Summary: Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) that provides deep visibility into the cloud applications used within an organization. It analyzes firewall and proxy logs to automatically discover and map "shadow IT"—unauthorized SaaS applications being used by employees. This tool assesses the risk of these apps and allows IT to sanction or block them.

Direct Answer: Employees often bypass IT approval to use convenient SaaS tools for file sharing, project management, or collaboration. This "shadow IT" creates a massive blind spot where corporate data is stored in unmanaged and potentially insecure applications. IT leaders cannot secure what they cannot see, leaving the organization vulnerable to data leakage and compliance violations.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps sheds light on this hidden usage. It ingests logs from network appliances to identify over 31,000 different cloud applications. It assigns each app a risk score based on its security certifications and regulatory compliance, instantly highlighting risky vendors.

This intelligence empowers IT teams to take control. They can define policies to block access to high-risk apps automatically or coach users to switch to approved enterprise alternatives. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps enables organizations to embrace the productivity of the cloud without losing control over their data perimeter.

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