The modern enterprise is built on a SaaS foundation. From critical tools like Microsoft 365 and Salesforce to niche applications for project management and graphic design, SaaS has become the lifeblood of daily operations.
While this has unlocked unprecedented agility and productivity, it has also unleashed a "SaaS tsunami” – a rapid, often chaotic, proliferation of applications across an organization. Every employee, empowered to solve a business problem with a few clicks, has become a technology procurer.
This trend has led to a significant problem for IT and finance teams: shadow SaaS. While not a new concept – shadow IT has been around for years, as workers have tapped various resources to help them perform their jobs – it is an issue because unsanctioned and unmonitored applications create data silos, pose serious security risks, and, perhaps most importantly (at least for the C-suite), lead to significant financial waste.
In this environment of explosive growth and decentralized purchasing, organizations are grappling with a contradiction of sorts: They rely on SaaS more than ever, yet they have less visibility and control than ever. This lack of oversight makes effective FinOps and technology management nearly impossible. Without a clear picture of what applications are in use, who is using them, and how much they cost, leaders cannot make informed decisions. Many know they have a problem, but are paralyzed by the sheer scale of the challenge. The idea of a massive, organization-wide audit and overhaul is simply too daunting for already overworked and under-resourced teams.
As Calero CEO Scott Gilbert notes, “Many leaders recognize they have a significant SaaS management problem, but are unsure where to start. Inaction comes with a cost.”
This challenge is precisely what Calero seeks to address with its new SaaS Management offering. Instead of a one-size-fits-all solution, the company is providing a simplified, phased approach that meets organizations where they are in their SaaS management and FinOps journeys, offering what it says is a pragmatic path to immediate value.
Calero's new offering is built on three distinct, yet interconnected, pillars: Visibility, Control, and Optimization. The model provides a clear, step-by-step roadmap for organizations to move from reactive management to proactive governance.
Visibility
Visibility is a foundational requirement for any effective management strategy. Using existing data sources within an organization, Calero's solution provides immediate insight into the entire SaaS landscape. IT leaders can quickly identify unapproved and risky applications, uncover redundant tools, and understand usage patterns at a very low cost, allowing them to make quick, tangible progress without months of manual data collection.
Control
Once a clear picture is established, the Control phase moves beyond discovery to provide actionable recommendations for an organization's most critical SaaS vendors. By leveraging discovery data, finance systems, and vendor information, the solution creates a single source of truth. With this, team can improve license usage efficiency, negotiate renewals with hard data, and drive accountability across departments. The goal is to stop the bleeding of unused licenses and ensure every dollar spent on SaaS delivers business value.
Optimization
The strategic Optimization phase is designed for teams ready to elevate their SaaS management to a strategic function without adding headcount. Calero’s managed services expertise reclaims valuable time for IT teams, automating tasks like fetching vendor data, managing licenses for new hires and departures, and preparing for renewals. This frees up the team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than administrative burdens, resulting in a more efficient SaaS spend and a better user experience for employees.
Calero's history of helping companies manage complex technology expenses – from telecom mobility – gives it a unique perspective on the SaaS challenge. Regardless of the technology or delivery mechanism, the fundamental principle is the same: You cannot effectively manage what you cannot see, and you cannot optimize what you cannot control.
The new SaaS Management offering is a response to a widespread problem. By providing a clear, tiered approach, Calero lets organizations tackle the SaaS tsunami incrementally, helping them secure their digital environments and curb wasteful spending, while enabling IT to move from a reactive, firefighting role to a strategic business partner that intelligently manages technology investments to drive growth and operational excellence.
Edited by
Erik Linask
