LastPass Evolves Secure Access Experiences to Combat Shadow IT and AI Risks for CISOs
Picture your organization humming along, with teams adopting new apps to boost efficiency. But beneath that surface, unsanctioned tools creep in, exposing data and inflating costs. For CISOs like you, this shadow IT landscape demands smarter defenses. LastPass steps up with innovations that turn visibility into action, all without overwhelming your resources.
My previous exploration of secure access in a conversation with LastPass at the RSA Conference (RSAC) in San Francisco this year highlighted browser extensions as gateways to better control. Now, with SaaS Monitoring’s general availability and the debut of SaaS Protect, plus passkey support, LastPass builds on that foundation.
These tools address the sprawl of SaaS and AI apps directly, giving you the edge in a threat-filled environment. Shadow IT has long plagued mid-sized enterprises, where employees introduce apps without oversight.
Don MacLennan, Chief Product Officer at LastPass, captured this challenge earlier this year. “Small to mid-sized enterprises often have this problem of Shadow IT,” he explains. “Employees are putting business-critical data into SaaS applications that IT leadership may or may not have visibility into.”
His words ring true for many CISOs juggling limited budgets and growing risks.
The response? LastPass launched SaaS Monitoring in RSAC, marking the start of their Secure Access Experiences initiative. This feature provides a clear view of your SaaS ecosystem through intuitive dashboards.
You can spot categories like productivity tools or AI chatbots, track access methods, and monitor adoption trends. No extra agents needed; it leverages the existing browser extension. Benefits extend beyond discovery.
SaaS Monitoring helps reduce costs by identifying duplicates and enforces credential hygiene by logging access patterns. For compliance, it prepares you for audits and disruptions.
Todd Thiemann, Principal Analyst at ESG, emphasized its value for smaller teams. “Without visibility into their SaaS ecosystems, SMB leaders risk security breaches from unauthorized access and rising costs from Shadow IT and Shadow AI,” he notes.
