t publish a price list, which makes a comparison difficult. It also decides whether this tool is suitable for small businesses difficult to reach. The tool’s website assumes that buyers have a team of technicians to support the package, so it is probably going to be suitable for large organizations and the higher end of the mid-sized market.
Pros:
- Discovers and prioritizes security weaknesses: Provides guides on fixes
- Live activity monitoring: Alerts for insider threats, intrusion, and account takeovers
- Generates logs: These can be forwarded to SIEM and SOAR tools
Cons:
- Limited standards list: Doesn’t provide compliance with GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS, or HIPAA
This system can enforce compliance with SOX, SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, NIST 800-53, and APRA CPS 234. This is a very successful service that currently has more than 76 million users. As with most of the tools in this review, AppOmni doesn’t provide a price list. You can access a demo to investigate the platform.
6. Tailscale Secure SaaS
Tailscale Secure SaaS is part of the Tailscale Zero Trust Access package. The main function of the platform is to connect users to applications securely. It provides a virtual network that hubs through the Tailscale cloud server, where authentication is managed. Like most ZTA systems, re-authentication is expected for each application. However, the system offers a Single Sign-On mechanism to flow through a user’s access log-in to all activities.
Key Features:
- Implements microsegmentation: Generates access control lists (ACLs) for on-premises networks
- Extends the network: Includes SaaS packages into the network
- Reaches remote workers: Treats home-based employees as though they were in the office
Why do we recommend it?
Tailscale is an evolution of a classic VPN-based virtual network. It constructs secure links between business sites and out to cloud platforms to create a single network. This can be represented externally by one common IP address that leads to the Tailscale server, which acts as a cloud firewall, protecting access to SaaS platforms as well as on-premises resources.
The main mechanism of SaaS security in this package is through user access rights management, which is built into the system rather than operating through external ARM applications. Each user gets an access app for everything. On logging into that app, the user sees a menu of available services. Thus, no one can get to a SaaS application to which they have not been allocated.
Posture management features in the package are applied to the devices that users access the system on. Each device is scanned before the user is allowed onto the network. Thus, the SaaS packages are fenced from all threats and its own internal configuration security because outsiders are blocked by the cloud firewall and users are restricted in their access rights.
Who is it recommended for?
This is a very easy system to implement, and small business owners who have used a VPN before could set it up without technicians. There are four plan levels, and the first of these is Free. However, that option is designed as a VPN for personal use, so you will need to pick one of the paid editions for secure SaaS access.
Pros:
- Access controls: A central administrator sets up user accounts within the platform
- Hybrid environments: Treats on-premises services and SaaS platforms equally
- SD-WAN: Creates a secure virtual network across the internet
Cons:
- No direct SaaS vulnerability scanning: This strategy relies on system-wide security
The Tailscale system provides configuration auditing and activity logging for compliance management. The service can forward logs to a third-party SIEM tool for threat hunting. Choose one of the paid editions for your business. Secure SaaS access is included in all plans. You can sign up for Tailscale for free. However, this gives you access to the Free personal edition, which doesn’t provide all the services that businesses require.
