Many companies around the world are embracing digital transformation because of the increased productivity and efficiency they will gain from using new technologies. In most cases, the digital transformation exercise involves cloud migration, where they move the bulk of their data to cloud computing platforms.

Businesses that use cloud computing store, access, and process data over the internet, instead of doing so natively on physical computers. This makes them operate with more flexibility and allows employees to work remotely. However, companies need servers to host their cloud platform. The infrastructure is expensive to set up and maintain, making it inaccessible to most small and mid-sized businesses.

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cost-effective alternative to this because third-party cloud computing service providers allow companies to pay for cloud hosting on a subscription basis.

There are security risks associated with keeping data on the cloud. Fortunately, SaaS identity security mitigates some of those risks by ensuring that only authorized individuals can access a cloud platform.

What SaaS Identity Security Entails

SaaS identity security comprises all the procedures, processes, strategies, and architecture designed and used by organizations to safeguard their data stored on SaaS applications and cloud systems. These include identity management, identity verification, and access control. Cloud systems are frequent targets of cyber attacks, so identity security is crucial to prevent the attacks from succeeding.

The following are brief descriptions of the main components of SaaS identity security:

Identity management

Companies that use SaaS cloud systems have to register their employees’ identities when creating their work accounts. This will allow employees to log into the cloud platform even when they are away from the office. During this onboarding process, they will grant employees the appropriate access permissions that correspond to their job duties.

When employees leave a company, their previous employers can use the identity management feature to delete their records and revoke their access to the SaaS cloud system. This will seal off any potential backdoor that ex-employees can use to extract company data.

Access control

Organizations use access control to restrict their employees’ activities in their cloud systems. Not every employee should be privy to sensitive company information, so access control allows employers to dictate the privilege each employee will enjoy on the cloud platform. This also helps the company contain cyber attacks whenever a cybercriminal manages to steal an employee’s login credentials.

Single sign-on

Single sign-on (SSO) verifies user identities when they attempt to sign into a SaaS cloud system. It then uses their single successful login attempt to permit them entry into other SaaS applications within the cloud system. This feature is secure and improves user experience because employees only have to log in once.

Endnote

SaaS cloud platforms provide a valuable opportunity for businesses that want to benefit from digital transformation but cannot afford to set up the infrastructure on their premises. Identity security ensures that companies can operate securely on SaaS cloud platforms by authenticating the identity of users before they can access them. This strengthens business cybersecurity and allows companies to function efficiently and without worry.