Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) provides visibility and control over cloud application usage — discovering shadow IT, enforcing data loss prevention policies in cloud services, detecting account compromise through behavioral analysis, and applying access controls based on user identity and device context.
The average enterprise uses over 1,500 cloud applications. Most of them are unknown to IT and uncontrolled by security policy. CASB provides the cloud visibility and control layer that extends your security policies to the cloud applications your users access every day.
A structured advisory process — from security posture assessment and market evaluation to vendor selection, contract negotiation, and post-deployment validation — tailored to your risk profile and compliance obligations.
We assess your cloud application footprint — using network traffic analysis, SSO logs, and CASB discovery capabilities — to build the comprehensive inventory of sanctioned and shadow IT applications accessing corporate data.
We evaluate CASB platforms — Netskope, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, Palo Alto Prisma SaaS, Zscaler CASB — against your cloud application portfolio, DLP requirements, and the integration depth with your identity and network security architecture.
We design the CASB policy framework — app risk scoring, DLP policies for cloud data, anomaly detection rules, and the access control policies that block high-risk applications and enforce data handling requirements.
CASB deployment model determines the controls available. We advise on the inline (proxy-based) vs. API-based deployment approach appropriate for your cloud application mix and the control depth required.
These are the dimensions that consistently separate effective security programs from expensive ones — and the questions RLM will help you answer before any vendor commitment.
Inline CASB provides real-time control over all cloud traffic; API CASB provides post-event visibility and control for specific applications. Evaluate the control depth required for your use cases — DLP for data uploads requires inline; account compromise detection can use API.
Shadow IT applications range from low-risk productivity tools to high-risk file sharing services. Evaluate the risk scoring methodology and the policy framework for managing shadow IT — full block vs. monitor vs. educate approaches.
CASB DLP operates on cloud traffic that may be encrypted or formatted differently than on-premises traffic. Evaluate DLP policy fidelity for your specific sensitive data types — particularly unstructured data in cloud storage and collaboration tools.
CASB should provide granular control within sanctioned applications — blocking file downloads to personal devices from corporate OneDrive, for example. Evaluate the granularity of control available for your most-used sanctioned applications.
Inline CASB adds latency to all cloud traffic. Evaluate the performance impact and the SSL inspection model — particularly for applications where latency sensitivity is high.
CASB is increasingly delivered as part of SASE architecture. Evaluate whether your SASE platform provides equivalent CASB capabilities before investing in a dedicated CASB solution.
"RLM helped us build a security program that satisfied our board and our auditors — without locking us into a single vendor's roadmap. Their independence is the whole point."
"We had three overlapping security tools doing the same job. RLM helped us rationalize the stack, cut spend by 30%, and actually improve our detection coverage in the process."
Start with a no-cost conversation with an RLM security advisor — vendor neutral, no agenda, just clarity on where your gaps are and the right path to close them.
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