A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) solution is a cybersecurity tool that gives visibility, control and protection for cloud-based applications and services. As businesses rely more on cloud platforms, CASBs act as intermediaries between users and cloud services to enforce security policies. They help organizations manage cloud security by making sure sensitive data is protected, compliance standards are met and user behavior is monitored. CASBs typically offer features such as data encryption, threat detection, identity and access management, and cloud governance across multiple cloud environments.
CASB solutions secure your business and data by providing granular control over cloud usage and access. They help detect unauthorized use of cloud services, prevent data leaks, and ensure that sensitive information is encrypted both at rest and in transit. CASBs integrate with a wide range of cloud applications to enforce access control policies based on user identity, location, device, and behavior. By continuously monitoring cloud environments for potential risks and vulnerabilities, CASBs protect against insider threats, account compromise, and misconfigurations, ensuring that business data remains safe and compliant with industry standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.
Shadow AI is now one of the biggest blind spots a CASB uncovers. See our guide on what stops company data leaking into ChatGPT and Gemini.
A CASB sits between your users and the cloud services they use, and applies your security rules there. Most solutions combine three ways of doing it.
API connection. The CASB connects directly to services such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, scans what is already stored there and watches activity. It is quick to switch on and does not touch user traffic.
Forward proxy. Traffic from managed devices passes through the CASB on its way out. That lets it allow, limit or block cloud apps as people use them, including apps IT never approved.
Reverse proxy. Traffic to a specific cloud app is routed through the CASB, which lets you control access from personal or unmanaged devices.
Which mix suits you depends on the apps you use and who connects to them: staff laptops, personal phones, contractors.
A firewall sees traffic leaving your network. It does not tell you which cloud apps your staff signed up for, or what they uploaded to them. These are the usual reasons companies add a CASB.
Staff use cloud apps IT never approved. Shadow IT discovery shows which apps are in use and how risky each one is.
Sensitive data leaves through cloud and AI tools. Customer records, contracts and source code can end up in file sharing sites and AI chat tools. A CASB applies data loss prevention rules where that happens.
An audit is coming. Auditors ask who accessed what and where regulated data sits. A CASB keeps the activity logs and policy records that help answer that.
People work from anywhere. Remote staff and personal devices connect straight to cloud apps and never touch the office network.
A CASB works best next to your other controls, not in place of them. It fits alongside cloud security and identity and access management. To talk through which vendor and deployment mode suit your business, contact our team.
A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) is a security tool that sits between your users and the cloud services they use. It shows you which cloud apps are in use, applies your security policies, protects data and flags risky behavior.
In most cases, yes. A firewall controls traffic at your network edge, and traditional data loss prevention often covers only your own devices and email. A CASB covers the cloud apps themselves, including ones used from home or from personal devices, and shows you apps your team signed up for without telling IT.
It discovers which cloud and AI apps people are using, scores how risky each one is, and lets you allow, limit or block them. For approved apps it can apply data loss prevention rules, so sensitive data is not uploaded where it should not go.
A CASB is one building block. Security service edge (SSE) bundles a CASB with a secure web gateway and zero trust network access. SASE adds software-defined networking on top of that. Many vendors sell the CASB as part of a wider platform.
Our CASB options include Forcepoint, Symantec CloudSOC (Broadcom), Netskope and Zscaler. We can help you compare them against the cloud apps you use and the way your team works.
It can help. A CASB enforces access and data rules, records user activity and produces audit trails, which supports requirements such as GDPR, HIPAA and PCI DSS. It does not make you compliant on its own, because that also depends on your policies and your wider controls.
Yes. We work from our base in Sharjah with businesses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE. We begin by listing the cloud apps your staff use, then agree which ones to monitor and control.
