Cyber asset attack surface management (CAASM) is focused on enabling security teams to overcome asset visibility and exposure challenges. It enables organizations to see all assets (internal and external), primarily through API integrations with existing tools, query consolidated data, identify the scope of vulnerabilities and gaps in security controls. These tools then continuously monitor and analyze detected vulnerabilities to drill down the most critical threats to the business and prioritize necessary remediation and mitigation actions for improved cyber security.
Software asset management (SAM) tools aim to decipher the complex and ever-changing world of software licensing. Core capability of SAM tools include discovery, normalization, reconciliation, optimization and reporting. SAM tools help address these common use cases: Discovery of software on on-premises, virtual and cloud platforms; Software entitlement management through a central repository, to track purchase data and contractual commitments; Spend management through demand forecasting, downgrading of entitlements, and reallocating of unused licenses or licenses assigned to leavers; Provision of software data insights by identifying licenses allocated to users and devices, software metering, providing usage data to procurement teams, and rightsizing. Ability to share data on software rationalization opportunities; Risk identification by detecting shadow usage, as well as end-of-life and end-of-support software; Increased collaboration between teams that participate in the software application life cycle, including all stakeholders internal and external to IT; Creation of reporting dashboards for operations teams and management.