Enterprise IT management solutions specialist ManageEngine has launched SaaS Manager Plus, which offers integration with parent company Zoho’s applications and aims to help IT administrators streamline their software as a service (SaaS) ecosystem.
The company is offering SaaS Manager Plus in Standard and Free editions, with pricing based on the number of users.
The Standard edition starts at $250 a year for 25 users, and the Free edition supports up to five users.
The platform offers an overview of all active subscriptions, including usage metrics, renewal dates and associated costs and can integrate with a range of identity and access management (IAM) systems, help desk software and accounting platforms.
Reports on SaaS spending trends, usage metrics and cost breakdowns can help ITSM workers facilitate informed decision-making and budget planning.
Additionally, alerts and insights on upcoming subscription renewals help organizations avoid unnecessary expenses.
Vasudevan Seshadri, director of product management for ManageEngine, said the centralized management of licenses, inventory, automation and reporting, as well as the cost optimization capabilities of ManageEngine SaaS Manager Plus, helps organizations cut down and avoid SaaS sprawl.
“The solution helps discover and track applications used in an organization, including shadow IT, so they can be managed effectively and with the optimum usage of subscriptions,” he said.
The application comes with intelligent invoice management to keep track of spending and provides intuitive dashboards and reports.
“This gives complete visibility into the applications used and costs incurred on subscriptions,” Seshadri said. “By consolidating all subscription costs and providing spend details, organizations can optimize their spending and better plan for the future.”
A November 2023 report from IT research firm Gartner predicted global spending on SaaS in 2024 would top $244 billion, representing nearly 20% growth year over year (YoY)
Seshadri noted with the proliferation of SaaS applications, integration capabilities become essential for seamless data flow and process automation.
SaaS Manager Plus integrates with Okta for application and user discovery, and for getting visibility over the utilization of various applications by users.
“It also integrates with notable ITSM providers such as ServiceNow and Zendesk along with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus for notification of renewals and license management,” he explained.
He added integration with Zoho Books helps pull all spending data to give organizations a comprehensive view on all SaaS spending in a single place.
“The platform’s integration with the other applications in the ecosystem is an ongoing process and will continue to connect disparate systems and enable interoperability,” Seshadri said.
Seshadri said SaaS Manager Plus is designed for all types of organizations, noting any establishment with subscriptions to SaaS applications will benefit with discovery, license, and cost optimization opportunities that are backed by data.
“Organizations using multiple SaaS subscriptions can utilize this comprehensive solution to help control and manage SaaS sprawl and spending,” he said.
As SaaS ecosystems continue to grow more complex, Seshadri said scalability and heterogeneity have emerged as the biggest challenge for enterprises. Another issue of concern is integration.
“It is no longer sufficient to integrate with just popular applications,” he said. “A wider support system is needed, as enterprises don’t restrict themselves to the major applications.”
From his perspective, SaaS management continues to evolve in this ecosystem.
“SaaS Manager Plus empowers enterprises to harness the full potential of subscribed applications, address their unique challenges and requirements with AI-powered forecasting, and reduce redundant subscription costs,” he said.
Log360 SIEM Integration with Constella
Last week the company announced integration of its SIEM solution, Log360, with Constella Intelligence for proactive supply chain risk management. Log360 already offers integrated data loss prevention (DLP) and cloud access security broker (CASB) capabilities.
The integration with Constella provides organizations with 24/7 dark web monitoring, scanning continuously for leaked credentials associated with their employees, vendors, and the organization itself.
This information helps organizations take proactive steps to collaborate with affected vendors, implementing mitigation measures such as password resets and enhanced security protocols.
Other benefits from the Constella integration include real-time alerts and threat intelligence through Log360’s threat investigation console, the Incident Workbench, and predictions powered by contextual analytics to help security teams preempt attacks.
