SaaS Alerts, a cybersecurity company delivering an automated software as a service (SaaS) security platform designed to detect and stop unauthorised activity in customer SaaS applications enables managed service providers (MSPs) to extend SaaS application protection beyond core solutions.
App Wizard
Called App Wizard, the latest update to the SaaS Alerts platform allows MSPs to integrate SaaS Alerts with any SaaS business application having a viable application program interface (API).
This enhancement strengthens the cybersecurity postures of customers by allowing MSPs to provide the same degree of monitoring and alerting for these applications as they do for core SaaS business applications.
viable APIs
SaaS products must log specific security information which can be used by SaaS Alerts to correlate user account behaviour
The term “viable APIs” refers to SaaS business applications that expose an API interface and reference documentation for their customers who wish to interact directly with application data.
The SaaS product must also log specific security information which can be used by SaaS Alerts to correlate user account behaviour within the SaaS Alerts security, orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) platform.
Channel-centric platform
“MSPs have consistently asked for the ability to oversee more than just fundamental SaaS business applications since our initial launch,” said Jim Lippie, CEO of SaaS Alerts, adding “The introduction of App Wizard responds to our customers’ needs and fills a void in the cybersecurity market. We are now the only channel-centric platform that can identify unauthorised actions in almost any SaaS application.”
Before introducing this feature, MSPs using SaaS Alerts were limited to monitoring core SaaS business applications, such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Slack, and Dropbox, in addition to certain RMM and IT documentation platforms.
App Wizard presents MSPs with a new revenue opportunity
This level of detail and oversight is invaluable and provides a level of protection against cyber threats
With App Wizard, MSPs can highlight to their customers the importance of monitoring applications like ServiceNow or SmartSheets by emphasising that no other service can match their ability to track user behaviour within such applications, from who is logging in, where they are logging in from, and what they’re viewing, to what data they’re extracting.
This level of detail and oversight is invaluable and provides a level of protection against cyber threats that hasn’t been available until now.
Viable API criteria
“Consider you have a hundred customers, each using at least one third-party application beyond Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace that meets the viable API criteria,” said Jim Lippie.
He adds, “Let’s say you charge $200 per customer, per additional monitored application. That’s an additional $20,000 in monthly recurring revenue. Annually, this amounts to $240,000 in added annual recurring revenue, all from this new capability alone without adding a single additional customer.”
Monthly recurring revenue
MSPs utilising SaaS Alerts were already boosting their monthly recurring revenue (MRR) by $2 to $6 per user
Before the introduction of this new feature, MSPs utilising SaaS Alerts were already boosting their monthly recurring revenue (MRR) by $2 to $6 per user each month, achieving up to a 91 percent gross margin.
The ability to protect more apps allows MSPs to further increase their MRR.
Caveat concerning viable APIs
Unfortunately, a considerable amount of work remains regarding APIs for SaaS products. Many of them are not viable, posing challenges for MSPs in providing comprehensive protection to their customers.
To tackle this problem, SaaS Alerts is launching “I want my SaaS alerts,” an industry-wide campaign to encourage the software community at large to start including security log data in their APIs to strengthen the security postures of businesses worldwide.
Details of the “I want my SaaS alerts” campaign
- Launch the petition on December 4.
- Collect signatures from 2,500 MSPs, representing an estimated 250,000 small businesses
- Gather enough signatures by March 8, the end of Right of Boom, a cybersecurity event purpose-built for MSPs.
- Present the petition to some of the world’s leading software corporations.
Making a difference
“Without a strong commitment from the software developer community, MSPs will continue to struggle with properly defending their customers against constantly evolving IT threats,” said Jim Lippie.
He continues, “We are actively bringing our concerns to the forefront and exerting pressure on software companies to act responsibly, not just for MSPs, but also for the more than 333 million small businesses across the globe. By coming together for this cause, MSPs can make a difference worldwide.”
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