Analysts say every enterprise with a significant cloud presence needs a CASB. Look for one that provides granular visibility and insights into how data is accessed and used, as well as authentication and encryption.
The CASB sits between the enterprise and the cloud service and interjects security policies based on context. It enables enterprises to safely use time-saving, productivity-enhancing cloud applications without compromising the corporate environment.
Increased Risk of Data Loss
The cloud allows remote employees to work more flexibly and collaboratively but also brings significant security challenges. How do you gain visibility into your workforce using cloud applications, ensure sensitive documents don’t get lost in the cloud, and adhere to critical compliance regulations?
CASB solutions offer visibility into cloud environments and granular control to mitigate the risk of data loss. Unlike firewalls, which only examine traffic that passes through the corporate local area network (LAN), a cloud access security broker sits between the business and the cloud to review cloud-based content, extending the reach of security policies beyond the LAN.
Using advanced cloud data loss prevention (DLP), a CASB can scan the content of files in sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud apps and on-premises systems to detect sensitive information and protect it from leakage. It is done with various techniques, including file classification, fingerprinting, reduction of detection surface area, and intelligent data manipulation like encryption, tokenization, and upload prevention. A CASB can shuttle suspected violations efficiently to the organization’s security system for further investigation and remediation.
Increased Risk of Compliance Violations
With the proliferation of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs and unsanctioned cloud applications (aka “shadow IT”), businesses are facing significant risks from unauthorized access to sensitive data. CASBs monitor and enforce security policies to ensure compliance across all cloud application usage, whether sanctioned or not.
Depending on the business’s deployment model, CASB solutions can be deployed as agents, reverse proxies, out-of-band API integrations, or forward proxies. A multimode solution that combines all three offers the most comprehensive protection.
CASBs work as gatekeepers to internet traffic between on-premises infrastructure and cloud providers, examining the data being transferred to consistently enforce enterprise policies and protect against the most advanced threats. They use UEBA to check for abnormal activity, analyze cloud usage patterns, and apply security controls to detect and stop unauthorized cloud applications or data access proactively. By combining highly accurate discovery with the ability to encrypt or tokenize data, CASBs can help minimize the risk of costly data breaches. They also prevent the loss of sensitive data en route to or from cloud services by scanning for sensitive content in the user’s context (e.g., location, device type) and deploying data loss prevention (DLP).
Unauthorized Access to Data
The damage from unauthorized access is far-reaching. It can include theft of data, compromise of accounts, or the destruction of systems and networks. It can also impact a company’s reputation and trust, which are difficult to repair.
CASBs act as the gatekeepers of cloud environments, enabling security teams to see and control cloud applications, enforce policies across cloud services, and mitigate advanced threats. Unlike firewalls, CASBs provide deep visibility into the cloud environment and offer granular cloud usage control.
They can identify regulated content, secure it per compliance guidelines, and monitor using sanctioned and unsanctioned (Shadow IT) cloud apps. It helps to ensure that the organization maintains its data regulations, whether it be a healthcare company ensuring HIPAA compliance or a retailer concerned about PCI compliance.
CASBs monitor and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data, such as PII or SPI. This data type includes information that could be used to identify an individual, including their name, address, date of birth, or social security number.
Increased Risk of Data Breach
In a data breach, sensitive information is accessed by malicious actors. Once that happens, consumers lose trust in the organization, resulting in lost business. According to the Ponemon Institute and IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2020 study, that’s particularly true for small businesses.
Organizations can enhance their cloud security and manage their cloud applications more efficiently at an enterprise level with the help of a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) tool. CASB enables monitoring and control of cloud applications, providing better visibility and security for cloud-based operations. It offers visibility and control over cloud apps, ensuring that data is protected and complies with regulations. They use advanced multi-factor authentication and encryption to prevent data loss inside or outside the cloud. They also detect malware and other threats to protect against unauthorized access, theft, or data sharing.
Unlike firewalls, CASBs can monitor and control sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud applications on various devices, including unmanaged personal laptops and IoT devices, even those not connected to the corporate network. And they can detect and analyze abnormal user behavior to see a security threat before it’s too late. A CASB can also integrate with an organization’s on-premises data loss prevention tools for consistent, integrated protection across a hybrid work environment. That’s why it’s a critical component of a secure application services edge (SASE) architecture that converges SD-WAN and security functions to secure cloud app usage flexibly.
Increased Costs
Cloud apps boost remote team productivity and create many security risks. The lack of visibility into data movement between cloud applications makes identifying and mitigating threats as they emerge difficult. A CASB can prevent these issues by helping to ensure that all data stored in or transmitted between cloud solutions is secure. It is accomplished through encryption and tokenization, which converts sensitive information into symbols that cannot be deciphered without the correct key.
A CASB is a cloud-delivered or on-premises software tool or hardware that acts as an intermediary between users and cloud service providers to extend the reach of enterprise security policies. It can help address gaps in security across software-as-a-service (SaaS), platform-as-a-service, and infrastructure-as-a-service environments. CASBs offer visibility into sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud applications and use threat intelligence to detect suspicious activities. One of the benefits of using specific software solutions is that they provide data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities. It can be advantageous to safeguard sensitive information such as proprietary data, financial records, medical files, and social security numbers. To make the best selection, consider an option that supports a variety of architectures to provide flexibility as your security needs evolve.