Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a business model where companies host an application and make it available to users through the Internet. Users are charged either monthly or based on their usage levels. Due to the ease and convenience of accessing technological tools without spending on infrastructure and development, many companies fulfill their technological needs through SaaS products. This is why this sector is expected to be worth 191 billion euros by 2025.
While this growth is good news for SaaS providers, it can also increase scrutiny into this sector, especially given the security and privacy concerns emerging through the use of advanced technologies like AI. This increased scrutiny can be challenging for smaller SaaS companies, and they require technological platforms like Zluri to meet these requirements.
Read on to understand what Zluri offers and how its features can address different compliance requirements.
What is Zluri?
Zluri is a SaaS management platform that helps businesses manage their SaaS applications. It automates the discovery, management, and security of applications used across an organization to provide a clear view of all the tools used within the organization. Its real-time insights make it easy to identify and remove shadow IT apps, reducing security issues associated with them.
With its automated compliance processes and streamlined SaaS usage monitoring, Zluri helps SaaS companies stay on top of regulatory requirements without getting bogged down by manual tasks or complex spreadsheets.
Zluri Features to Meet Compliance Requirements
Diving deeper into Zluri’s features, let’s understand how they help meet the requirements of different regulatory frameworks and standards.
Comprehensive SaaS Discovery and Inventory
One of the biggest challenges in SaaS compliance is knowing exactly which tools and applications are used across the organization. Many companies struggle with “shadow IT,” where employees use unapproved apps that may not meet compliance standards. The problem with these apps is that they may not come under the regular patching schedule, thereby exposing sensitive data to intruders.
Zluri addresses this issue by automatically discovering and categorizing all SaaS applications used within the organization. With this comprehensive information, companies can know exactly where sensitive data is stored and processed. This is important for regulatory frameworks like GDPR, where companies are required to track personal data and ensure it’s handled in compliance with privacy laws. Moreover, Zluri’s automated SaaS discovery can easily monitor which apps are in use, even if they weren’t officially approved.
Vendor Risk Management
Many times, SaaS companies rely on third-party vendors to handle various aspects of their operations. However, relying on these third-party tools can expose organizations to compliance risks.
To address the security vulnerabilities of vendors, Zluri automatically evaluates and categorizes their compliance risks. It analyzes their security posture, compliance certifications, and the nature of the data they process and accordingly highlights the potential risks. Using this information, SaaS organizations can prepare to address them, even entering into agreements with vendors for the enforcement of certain security provisions.
These actions help meet ISO 27001 and SOC 2 requirements for due diligence and vendor risk management. With Zluri, businesses can continuously monitor third-party vendors to ensure they meet the necessary security and compliance standards, reducing the risk of non-compliance due to third-party applications.
Automated Policy Enforcement
With existing regulations, it’s not enough to simply have security policies in place. Companies must demonstrate that they are consistently enforcing those policies across their entire SaaS ecosystem.
Zluri helps with this aspect by automating the enforcement of security and compliance policies. It allows organizations to enforce key security policies like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), data encryption, and Role-based Access Controls (RBAC) across all apps.
For example, companies can automatically enforce MFA for high-risk applications, ensuring that only authorized users have access to sensitive data. This helps SaaS companies meet the security requirements of frameworks like HIPAA, SOC 2, and PCI DSS, which mandate strict access controls and data protection measures.
Moreover, with automated policy enforcement, Zluri also reduces the chance of human error. This is a key factor in maintaining compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA, where failure to enforce data protection policies can result in severe fines.
User Access Management and Monitoring
Proper user access management is another important aspect of SaaS compliance, particularly for standards like SOC 2 and GDPR, which require organizations to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data.
Zluri’s access management features allow organizations to track who has access to which tools and data, and to immediately revoke access when employees leave the company or change roles. It also helps track who is using what apps for better visibility and to reduce risks related to insider attacks.
Also, this feature supports compliance with GDPR (for ensuring data access is strictly controlled) and SOC 2 (which requires organizations to demonstrate effective access controls). Furthermore, it makes sure that any changes to access privileges are immediately logged and tracked, providing a clear audit trail for compliance audits.
Audit-ready Compliance Reporting
When it comes to compliance, having the right documentation is just as important as following the rules. Zluri’s platform includes powerful reporting features that generate compliance-ready reports with just a few clicks. These reports can cover everything from app usage to security incident logs, making it easy for organizations to prove they are meeting the requirements of various regulatory frameworks.
It also comes with pre-configured templates for SOC 2, GDPR, ISO 27001, and other standards to generate reports that show their adherence to relevant regulations quickly. This feature helps organizations stay ready for audits, reducing the time and effort involved in manual data collection.
Data Protection and Encryption
Data protection is at the heart of many compliance frameworks, especially GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Zluri provides businesses with the tools needed to ensure that data stored within their SaaS applications is encrypted and protected from unauthorized access.
Zluri also integrates with security tools to enforce encryption standards for both data at rest and data in transit. With these features, Zluri ensures that sensitive data, such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or payment details, is encrypted in accordance with regulatory requirements. This level of data protection helps meet compliance requirements outlined by HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR, where the security and confidentiality of data are the focus.
Using these features, SaaS companies can maintain compliance with different regulations.
How Zluri Meets Key SaaS Compliance Standards
Moving on, let’s take a quick look at how Zluri’s features map with the provisions of major regulations.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Provides a comprehensive inventory of all SaaS tools handling personal data.
- Automates data retention policies to ensure that companies don’t hold personal data longer than necessary.
- Tracks data breaches and informs companies, so they can send breach notifications within the required 72-hour window.
System and Organization Controls (SOC 2)
- Tracks and enforces security policies across all apps to meet SOC 2 principles of security, availability, and confidentiality.
- Provides detailed access controls and logs changes to user permissions, ensuring compliance with SOC 2’s access control requirements.
- Continuously monitors third-party vendors to ensure they meet SOC 2 compliance standards.
ISO 27001
- Assists with vendor risk management, so SaaS companies can better evaluate third-party tools for compliance risks.
- Enforces security protocols like data encryption to keep SaaS environments secure.
- Supports detailed auditing and logging, necessary for ISO 27001 certification.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Allows only authorized users to have access to healthcare-related data, in line with HIPAA’s privacy and security requirements.
- Automates the enforcement of policies for securing healthcare data and tracks access logs for auditing purposes.
Besides the above frameworks, Zluri also supports PCI DSS, NIST framework, CCPA, and other regulations.
Bottom Line
SaaS companies must consistently meet the compliance requirements of various frameworks, and this can be challenging, especially for smaller companies. Zluri offers a streamlined solution for automating compliance processes, securing data, and ensuring that all SaaS applications align with industry-specific regulations. With Zluri, your compliance can be continuous, and your organization can always be audit-ready and compliant with the latest regulatory standards.
Try Zluri today!