The democratization of IT fundamentally redefines what it means to be a CIO or CISO. This trend is not a mere adjustment but a profound shift reshaping the industry and posing significant risks to identities within organizations. Currently, 53% of applications are managed outside IT departments, and 34% of technology purchases are made by line-of-business managers, bypassing traditional IT channels entirely. While there are some benefits—quick tool onboarding to help streamline workflows—this transformation in technology adoption and utilization within organizations introduces new challenges for security teams.
With the rise of SaaS (software-as-a-service) applications, many organizations have benefited from easy implementation, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Departments can quickly and efficiently deploy tools without the lengthy IT procurement processes. Moreover, the immediate operational advantages often blind organizations to the potential security risks, fueling the trend of decentralized SaaS adoption. This trend, while advantageous in certain respects, brings forth numerous security concerns and challenges that often go unnoticed until it’s too late.
Risks of Decentralized SaaS Adoption
According to a recent report, 80% of employees adopt SaaS applications without IT approval, creating substantial risks within organizations. When departments independently adopt SaaS applications, the security team often loses visibility and control, making these environments highly vulnerable to attacks. For instance, the finance department might use an app like Canva to create presentations and input sensitive financial data without IT’s awareness. If a breach happens, this data could be exposed to malicious actors, causing severe damage to the organization. The lack of IT oversight makes it nearly impossible to monitor all SaaS applications in use, which could lead to adverse outcomes.
Decentralized SaaS adoption doesn’t just create risks with current employees; it also poses threats when employees leave. Their SaaS accounts, unknown to IT, remain vulnerable and unmanaged, increasing security risks. Given these challenges, security teams must ask: How can we ensure monitoring, governance, and security for SaaS applications beyond our direct control? The answer lies in adopting robust security practices that include continuous monitoring, clear governance policies, and proactive IT oversight. Failing to address these risks adequately can result in data breaches, compliance issues, and reputational damage.
Connecting Decentralized SaaS Adoption to the Shared Responsibility Model in Cloud Security
Let’s compare decentralized SaaS adoption to another major shift in IT: the transition to cloud computing. When organizations first moved to the cloud, they encountered similar challenges in securing environments outside their full control. This prompted the creation of the shared responsibility model, especially championed by AWS. In this model, cloud service providers are accountable for securing the cloud infrastructure, while customers are responsible for protecting the data and applications within that infrastructure. This framework has been crucial in clarifying roles and responsibilities, leading to enhanced overall security.
Some parallels exist between shared responsibility in the cloud and decentralized SaaS. In a traditional IT environment, the central IT department oversees and secures all applications. However, in a decentralized SaaS environment, security responsibility must be distributed between the SaaS provider, the central security team, and the individual departments and employees utilizing these applications. This requires establishing clear guidelines and protocols for SaaS adoption and usage. Departments need to be educated and empowered to take ownership of their security responsibilities, while the central security team provides oversight, tools, and support to ensure compliance and mitigate potential risks. This is the only way to ensure that SaaS application adoption is both effective and safe.
Steps to Mitigate Risk
The democratization of IT is radically redefining the roles of CIOs and CISOs. Rather than being a minor adjustment, this shift is fundamentally transforming the industry, bringing significant risks to organizational identities. Currently, 53% of applications are managed outside traditional IT departments, and 34% of tech purchases are made by business managers who bypass traditional IT channels. While this can speed up tool onboarding and streamline workflows, it also poses new challenges for security teams.
The rise of software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications has provided organizations with benefits like easy implementation, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Various departments can quickly deploy tools without going through lengthy IT procurement processes. However, these immediate operational advantages often obscure the potential security risks. As decentralized SaaS adoption grows, it introduces numerous security challenges that frequently go unnoticed until it’s too late. This trend, while beneficial in certain ways, underscores the need for enhanced vigilance and robust security measures to safeguard organizational integrity.
