What is a Cloud Access Security Broker?

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As technology improves, organizations have been forced to go along with the developments. Data protection is a key aspect of most organizations. With the advent of employees coming with their own devices to work, organizations’ data has continued to be greatly at risk due to this access. Cloud Access Security Broker or CASB is a technology that organizations have adopted to mitigate against such risks to their data. It is a software that bridges the gap between your organization’s systems and cloud data. It is security enforcement that comes between cloud service providers and those consuming the cloud data. GA Systems works to ensure that CASB data flows from the cloud storage to your network smoothly and securely.

The main functionality of this particular software is the protection of companies’ data stored in the clouds. The various vendors that offer different features Identify where data lies and protect it. With the traditional data protection systems, dropbox sales representatives would often report the use of personal dropboxes putting organizations’ data at risk. CASB vendors now connect their software to email servers to check the company’s data and prevent any possible leakage.

In order to further protect company data, CASB vendors have tightened authentication procedures to ensure that data never goes to the wrong hands. Users are now required to go through a long process called risk-based adaptive authentication that goes beyond the simple binary system of yes or no when logging in to the company’s system. Such features have been integrated into the CASB software to ensure only the authorized personnel get access to sensitive data. Instead of blocking services altogether, companies, using CASB can now control activities in unsanctioned and sanctioned services. It is also possible to enforce policies remotely on users’ devices both employees and clients.

Identify Security Breaches

There has been an increase in malware threats that are sophisticated and very dangerous as they spread very quickly. Phishing attacks have also become subtle as criminals devise innovative ways of stealing company and individuals’ data. CASB has features that can mitigate such threats. Most CASBs software have security features that can identify such security breaches, analyze their strength and risk and prevent them from accessing any sensitive data.

CASB vendors

There are various vendors providing CASB software security. Vendors have customized their software to include certain features. Professional IT managers should be in a position to identify the vendor that provides software that is consistent with the company’s network since every other company has a unique network. You should go for one with features that can work with your company’s system. Among these vendors include Bitglass, Ciphercloud, Proofpoint, Oracle CASB Cloud Service, Masergy, ManagedMethods, Cisco Cloudlock, Netskope (video demo) and Microsoft Cloud App Security among others.

As we have seen, CASBs are gatekeepers that ensure that the network traffic between cloud services provider and organizations’ devices are in sync with the overall organization’s security policies. The key point is to identify any risk factors that might jeopardize an organization’s smooth operation through data theft.