IBM introduced a new cloud security technology that helps safeguard the increasing use of “bring-your-own” cloud-based apps at work. Cloud Security Enforcer combines cloud identity management (Identity-as-a-Service) with the ability for companies to discover outside apps being accessed by employees, including those they are using on their mobile devices. These combined capabilities enable companies to equip their workforce with a secure way to access and use the apps that they want.
Cloud Security Enforcer helps companies address a potentially significant security exposure, as they currently only have visibility into a fraction of the apps used by their workers. New research from IBM found that one-third of employees surveyed at Fortune 1000 companies are sharing and uploading corporate data on third-party cloud apps. Employees today are increasingly engaging in risky practices on these tools, such as signing in with their personal email addresses, using weak passwords, or re-using corporate log-in credentials. The increased use of mobile apps also carries a risk: nearly 40 percent of the mobile apps developed today aren’t properly secured before they hit the market.
Hosted on IBM Cloud, IBM’s new Cloud Security Enforcer can scan a corporate network, find the apps employees are using, and provide a more secure way to access them. Building on IBM’s existing partnership with Box, which offers users strengthened security when sharing files via mobile devices and the web, IBM has also built connectors for Cloud Security Enforcer into Box’s cloud-based content management and collaboration platform. In addition to Box’s app, IBM has built security connectors for other popular and common apps at work, including tools from Microsoft Office 365, Google Apps, Salesforce.com, and more.
Cloud Security Enforcer also features added security checks on the integrity and safety of apps being used by employees. These checks are done with the deep threat analytics from IBM X-Force, IBM’s global threat intelligence network. This platform is manned by a network of security analysts around the world, and monitors the internet for malicious activity and emerging attacks, based on an analysis of more than 20 billion global security events daily.
To learn more about Cloud Security Enforcer, visit www.ibm.com/security/cloud/cloud-security-enforcer.html.