(ThyBlackMan.com) CASBs provide visibility into cloud applications, data, and users typically hidden from traditional security tools. This helps to uncover shadow IT and protects sensitive data against threats and exfiltration.
Integration Capabilities
Protect against threats with a CASB that identifies data leaving the network, enables dynamic and static anti-malware detection, detects ransomware, and provides visibility across multiple cloud services, including SSL-encrypted connections. Look for a solution that integrates with your existing security infrastructure, supports out-of-the-box workflows and integrations, and can be deployed as an inline or virtual proxy.
Identifying shadow IT is a key function of CASB solutions, as organizations need to understand the applications with access to their sensitive data. Look for a solution to rapidly discover and classify third-party apps and connect them to a risk score analysis based on community trust ratings.
A CASB should also provide alerts and help protect data at rest with granular risk-based authentication, field-level encryption, and more. Determine whether your organization requires a multimode solution (API-based, inline, or virtual proxy) and determine how it should be integrated with your identity-as-a-service/single sign-on (IDaaS/SSO) tools. Narrow your options to a few vendors and ask for a demo of their solution in your environment.Â
Security Features
As work-from-anywhere environments continue to grow, protecting corporate data becomes more challenging. CASBs provide visibility and control for cloud applications and protect data in transit. This is important because many of these applications are used on unmanaged devices and networks. CASBs can help organizations maintain security policies for data in the cloud and ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.
When shopping for a CASB solution, look for one that can monitor the current use of cloud applications and identify shadow IT. A good CASB will also have a built-in risk score analysis that can show whether these applications pose a risk to the organization.
Other security functions to consider are account management and data loss prevention. A CASB with account management capabilities will allow administrators to restrict access to sensitive information by user and application. Additionally, it will help reduce the number of users with unauthorized access to applications by providing single sign-on technologies that enable employees to log in with their credentials once and securely use all the apps for that session. Data loss prevention, meanwhile, looks for sensitive content moving to and from the cloud and alerts IT of any incidents.
Scalability
The volume of data being moved to and from cloud environments grows rapidly. With visibility into this activity, it can be easier to comply with multi-cloud security policies and detect potential risks such as public sharing of sensitive files or data loss.
To combat these growing threats, CASB solutions that provide significant user visibility can be used to identify and address security violations based on risk-based access control. For example, a CASB system can help organizations identify and block unsanctioned apps used by employees. It can also identify atypical access patterns, such as traffic from unknown locations or sudden increases in data flow, to prevent malicious activities and improve data loss prevention (DLP).
CASBs deployed in API mode offer administration of SaaS and, increasingly, IaaS and PaaS applications via their APIs for inspecting data at rest, log telemetry, and policy control. Organizations should evaluate the available options to determine what deployment model best suits their needs. A CASB that supports proxy and API modes can offer greater scalability, deployment speed, improved coverage, and easier management.
Deployment Model
CASBs are not complete data security systems, so they should be used to help bolster other security tools in your portfolio. Depending on the deployment mode, CASB solutions can intercept and inspect data in flight to block access or prevent sensitive information from leaving your network. This can help reduce risk by ensuring that data doesn’t get into the wrong hands or allow access to malicious websites. However, this can also impact performance and cause latency when using your cloud applications.
Whether your organization is trying to protect a single cloud app or multiple, consider the deployment model that will work best for you. An API model could be a good option if you have limited resources or don’t need real-time protection. A reverse or forward proxy might be better for you for more extensive protection. Alternatively, you can deploy a multimode CASB combining these methods for greater coverage. Regardless of the deployment mode, look for a solution with built-in advanced security functions like malware prevention, encryption in transit and at rest, and threat scoring.
Cost
The best CASB solutions aren’t cheap, but the right tool can help your organization reclaim control in a work-from-anywhere world. The first step is taking a full inventory of cloud applications and their security risks. Next, look for a solution that can easily identify and classify apps. This includes identifying unsanctioned apps that employees use and quickly determining the risk to your business. The best CASBs offer a single platform for discovery and security. This eliminates blind spots and helps close the IT and cybersecurity operations gap.
Finally, look for a CASB that can protect cloud applications from inside and outside of your network. This is important because threats can move between networks and even across devices or cloud services.
Staff Writer; Terry Short