The rapid adoption of Software as a Service (SaaS) applications has transformed business operations, driving productivity, collaboration, and scalability. However, as organizations increasingly rely on cloud-based platforms, maintaining SaaS visibility and control over these apps has become a critical challenge — particularly from a security, compliance, and risk management perspective.
Historically, businesses and researchers relied on resources like Alexa’s Top 1 Million list to gain broad SaaS visibility and track web traffic trends. Since Alexa’s discontinuation in May 2022, organizations have struggled to find reliable general visibility into SaaS app popularity and adoption patterns. In response, zvelo introduced the Top SaaS Apps List, a publicly accessible resource providing essential data on overall SaaS popularity and adoption trends. This list highlights broad usage patterns that inform cybersecurity strategies and digital transformation priorities, demonstrating the increasing importance of comprehensive SaaS visibility.
For cybersecurity solution providers, MSSPs, compliance officers, and IT teams who require deeper and more precise SaaS application data, zvelo provides the comprehensive SaaS App Intelligence. Compiled using aggregated, global SaaS usage data collected from zvelo’s partner network of more than 1.5 billion endpoint solutions worldwide, SaaS App Intelligence delivers precise, authoritative, and granular application data, empowering organizations to address critical SaaS visibility gaps, proactively manage security risks, enforce policies, and ensure regulatory compliance.
The Rising Importance of SaaS Visibility
With SaaS applications now foundational to enterprise productivity, organizations face escalating risks associated with uncontrolled SaaS usage. Employees frequently adopt cloud applications without explicit IT approval, resulting in Shadow IT. This significantly increases risks of data leakage, unauthorized access, and compliance violations, making effective SaaS visibility more crucial than ever.
Without comprehensive SaaS visibility, IT and security teams struggle to enforce cybersecurity policies, effectively manage data governance, and proactively mitigate threats. Additionally, regulatory frameworks such as GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 require robust data handling controls. Compliance teams rely heavily on accurate and granular SaaS application data to verify regulatory adherence. Traditional web traffic and ranking tools offer insufficient SaaS visibility, leaving organizations exposed to evolving threats and potential compliance risks.
Limitations of Traditional Web Ranking Tools
For years, Alexa’s Top 1 Million list served as a go-to resource for tracking website popularity and analyzing digital trends. Its discontinuation created a significant gap in reliable web traffic and SaaS usage monitoring. Alternatives such as the Tranco list emerged, aggregating data from multiple sources to provide website rankings. However, Tranco primarily focuses on domains rather than SaaS applications, failing to adequately address the growing demand for SaaS visibility essential for comprehensive risk assessment, policy enforcement, and threat prevention.
How zvelo SaaS App Intelligence Delivers Essential SaaS Visibility
To bridge this gap, zvelo has emerged as a definitive authority by providing extensive and authoritative SaaS App Intelligence. Compiled using aggregated SaaS usage data collected from zvelo’s partner network of more than 1.5 billion endpoint solutions across the globe, zvelo equips cybersecurity partners with the precise information required to effectively monitor SaaS adoption trends, application functionalities, and associated risks.
Key Benefits of zvelo’s SaaS App Intelligence Data:
Key capabilities provided by zvelo’s SaaS App Intelligence to enhance your SaaS visibility include:
- Detailed SaaS App Identification. Gain crucial metadata on bundle/package IDs, features, descriptions, icons, and alternate names for accurate recognition and classification.
- Robust App Categorization. Access 70+ app categories spanning platforms like Google Play, Apple, and streaming services. This enables policy enforcement at the app level while tracking SaaS application adoption patterns and emerging platforms.
- Granular Functional Data. Receive detailed, actionable information about specific application functions, such as file uploads, downloads, and sharing to enable precise security policy enforcement.
- Risk-Based SaaS Classification. Classify SaaS applications according to their data leakage potential and associated security risks, allowing proactive risk mitigation.
- Continuous Real-Time Updates. Ensure SaaS application data remains current and relevant, allowing security providers to quickly detect and address emerging threats.
The Critical Value of SaaS Visibility for Key Stakeholders
zvelo’s SaaS App Intelligence delivers precise and authoritative SaaS application data to significantly enhance SaaS visibility for cybersecurity solution providers, MSSPs, compliance teams, and IT professionals across diverse industry applications:
Cybersecurity Solutions
Improve SaaS visibility for endpoint protection solutions (such as EPP, EDR, and XDR) and DNS filtering services by accurately identifying SaaS application usage. Strengthen your Zero Trust initiatives and effectively manage Shadow IT, ensuring proactive detection and mitigation of unauthorized SaaS usage risks.
Compliance and Privacy
Provide compliance professionals with enhanced SaaS visibility, facilitating adherence to regulatory standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2. Detailed SaaS application data simplifies compliance management and helps safeguard sensitive information across your digital ecosystem.
Cloud Security
Enhance cloud security with zvelo’s SaaS App Intelligence by mapping application-level insights to real-time network activity. Correlating traffic with rich app metadata and functional attributes enables security teams to strengthen policy enforcement, detect unauthorized usage, and minimize the risk of data exposure across cloud environments.
Security Automation and Orchestration
Integrate detailed SaaS application data into SIEM and SOAR platforms, significantly enhancing SaaS visibility for automated security analytics, threat detection, and streamlined incident response processes.
Advanced Security Approaches
Enable innovative cybersecurity strategies, including behavioral analytics and human-centric security models, by providing precise data that increases overall SaaS visibility, empowering proactive threat management and vulnerability assessments.
Leveraging zvelo’s SaaS App Intelligence improves your organization’s SaaS visibility, empowering cybersecurity solution providers, MSSPs, compliance officers, and IT leaders to effectively secure cloud ecosystems, enforce policies, and proactively manage SaaS risks.
Build a Strong Foundation for SaaS Visibility
As organizations become increasingly reliant on SaaS applications, maintaining comprehensive and accurate SaaS visibility is no longer optional — it is essential for security, compliance, and business continuity. zvelo’s SaaS App Intelligence provides the authoritative, data security teams need to proactively mitigate risks, enforce policies, and strengthen cybersecurity defenses in an evolving cloud landscape.
