With so many organizations transitioning part or all of their operations to the cloud, the benefits of leveraging Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) have never been more apparent. No other platform epitomizes the success and adoption of SaaS better than Salesforce. Their rapid growth has shown that the demand for cloud-based efficiency is only increasing.
Considering the level of success Salesforce has achieved through their cloud-delivered approach to CRM, it’s surprising to see their recent partnership with legacy endpoint player Tanium, whose platform is architected as an on-premise solution. While the partnership shines a spotlight on the importance of endpoint management, it fails to embrace the main factor that has led to Salesforce’s popularity. Given the estimate that 83 percent of enterprise workloads are in the cloud and the assumption that cloud adoption will continue to increase, you have to wonder if a cloud-first mentality towards partnerships would yield an even greater return for both Salesforce and its customers.
SaaS solutions can provide organizations with an array of benefits, not the least of which is faster growth. While on-premise options for things like customer relationship management or endpoint management can be limited in terms of extensibility, cloud-based options allow for more rapid expansion and growth. Many companies are turning to SaaS-based solutions to meet their needs; survey data suggests that 73 percent of organizations are looking to move almost all of their applications to the cloud in 2020.
While customer relationship management is a focal point for many organizations moving towards SaaS adoption, implementing a cloud-based solution for endpoint management should also be a key part of any SaaS adoption strategy.
Managing Endpoints With SaaS Solutions
Managing endpoints can be a complex task; modern infrastructure can be very complex and may feature hundreds of devices that are running different operating systems and third-party applications. The rise of remote work further complicates the issue of endpoint management, as remote devices are notoriously difficult to keep track of and secure with on-premise tools.
Endpoint management can easily become overwhelming for larger organizations, particularly when there is continued reliance on legacy tools. In addition to inventorying all devices and applications, checking for and deploying patches, and surveying the status of endpoints, IT may need to configure multiple on-site tools to handle all of their organization’s needs. For remote devices, there is the added challenge of needing to connect through VPN in order to receive updates. Legacy endpoint management solutions can also be limited in their extensibility and may struggle with sudden changes in workload. For example, an organization’s VPN may not have the bandwidth to accommodate a sudden shift to remote work -- a problem that has been highlighted in recent times.
However, many of the difficulties seen in on-premise endpoint management can be eliminated with a SaaS adoption strategy. Cloud-based agents like Automox can be easily installed on all devices and allow users to patch any and all devices, regardless of location. Modern endpoint management solutions make it possible for users to patch for multiple operating systems and third-party applications, deploy new software, and provide real-time endpoint visibility from a single dashboard. Automated, cloud-native patching helps streamline the process of managing and securing endpoints from start to finish.
Cutting Costs With The Cloud
SaaS adoption strategies are designed for the current digital landscape, and in many cases, these solutions can help organizations cut costs significantly. In the case of cloud-based endpoint management, cloud adoption can help organizations cut overhead costs by up to 80 percent. Regardless of an organization’s size, making the switch from on-premise to SaaS-based can yield significant cost savings.
The legacy approach to managing endpoints and patch deployment is painful to use and costly to maintain. This is especially true in the modern workplace, which is often home to an array of different operating systems, third-party applications, and endpoints. IT staff may find they are spending too much time configuring and maintaining on-premise tools and are overburdened by the process of manually checking for, testing, and deploying patches. Poor endpoint visibility adds to the frustration of legacy patch management as staff may struggle to track patch status. Endpoints are a key target for attackers and limitations in visibility may leave some devices in the dark.
Cloud-native patching solutions make it easy for users to maintain full endpoint visibility no matter where a device is located and ensure that critical security updates are getting deployed. Taking a SaaS-based approach to endpoint management can help organizations streamline the process of managing and securing devices while also reducing operational costs.
About Automox Automated Patch Management
Facing growing threats and a rapidly expanding attack surface, understaffed and alert-fatigued organizations need more efficient ways to eliminate their exposure to vulnerabilities. Automox is a modern cyber hygiene platform that closes the aperture of attack by more than 80% with just half the effort of traditional solutions.
Cloud-native and globally available, Automox enforces OS & third-party patch management, security configurations, and custom scripting across Windows, macOS, and Linux from a single intuitive console. IT and SecOps can quickly gain control and share visibility of on-prem, remote and virtual endpoints without the need to deploy costly infrastructure.
Experience modern, cloud-native patch management today with a 15-day free trial of Automox and start recapturing more than half the time you're currently spending on managing your attack surface. Automox dramatically reduces corporate risk while raising operational efficiency to deliver best-in-class security outcomes, faster and with fewer resources.
