As cloud application adoption accelerates and the modern workplace undergoes significant transformation, LastPass has unveiled an innovative strategy aimed at democratizing access management. Designed primarily for small and mid-sized businesses, the offering known as Secure Access Experiences is set to provide a more cohesive and user-friendly method for managing identity and access. This development seeks to address the issues of complexity, cost, and confusion that often accompany traditional access management solutions.
The Context of Growing Risks
In today’s digital landscape, the concept of identity has evolved into a critical security perimeter, but it faces numerous pressures. While larger enterprises typically have the financial resources to invest in comprehensive identity and access management solutions, their smaller counterparts remain vulnerable. Many lack access to affordable, user-friendly tools and struggle with minimal visibility into the applications their employees utilize. This leads to an alarming increase in app sprawl, where companies are ill-equipped to manage the multitude of applications in use.
The consequences of this situation can be dire. The emergence of Shadow IT and Shadow AI greatly expands the organization’s attack surface, introducing unmanaged risks through unsanctioned applications and AI tools. According to forecasts from Gartner, by 2027, a staggering 75% of employees are anticipated to engage with technology beyond the visibility of their IT departments, a significant rise from 41% in 2022.
This unmonitored shift results in substantial financial waste. Businesses with fewer than 399 employees report an average annual waste of $500,000, while those with 400-799 employees see an even greater average loss of $1.3 million. Furthermore, unauthorized access and data sharing are becoming alarmingly common, with 38% of employees admitting to sharing sensitive work-related information with unapproved AI tools. This behavior significantly jeopardizes the protection of proprietary data.
Additionally, companies face growing compliance challenges. Without clear visibility into application usage and access patterns, organizations risk incurring audit violations, fines, and a serious erosion of trust from clients and stakeholders. In an age when the lines between personal and professional technology continue to blur, businesses must find a more intelligent and streamlined means of managing access that effectively addresses modern obstacles without overwhelming their teams.
A Pragmatic Solution
Addressing this conundrum, LastPass proposes Secure Access Experiences as a comprehensive response to the escalating crisis in access management. This evolving solution aims to unify essential functionalities into a single, intuitive experience. It empowers both business owners and global IT teams to simplify their access management processes in several key ways.
-
Seamless Login: Users can securely manage password storage and usage, with enhanced support for passkeys to facilitate faster and safer logins.
-
Access Control: Organizations can easily determine and regulate who has access to specific applications, systems, and data. The solution’s flexible setup accommodates the needs of growing businesses.
- Operational Awareness: Businesses can gain insights into application usage — understanding which apps are utilized, when, and by whom. This level of awareness fosters prompt identification of issues and ensures that operations remain smooth and secure.
Don MacLennan, CPO at LastPass, highlights the necessity for this innovation, stating, "For too long, solutions that manage employee access to critical systems and data have been overly complex and expensive for small- and mid-sized enterprises. Secure Access Experiences is about simplifying what is essential. We’re making access control more approachable, more affordable, and more aligned with how most businesses actually work today."
Initial Offerings: SaaS Monitoring
The rollout of Secure Access Experiences kicks off with SaaS Monitoring, an essential feature expected to launch in mid-May. This capability will be delivered via the same widely trusted browser extension that millions rely on for password management.
SaaS Monitoring empowers business owners and IT administrators to gain visibility into the applications being utilized across their organizations. This oversight assists in identifying unapproved tools, spotting instances of Shadow IT and Shadow AI, and optimizing application investments—eliminating the need for additional agents, integrations, or complexity.
MacLennan elaborates, "Hidden, unapproved apps and misuse of AI isn’t just a security issue — it’s a spending issue, a productivity issue, a compliance issue. Companies need a high-altitude view of what’s happening inside their organizations."
With the introduction of Secure Access Experiences, LastPass is poised to redefine how businesses manage identity and access, making it simpler and more effective for organizations of all sizes to navigate the complexities of today’s digital landscape.