Perimeter Perspective | Zero Trust SaaS Security: Protecting Your Apps, Identities, and Devices

Ready for SaaS security without the complexity?

Managing SaaS security is becoming one of the biggest challenges for IT teams. With employees using apps like Salesforce, Dropbox, and countless others, businesses struggle to keep access secure without adding friction to everyday workflows. Legacy security approaches—like VPNs and standalone logins—fall short in a cloud-first world, leaving gaps that cybercriminals are eager to exploit.

In this episode of Perimeter Perspective, host Michael Moore and Alyssa Birchfield, Marketing Operations Manager, explore the challenges of securing SaaS environments and how a zero trust approach can simplify security while strengthening protection.

What You’ll Learn:

• The biggest security risks SaaS apps introduce (and how to mitigate them).
• How identity-based security reduces complexity while enhancing protection.
• Why Single Sign-On (SSO), conditional access, and device compliance are the keys to securing SaaS at scale.
• How to eliminate Shadow IT risks without restricting productivity.

If your business is relying on multiple SaaS apps, you can’t afford to ignore security. Learn how to protect your users, data, and workflows—without the headaches. Subscribe, share this episode, and visit https://nextperimeter.com for more insights on modern IT and cybersecurity.

Read the Blog Post: https://nextperimeter.com/it-blog/why-saas-app-security-is-the-key-to-business-success/

Download the SaaS Security Essentials Guide: https://nextperimeter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/RESOURCE-SaaS-Security-Essentials-Protecting-Your-Apps-Made-Simple.pdf

Learn More About Zero Trust Security for SaaS: https://nextperimeter.com/platform/saas-security/

What is Perimeter Perspective ?

Welcome to Perimeter Perspective, the podcast where we explore the strategies, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of cybersecurity and IT management. Hosted by the experts at Next Perimeter, this show dives into zero trust principles, cloud-first solutions, and the evolving role of technology in modern businesses. Whether you’re an IT leader, business owner, or tech enthusiast, Perimeter Perspective offers actionable insights and engaging discussions to help you secure your digital landscape and thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Michael Moore: 00:10

Welcome to perimeter perspective, the show where we explore the evolving world of cybersecurity, IT management, and the strategies that modern businesses need to stay secure and thrive in the digital age. I'm Michael Moore, your host for this episode and one of the many voices behind the insights and stories from next perimeter, a Cloud first cybersecurity and IT services firm dedicated to protecting businesses and digital identities. Today, we're diving into SaaS security, a growing challenge for businesses in every industry. If your organization is like most, your SaaS stack is expanding. Apps like Salesforce, Dropbox, and hundreds of others make work more efficient, but also introduce new risks.

Michael Moore: 00:50

The big question is, how do you secure SaaS applications without adding overwhelming complexity for IT teams and end users? That's what we're unpacking today, along with practical strategies based on zero trust principles to secure your apps, identities, and devices. Joining me here today is Alyssa Birchfield, marketing operations manager here at NextPerimeter. Alyssa, you've got a great handle on how SaaS security impacts businesses. What's your perspective on this topic?

Alyssa Birchfield: 01:16

Thanks, Michael. SaaS apps are definitely powerful, but they've made IT security a little bit more challenging. I hear this all the time from clients. Managing multiple apps while keeping everything secure can feel like an impossible balancing act. Today, I'll be asking some tough questions about how businesses can adopt a zero trust approach to simplify and strengthen their SaaS security strategy.

Michael Moore: 01:38

Great. Let's start with the core issues businesses face when it comes to SaaS apps. While these applications have revolutionized productivity, they've also introduced significant security challenges. One of the biggest risks is misconfigurations. SaaS platforms often have complex settings and even a small mistake can leave sensitive data exposed.

Michael Moore: 01:59

Then there's the risk of compromised accounts. Hackers know that SaaS logins are highly valuable targets, and a single compromised user account can open the door to significant breaches. Finally, there's the issue of shadow IT, employees spinning up apps without IT approval.

Alyssa Birchfield: 02:15

Shadow IT seems to come up a lot in conversations with clients. So, why is it such a problem?

Michael Moore: 02:20

Great question, Alysa. Shadow IT is such a significant issue because employees often turn to unapproved tools when the solutions they've been given don't meet their needs or are too difficult to use. In many cases, they're just trying to get their work done more efficiently. The problem is, when employees bypass IT to use apps that aren't vetted, it creates dangerous blind spots. IT has no visibility into these tools, no control over how they're configured, and no way to enforce security policies.

Michael Moore: 02:47

Worse, because these apps haven't been tested or approved, they could expose sensitive data or introduce vulnerabilities into the environment. Essentially, shadow IT is the perfect recipe for unintentional risk.

Alyssa Birchfield: 02:58

Yeah, that really makes sense. So it's not just about the apps themselves, but also about why employees are using them in the first place.

Michael Moore: 03:05

Exactly. It often starts with a breakdown in user experience. Employees turn to shadow IT because they feel like the tools they've been provided aren't meeting their needs. It's a symptom of a larger issue. Security and usability aren't aligned.

Alyssa Birchfield: 03:19

And here's where the struggle gets real. With traditional tools like VPNs and standalone logins, businesses often feel like they're playing catch up. These older approaches weren't designed for a cloud first world where SaaS is the backbone of productivity. So Michael, what's the next step for businesses that want to move past these limitations?

Michael Moore: 03:39

Well, that's where Zero Trust principles really shine. By focusing on identity, device security, and app level controls, businesses can move beyond the limitations of VPNs and fragmented standalone logins to create a cohesive and effective security strategy. Now, let's break down what zero trust looks like in a SaaS environment. It starts with a simple but powerful idea. Trust no one, verify everything.

Michael Moore: 04:04

Every login attempt, every device, every app interaction is treated as a potential risk until it's proven safe. One of the foundational components of zero trust is securing identities, and that's where the single sign on or SSO plays a critical role.

Alyssa Birchfield: 04:20

I know SSO is often highlighted for its convenience, but I also understand that it's really a key part of improving overall security. Can you explain exactly how it enhances security so I can better understand its role in a zero trust strategy?

Michael Moore: 04:34

Great question, Alyssa. You're right. SSO is widely appreciated for the convenience it offers users, but its real power lies in how it enhances security. By centralizing identity management, SSO gives IT teams greater visibility and control over access attempts. It's not just about providing a single point of entry.

Michael Moore: 04:53

It's about monitoring and verifying every attempt to ensure it's legitimate. For example, instead of simply seeing a login to Salesforce, SSO enables us to detect suspicious activity tied to that login. Detections can include things like impossible travel, where a user appears to log in from two geographically distant locations in a short time. It also helps us catch token theft attempts, which occur when an attacker tries to use a stolen session token to bypass authentication altogether. Additionally, we can identify logins from untrusted devices, such as a personal laptop that doesn't meet the organization's security policies.

Michael Moore: 05:29

If any of these red flags are detected, we don't just stop there. Automated tools like our managed detection and response solution, MXDR, combined with SOAR, which stands for security orchestration automation and response, spring into action. SOAR allows us to automate responses. So instead of relying on manual intervention, actions can happen instantly. For example, we can lock down the suspicious account, prompt the user for multi factor authentication, or escalate the issue to IT for further investigation.

Michael Moore: 05:56

This ensures threats are contained in real time, minimizing potential damage and significantly reducing the burden on IT teams.

Alyssa Birchfield: 06:03

Gotcha. So by securing the identity itself, we're effectively extending enterprise grade protection to every SaaS app without having to customize security measures for each one. That makes a lot of sense.

Michael Moore: 06:15

Exactly. By protecting the identity, you've created a single point of control for your entire SaaS environment. This approach not only strengthens your security posture, but also simplifies management, making it easier for IT teams to stay ahead of potential threats. Of course, authentication is just the starting point. You also need to verify who is logging in, from where, and what device.

Michael Moore: 06:36

This is where conditional access policies come into play.

Alyssa Birchfield: 06:39

Okay. So let's say that someone logs in from an airport using an untrusted device. How would conditional access handle that?

Michael Moore: 06:47

In that scenario, conditional access analyzes several factors. It evaluates whether the user is on a trusted or risky network, checks if the device being used meets security requirements such as being encrypted and corporate managed, and compares the activity against the user's typical behavior. If any of these checks raises concern, the system might block the login or require additional steps, like multi factor authentication, to verify the user is legitimate.

Alyssa Birchfield: 07:13

Yeah, that makes sense. But I've heard a lot of conversations about the modern desktop experience. Can you explain how that fits into securing devices in this zero trust model?

Michael Moore: 07:23

Absolutely. The modern desktop experience is all about making security seamless for users while still meeting the highest standards for device compliance. On corporate managed devices, users don't even need passwords to log in securely. Instead, tools like Windows Hello allow them to use biometrics such as fingerprints or facial recognition for authentication. This not only simplifies access, but it also reduces the risk of password theft, which remains one of the most common vulnerabilities.

Michael Moore: 07:49

By enforcing compliance policies on these devices, such as ensuring encryption and patching are always up to date, businesses can create a secure environment that protects sensitive data without interrupting productivity. It's a great example of how zero trust extends from identity to devices and creates a unified layer of protection. Let's switch gears to visibility. One of the biggest challenges with SaaS apps is not knowing what's happening behind the scenes. With traditional tools, IT teams are often flying blind.

Michael Moore: 08:16

They lack the insights needed to understand which apps are being accessed, where logins are coming from, and whether any unusual patterns of behavior are emerging.

Alyssa Birchfield: 08:25

Right. Without visibility, it's easy for threats to go unnoticed until it's too late. How does a zero trust approach solve this problem?

Michael Moore: 08:33

A zero trust approach continuously verifies who is logging in, the device they're using, and their location. This data can be seamlessly integrated into tools like SIEM to provide IT teams with the visibility they need. With these tools, teams can monitor user activity, identify where and when logins occur, and detect patterns of unusual behavior, such as repeated failed logins or access attempts from untrusted devices. This isn't about reacting to threats as they happen. It's about metrics and insights that allow IT teams to be proactive.

Michael Moore: 09:04

At NextPerimeter, we provide monthly reports with dashboards, cases, and alerts so IT teams can stay ahead of potential risks. These insights help refine security policies, anticipate vulnerabilities, and maintain a strong security posture over time. Here's the bottom line for small and mid sized businesses. SaaS security doesn't have to be expensive or complicated to be effective.

Alyssa Birchfield: 09:26

Exactly. At Next Perimeter, we've designed our solution to deliver enterprise grade protection without the enterprise headache. You don't need to over engineer your security for every individual app, just focus on securing the identity. Conditional access and device compliance provide you with control, ensuring security policies are enforced without slowing down your team. With the modern desktop experience, security becomes seamless for your users, making their workflows more efficient and secure.

Michael Moore: 09:54

The result, fewer breaches, better compliance, and a smoother user experience.

Alyssa Birchfield: 09:59

If your business is ready to take SaaS security to the next level, start with the basics, SSO, Zero Trust, and securing your devices. These are the foundations of everything we do here at NextPerimeter. If you'd like to learn more, check out our downloadable guide, SaaS Security Essentials, Protecting Your Apps Made Simple. It's full of actionable steps to help you get started today.

Michael Moore: 10:20

You can also visit our website to see how we integrate SaaS security into a comprehensive zero trust strategy. Thanks for tuning into this episode of Perimeter Perspective. If you found this useful and you want to keep up with the latest in cybersecurity and IT, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. For more resources, episode updates, and insights, visit our website at nextperimeter.com. Have a question or topic you'd like us to cover?

Michael Moore: 10:44

We'd love to hear from you. Reach out on social media or email us at [e-mail]. Until next time, stay secure, stay informed, and remember, the perimeter isn't just a boundary, it's your foundation for growth. See you soon.