Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
What is Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)?
A Cloud Access Security Broker, or CASB, is a security control that sits between users and cloud services to provide visibility, enforce policy, protect data, and reduce risk in cloud application use.
Examples
- A company uses a CASB to discover that employees are uploading business files to unsanctioned cloud storage services and then blocks that activity.
- A security team applies a CASB policy that prevents confidential documents from being shared publicly from the organization's approved cloud collaboration platform.
Discover 🔎
Cloud services make work faster and more flexible, but they also create a difficult security problem. Employees can access data from anywhere, use many different software-as-a-service platforms, and share information quickly across devices and teams. That convenience is useful for the business, but it can also make it much harder to see where data is going and whether cloud use matches security policy.
This is where a CASB becomes important. It helps organizations regain visibility and control over cloud usage without giving up the benefits of cloud services entirely. Instead of treating cloud applications as a blind spot, the CASB gives security teams a way to watch how those services are being used, apply policy, and respond when risky behavior appears.
Summary 📝
A Cloud Access Security Broker helps organizations bring visibility, control, and policy enforcement to cloud service use. It is especially valuable when users, devices, and data operate across many SaaS platforms and locations. Its main purpose is to reduce cloud-related risk by helping the business see what is happening and decide what should be allowed, restricted, or investigated.
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