SaaS security audits as a drive towards digital transformation

All industries are now facing the challenge of digital transformation, with the easy and increasing adoption of SaaS tools contributing mostly to this. But with shadow IT, caused by the purchasing and expensing of SaaS apps without the knowledge of IT,  becoming likely and threatening the security and compliance of organizations, regular SaaS security audits are becoming a must.

SaaS security audits, in addition to finding security issues, can lead to the identification of lots of opportunities for the companies. What are some of those opportunities and how can you defend before management the value of those security audits?

Communicating the value of security to stakeholders

Hefty fines, loss of customer trust and threat to the entire business existence - all this may result from the overlooking of security measures and an occurring data breach. However, management is frequently unaware of the devastating results that data insecurity may have. Hence, it is up to the IT to efficiently communicate the potential effect of a security risk over the company’s business goals. After this communication has been done, the management would certainly be willing to dedicate resources to the regular (annual) execution of in-deep, careful security audits on the company technology and networks.

Ensure the audit is followed by a plan on how to eliminate the risks identified

After you have identified all security issues in the organizations, you should ensure each and every one of those has been tackled, via a detailed security plan. That plan would often include steps towards digital transformation of the company, involving the purchasing of third-party cloud-based software.

Audit not just the technology owned by the business, but also the technology owned by the vendor

SaaS systems are nowadays implementing security measures that are far beyond the potential of an in-house security manager. Hence, taking advantage of the high security of SaaS apps is a must.

However, not every SaaS is paying enough attention to implementing security measures. Also, every business may have specific security requirements depending on how the SaaS app integrates with their other technologies, or how the employees are using the SaaS. Hence, it is the task of the in-house security manager to verify the security of the technology owned by the company, but also the technology of the SaaS vendors.

Leverage digital transformation to stay competitive in a more and more digitized environment

As digitization takes over every sphere of our lives, the expectations towards the level of digitization in the working environment are also getting higher. Improved employee experience throughout the recruitment, training and mentoring phases of the employee’s lifecycle in an organization may help increase the retainment rates. Better visibility on the compensation options and possible career advancements may positively affect the motivation and satisfaction of the employee. Hence, digital transformation can be a driver for increased competitiveness on a dynamic market. However, those digital transformation opportunities should be aligned with the company management, so they can be taken advantage of, via well-planned actions.

How can Viio SaaS management platform support the digital transformation of your company? Find out in a personalized demo!