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One thing we’ve learned over the last year is that SaaS is becoming more important than ever. It has allowed your clients to continue working, even when their offices might have shut down. As an MSP, you can point your clients to the proper SaaS tools, while at the same time helping them manage potential SaaS sprawl.

Even smaller organizations often have multiple SaaS subscriptions that go unused, or have multiple overlapping options. It’s so easy to sign up when all it takes is an email address and a credit card. The question is, how do you find out what people are using short of asking them?

This has become even more important during the pandemic when many workers are at home and signing up for a new service is so simple. Yet, you want to prevent the spread your client’s data around multiple services, which could lead to governance and security challenges.

Companies are emerging today to help you identify the SaaS tools in use inside your client’s organization, bring them under control and even help them watch their spending. Some even include a workflow engine, so you can create an automated set of workflows. For instance, you could create a workflow to cancel a former employee’s Box account and return their files to their manager.

Software to control your software

Yes, it’s kind of ironic that you need software to control your software, but with so many options, having a control plane is just common sense. It gives you visibility into what the company’s employees are using, what they are spending, and even how they could save money.

At a time when plenty of small and medium businesses are feeling the economic pinch, finding easy ways to save a few bucks will make you a hero. Unused or underutilized subscriptions provide an easy way to save money. All it takes is a scan from one of these tools to identify the strays.

If you want proof that these kinds of tools are hot, consider that just last week, SailPoint announced it was acquiring Intello, a SaaS management startup and Torii, another similar startup announced a $10 million Series A investment.

These companies are getting attention precisely because they are solving a known problem and offering ways to solve it. Other options include Blissfully and BetterCloud, both of which offer various ways to get control over the SaaS tooling inside an organization.

As with all the services we discuss in this blog, it pays to do your research and find the tool that’s right for you and your clients. Keep in mind though, that this is one category that brings your role as an IT pro to the forefront by enabling you to help your clients to effectively control SaaS sprawl.

Photo: a-image / Shutterstock


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Ron Miller

Posted by Ron Miller

Ron Miller is a freelance technology reporter and blogger. He is contributing editor at EContent Magazine and enterprise reporter at TechCrunch.

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