SaaS has transformed how businesses operate. CRMs, file storage, messaging apps, finance platforms, project tools — there’s a SaaS for everything. Fast to set up. Easy to scale. No upfront investment.
But here’s the problem: SaaS sprawl.
Do you know exactly how many SaaS tools your company uses?
More importantly: do you know who controls access to them?
The danger of scattered infrastructure
When every team can subscribe to new tools with just a credit card, you end up with dozens — sometimes hundreds — of external systems holding your business data.
What this means in practice:
- Employees leave, but their accounts stay active.
- Access rights are never reviewed.
- Sensitive data is stored in tools IT doesn’t even know exist.
- Integrations between SaaS apps multiply risks — one weak link can expose everything.
It’s not just “shadow IT.” It’s a fragmented infrastructure you don’t fully control.
Why this matters
- 🔓 Invisible exposure: Forgotten accounts = open doors for attackers.
- 📉 Compliance risk: Auditors won’t accept “we didn’t know about that tool.”
- ⏱️ Operational impact: Lost productivity when no one remembers who manages a subscription.
- 💸 Financial waste: Paying for unused licenses and redundant tools.
What businesses should do
- 📊 Take inventory. List every SaaS tool in use across the company.
- 👥 Define ownership. Assign clear responsibility for each system.
- 🔑 Review access regularly. Remove accounts when employees leave.
- 🔍 Monitor integrations. Understand which systems are connected — and the risks they bring.
- 🤖 Automate discovery. Use security monitoring to detect new and forgotten SaaS services.
Final thought
SaaS makes business faster — but also messier. If you don’t know who controls your SaaS tools, chances are… no one does.
Your infrastructure is only as secure as the systems you forgot you had.
