Permissions in SaaS platforms such as Salesforce, Workday, and Microsoft 365 are incredibly precise, detailing which users have access to specific data sets. While terminology may vary between apps, a user’s base permission is typically determined by their role, with additional permissions granted for specific tasks or projects. Custom permissions for individual users are also layered on top of these base permissions.
For instance, consider a sales representative participating in a churn investigation tiger team and training new employees. The sales rep’s role grants access to prospect data, the tiger team project provides access to existing customer data, and special permissions give visibility into the accounts of the new employees.
Despite the precision of these permissions, they can be complex to manage. Application admins lack a centralized screen to view all permissions granted to a user, making it challenging to add or remove permissions effectively.
In conversations with CISOs and admins, user-permission association emerges as a significant pain point. They require a solution that offers complete visibility into user permissions to enforce company policies across the organization at various levels of granularity.
Consolidating permissions in one place can greatly enhance a strong SaaS security strategy, facilitating policy enforcement at the object, field, and record levels across the organization.
Discover how an SSPM can streamline permissions management in a holistic view
Reducing the SaaS Attack Surface
A central permissions inventory is vital in helping organizations reduce their attack surface and enhance cybersecurity. By identifying and minimizing unnecessary user permissions systematically, the platform aids in reducing attack vectors for malicious actors. It also enables organizations to manage non-human access efficiently, ensuring comprehensive scrutiny and control over all entry points for enhanced security and productivity balance.
Additionally, the permissions inventory plays a crucial role in identifying and addressing over-privileged accounts, which can pose vulnerabilities. By eliminating or adjusting permissions for these accounts based on job requirements, organizations can mitigate the risks of unauthorized access and privilege escalation.
The platform also supports proactive detection of privilege abuses, swiftly flagging any suspicious activities that could indicate a breach or insider threat. These capabilities make the Permissions Inventory a proactive defense mechanism that strengthens organizational resilience against evolving cyber threats.
Multiple Tenant Management
A unified permissions inventory simplifies the comparison of user permissions across different tenants and environments. Security teams can easily view and compare profiles, permission sets, and individual user permissions from various applications, aiding in identifying and rectifying instances of over-permissioning and other issues.
This comprehensive approach enables security teams to identify and address security gaps effectively.
Improving Regulatory Compliance
A permissions inventory is indispensable for helping organizations achieve regulatory compliance on multiple fronts. By facilitating access recertification and Segregation of Duties (SOD) checks, the platform ensures alignment with regulatory requirements and internal policies such as those outlined in regulations like SOX.
Centralized permissions management also helps control access to sensitive data, mitigating the risk of data breaches and ensuring compliance with data protection laws. Implementing Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC) and Attribute-Based Access Controls (ABAC) further enhances regulatory compliance efforts by streamlining access management based on roles and attributes.
Streamlining SaaS Security with a Permissions Inventory
As organizations increasingly adopt SaaS solutions like Salesforce, Workday, and Microsoft 365, the challenge of managing permissions is becoming more critical. A comprehensive solution that offers visibility and control is essential to navigate the complexity of permissions effectively.
In the coming years, tools addressing the permission management challenge within a SaaS Posture Management Solution (SSPM) are expected to emerge. These tools will provide a unified dashboard aggregating permissions from various SaaS applications, offering app admins and security teams a holistic view of user access.
