Overtis has released a plug-in that it claims can help organisations to monitor, manage and audit browser-based activity. The firm said it is designed to help companies comply with data protection regulations when using web-based applications.
The company cites a report from The European Network and Information Security Agency as proof that the industry needs something like this. According to the report when it comes to cloud-based applications no external audit is possible, very limited activity logs are available, no forensics are offered by cloud-based service providers and there is no sense of the actual location or jurisdiction of data.
Overtis VigilancePro Web Application Manager works by enforcing acceptable use policies via the browser, so users working in the cloud will be under the same guidelines as those working on-premise.
Any activity such as copying, cutting, pasting and printing can be centrally managed and audited, which Overtis claims will help organisations to comply with data protection regulations. It will also audit any SaaS activity that is blocked.
The plug-in can show or hide application tabs, hyperlinks and buttons and mask sensitive data, depending on the role, location and device status of the person using the SaaS application, Overtis said. It can also provide Single Sign On to multiple business applications.
Describing browsers as, "the new endpoint," Overtis CEO Ed Macnair said: "Organisations need to gain visibility of SaaS activity, by managing, securing and auditing what happens in the browser. By enabling them to exercise the same level of control over SaaS, as on-premise applications, with the ability to centrally manage and audit user activity, these organisations can gain the economic benefits of cloud-based technology, without losing control of their data."
With analyst house IDC predicting that the SaaS market will be worth $40.5bn by 2014, Eric Domage, manager of Western European security research and consulting at the firm, said: "Given the complexity of cloud infrastructure, it happens that the browser is the new frontier between the user and data. To date, organisations have adopted cloud-based services, despite security questions remaining. New technologies that allow control of the browser will help to overcome the long-term inhibitors to cloud adoption and increase uptake of SaaS services".
