Ascensus Prevents Data Loss in the Cloud

Addressing that sprawl became paramount when Ascensus transitioned to Microsoft 365. “That was the moment we could no longer consider SaaS applications to be an exception,” Krueger says. Ascensus’ on-premises data loss prevention (DLP) would not be able to securely cover the transition, so Ascensus proactively searched for another solution to ensure that users could still access essential applications after transitioning to M365.

“We couldn’t just put the security hammer down and tell business users that applications they want are off-limits,” Krueger emphasizes. “That would be a career-limiting approach. What we needed was information about how employees were using cloud solutions so that we could prioritize our efforts and, essentially, pick our battles.”

“Netskope CASB helps us understand our usage and where we face the greatest security risk, which is crucial given the complexities in our different operational areas,” Krueger says. “We can put together a shortlist of our biggest risks. Then we can spin up a response in our ‘cloud sanctioning’ process.”

The team is using Netskope CASB to evaluate prospective cloud applications, as well. “We’ll open up Netskope and look at an app an end user is interested in,” Krueger says. “If the analysis indicates that security would be problematic, we might ask the business whether they’ve considered another tool that is similar but would pose less risk.”

“Most platforms include some security, but we may have 12 other areas where we want protection, like access management or encryption of data,” Krueger continues. “On all these platforms, customers make a lot of configuration decisions. We leverage the CASB’s data on usage to ensure apps conform to our security rules and expectations.”

“Netskope CASB is a very advanced tool,” he adds. “The more you dig into it, the more ways you find to use it.”

Krueger expects to continue adding Netskope solutions to Ascensus’ environment. “We are comfortable looking into the future with Netskope,” he says. “We have a very strong partnership.”

Krueger is confident that Ascensus takes proactive measures in securing its “cloud crown jewels.” Better yet, he says, “my team has become a business enabler vs. business restrictor. Users expect to be allowed to access the online systems they need. When you look at old-school content filtering, security has to be very binary—actions are either allowed or not, across the board. The Netskope solution enables us to have more nuance around the rules. This means we can protect our data and applications without ever just telling users ‘no.’”