{"id":15545,"date":"2021-09-13T20:33:41","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T20:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/saas-sprawl\/"},"modified":"2021-09-13T20:33:41","modified_gmt":"2021-09-13T20:33:41","slug":"saas-sprawl","status":"publish","type":"definition","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/34580\/saas-sprawl-software-as-a-service-sprawl","title":{"rendered":"SaaS Sprawl"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Does SaaS Sprawl Mean?<\/span><\/h2>\n

SaaS sprawl (Software-as-a-Service sprawl) is a phenomenon that occurs when the number of third-party cloud applications<\/a> being used on a network reaches a point where administrators can no longer manage them effectively.<\/p>\n

SaaS sprawl typically occurs when project teams and individual users download and install cloud apps to meet an immediate work need without waiting for their IT department to review and approve the cloud vendor’s software product. The ease of procuring, deploying, and using software-as-a-service (SaaS<\/a>) applications has made this type of shadow IT<\/a> easier to deploy than ever before. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

(Note also that Individuals can also use Cloud-based SaaS applications directly on the web without installing any software. This can lead to Data Loss Prevention (DLP) issues and place unauthorized business data outside of your normal operating environment or jurisdiction.)<\/span><\/p>\n

COVID-19 work-from-home mandates inspired many business departments to allow the unsupervised use of cloud apps without stopping to consider how the apps would fit into the organization's workflows. Although the large majority of cloud apps are used in isolation, it’s still important for IT departments to manage the data that moves in and out of them.<\/p>\n

Techopedia Explains SaaS Sprawl<\/span><\/h2>\n

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies used spreadsheets to manage their SaaS cloud stacks<\/a>, but this quickly proved to be both time consuming and inefficient.<\/p>\n

In response to changing business needs, software asset management <\/a>(SAM) vendors quickly made improvements to their cloud integration platforms<\/a> and rolled out additional management tools to help IT administrators combat SaaS sprawl. Depending upon the targeted market segment, such tools may be referred to as SaaS management platforms<\/em> or SaaSOp platforms<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Advantages of Using a SaaSOps Platform<\/h3>\n

The advantages of an effective SaasOps platform include the ability to:<\/p>\n