As Censornet’s Technical Support Manager, I am on the frontline. Every day I see the results of unprecedented growth in the web ecosystem. Businesses and academic institutions are fighting to adapt to this dynamic landscape. Safeguarding networks has become imperative, not just against external threats but also from within. Studies consistently reveal that human elements contribute to a significant percentage of incidents, with figures ranging from 70% to 90%. Reports such as the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) continue to underscore the pivotal role of human error in security incidents.
AI is also an increasingly common topic, offering both potential benefits and challenges. While we are still uncovering its impact, instances of its use in plagiarism, malicious content, and disinformation have already surfaced. The businesses I work with are also starting to recognise the benefits within their own organisations too.
One thing is clear – control has emerged as the critical factor in navigating this landscape effectively. The need to manage user activity and monitor trends is essential for pre-emptively addressing emerging threats. Similarly, maintaining control over access to new and untested tools becomes crucial in mitigating risks. That’s where our Cloud Application Security comes in – it simply offers unparalleled control at every level – whether it’s managing broad app functionality or granular control over user and app interactions.
Being right in the thick of things gives me a front-row seat to how our cloud application module really makes a difference for our customers. With that in mind, I’ve rounded up my personal top 8 benefits and uses that have caught my eye:
8. Apply different rules and permissions for business and personal apps
Preventing data loss is top of most lists. Our customers are using the cloud application module to do this – helping to meet DLP requirements by tailoring access to apps such as OneDrive and Outlook (among others). The platform allows you to set rules such as blocking access or functionality to personal versions of applications while allowing users to have full or limited access to business versions simultaneously.
7. Cloud app security on the go
Since 2019, we haven’t stopped hearing about the demands of remote working, and the need to protect devices wherever they go. All of our cloud app and web security functionality is available across our range of filtering methods. The USS agent means that users laptops, Macs and Chromebooks can be filtered, and their cloud app activity monitored no matter where they are in the world. Cloud application security should never be limited to the office!
6. Granular and on-demand user activity reporting
The system reports on all actions performed in 1,500+ cloud apps including the contents of search terms, messages and files uploaded or deleted. Our customers really see the benefit of this, especially with our automated scheduled reports delivering these activity reports directly to their mailbox.
5. Customisable risk settings
This is one of my favourites – the amount of needless admin that is taken off users’ hands. Each cloud app, and the actions you can take within it, have an associated risk, all of which is editable. With the single click of the mouse, you can block actions or apps you deem inappropriate. I have yet to see another product that offers this level of simplicity and granularity, whilst still being proxy-less.
4. Using keywords and strings to streamline your control
This is highly prevalent with our education customers, but is starting to expand into other sectors – the need to monitor for bigotry, hate speech or bullying. Our cloud app module will not only report on these keywords, but also let you block them from ever being sent or searched for. Again, the ease and simplicity of which are customers can do this is remarkable.
3. AI protection
With the rise of Artificial Intelligence apps and offerings it’s been a frequent topic of discussion with our customers. We have currently catalogued 75 AI applications and counting. Businesses and academic institutions can now detect and manage the use of AI down to specific user access, prompts and file uploads. Typically, our customers are using it to prevent plagiarism and cheating, as well as verifying resources and meeting DLP standards.
2. Seamless integration with our web security module
Consolidation is everywhere, but it’s not often as seamless as when you merge cloud app usage rules with our web filtering policies within our platform. The time and friction saved as customers gain granular control over websites and functionality constantly impresses me, and them. They can manage access to entire Internet web categories and fine-tune user functions—all in one consolidated platform.
1. App requests
Although not my favourite, number 1 is the most satisfying thing to deliver. We’ve made a commitment to all our customers – if you discover a cloud app missing from our catalogue of 1,500+ that your business uses, our engineering team can integrate it within as little as a week. I have seen this turned around in a couple of days, with full action control and reporting capabilities. This is not just a feature of our cloud app module, but symptomatic of how Censornet operates.
