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With new SaaS applications popping up every day across your organization, staying one step ahead makes all the difference for your security, compliance, and IT operations. By staying “one step ahead,” we mean foreseeing and preventing unauthorized SaaS usage and unexpected costs.
JumpCloud’s latest SaaS management feature enables IT admins to manually add applications to their SaaS inventory, even prior to automated discovery. Whether the applications are too niche, unknown, or private, you can prevent accidents before they happen.
Let’s go over this powerful functionality, its use cases, and how it will save you time, effort, and money in the long run. No more unwelcome surprises in your IT teams’ horizon.
A Closer Look at JumpCloud’s Manual App-Adding Feature
The idea behind adding SaaS applications to your JumpCloud SaaS inventory is to give you total oversight. If you simply have an application in mind that you want to manage on your JumpCloud SaaS Management dashboards, you can directly add it, without needing to wait for it to surface in automated discovery.
This means you can actively manage renewals, access, and usage for each app, right from or even before the start. When active, you can:
- Track renewals for all applications, even the ones that are not discovered yet
- Warn/block access to applications that employees haven’t yet signed up for, but are identified as unapproved by IT
- Track apps that are not in your catalog yet or applications that are internal
So how does it work?
Step 1. Identify and Add
When you have an application in mind that you want to manage or you become aware of an application being used within your organization — whether it’s a new CRM, a niche AI tool, an internal SaaS application or a custom finance tool — you can add it to your inventory manually in just a few clicks.
Step 2. Set Controls
Once added, you can implement controls to manage access, such as warning users directly through their browsers when they visit those applications or block access to them altogether by displaying a message to inform them.
Step 3. Check JumpCloud SaaS Management for Continuous Oversight
With this feature, applications that may otherwise go undetected like private applications can now be a part of your managed IT ecosystem. JumpCloud SaaS Management displays every new login to the manually added application just like the rest of your managed tools.
Comprehensive visibility in a unified view makes it easier for IT admins to always be one step ahead of users so that they can secure and streamline the way your users work.
Use Cases
There are a few different use cases where these additions can really enhance your growing SaaS management program.
1. Add Unknown/Private Browser-Based Apps to Your Inventory
84% of SMEs are concerned about shadow IT, and it was the cause of 37% of the breaches SMEs have experienced so far this year. — JumpCloud’s Q3 2024 SME IT Trends Report
Browser-based SaaS applications that are not automatically detected may be critical for individual teams or departments to work, but without proper management, they may fall outside your organizational security protocols or become difficult to track.
Adding applications manually allows IT teams to track logins, users, and account details (user credentials are not tracked; available data includes the login method, last login date, and more) from a centralized view to ensure security across all departments. Once added, these applications will be accounted for and managed like any other application in your SaaS environment.
Also read: SaaS Management: A New Pillar Is Forged
2. Warn or Block Access to SaaS Apps Even Before Discovery
Now that you know that you can add applications to your SaaS inventory manually, it’s time to take action. Once you have the application in your inventory, you can review users that logged in without IT approval.
To prevent further usage of that unauthorized SaaS application, you can display a warning message to your users on their browsers before they log in. Or you can block access to those browser-based applications and provide a link to your security protocols for further information on third-party application usage.
By manually adding applications to your JumpCloud SaaS Management inventory, you can:
- Check who has access to those applications
- Implement warnings or restrictions on unauthorized usage
This is a high-level security measure that helps secure your company’s data and ensures compliance with internal policies, all while preventing shadow IT from creating gaps in your security posture.
3. Streamline Renewal Management
The final use case example is on the financial side of SaaS management. SaaS renewal dates can easily slip through the cracks, especially when multiple teams use different SaaS applications. Missing a renewal might mean sudden service disruptions, leading to productivity losses, or worse, paying for a service that no longer fits your needs.
Oftentimes, most organizations keep paying for applications they no longer use or preserving single sign-on (SSO) access to those without knowing. This causes security, compliance, and IT blindspots that reflect negatively on your reputation and budget.
By manually adding SaaS applications to your JumpCloud SaaS Management inventory, you can ensure comprehensive visibility over every renewal date and user access. You’ll never miss another deadline, as you can quickly track subscription renewal dates from a single place.
Avoid service interruptions and make informed decisions about contract renewals, renegotiations, or cancellations, all while keeping your budget under control.
Ready to See JumpCloud SaaS Management in Action?
IT environments are in constant digital change by nature. JumpCloud SaaS Management keeps you one step ahead by empowering you to take control of every SaaS application in your environment, even before automated SaaS discovery kicks in.
With the ability to manually add applications, you’re better prepared to manage renewals, set access controls, and secure applications that might otherwise slip under the radar. This proactive approach ensures that your SaaS ecosystem remains transparent, secure, and aligned with your business needs.
Schedule a demo to see JumpCloud SaaS Management so you can maintain full visibility and control over your applications — now and in the future.
