Cloud access security broker
A cloud access security broker (CASB) (sometimes pronounced cas-bee) is on-premises or cloud based software that sits between cloud service users and cloud applications, and monitors all activity and enforces security policies.[1] A CASB can offer a variety of services such as monitoring user activity, warning administrators about potentially hazardous actions, enforcing security policy compliance, and automatically preventing malware.
Types
A CASB may deliver security, management or both. Broadly speaking, "security" is the prevention of high-risk events, whilst "management" is the monitoring and mitigation of high-risk events.
CASBs that deliver security must be in the path of data access, between the user and the cloud. Architecturally, this might be achieved with proxy agents on each end-point device, or in agentless fashion without requiring any configuration on each device. Agentless CASBs allow for rapid deployment and deliver security on both company-managed and unmanaged BYOD devices. Agentless CASB also respect user privacy, inspecting only corporate data. Agent-based CASBs are difficult to deploy and effective only on devices that are managed by the corporation. Agent-based CASBs typically inspect both corporate and personal data.
CASBs that deliver management may use APIs to inspect data and activity in the cloud to alert of risky events after the fact. Another management capability of a CASB is to inspect firewall or proxy logs for usage of cloud applications.