Did you know the number of SaaS apps businesses use actually dropped in 2023? BetterCloud’s State of SaaSOps 2024 report marks this as a turning point—companies are shifting from expansion to better management. Yet, despite using fewer apps, many still wrestle with SaaS sprawl, hidden costs, and security risks. That’s why we can see an app discovery platform like turning on the lights in a crowded room—giving you instant application visibility; which apps your teams are using, authorized or not.
On average, businesses waste $135,000 annually on unused SaaS licenses. Add shadow IT to the mix, and the stakes get even higher. With an app discovery platform, you don’t just manage your tools—you optimize them. It helps you cut redundant software, tighten compliance, and enhance security, all while ensuring employees have the right tools at their fingertips.
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ToggleHow App Discovery Platforms Work
App discovery platforms work through a combination of methods to provide a comprehensive view of an organization’s SaaS landscape. Designed for shadow IT management, application tracking, and building a clear software inventory, these platforms use tools like browser extensions, SSO integration, API connectors, and even financial record analysis to uncover what’s really being used.
It all starts with tracking. Tools scan usage patterns to reveal every app your employees interact with, creating a live, centralized software inventory. This dynamic list shows you which apps are active, who’s using them, and whether they comply with your policies.
From there, inefficiencies come into focus—redundant tools, unused licenses, or lurking security risks. With this insight, app discovery platforms help you trim costs, boost security, and empower your teams with the right tools for their work.
And as SaaS continues to evolve, so will these platforms. Expect AI and automation to take center stage, predicting usage trends and shaping smarter IT strategies for your business.
For reference choosing a provider, kindly read “What Makes a Great Security SaaS Provider? Start with These Essential Criteria.”
Features to Look for in an App Discovery Platform
A robust app discovery platform should come packed with features that let businesses take charge of their SaaS landscape with ease. Therefore, let’s check several key essentials that make a platform powerful.
Core Discovery Capabilities
At its heart, an app discovery platform must excel at uncovering every SaaS application within your organization. The best platforms use a mix of tools like browser extensions, SSO integration, API connectors, financial record analysis, and agents to leave no stone unturned. By combining these methods, the platform offers a complete and accurate view of your SaaS environment.
Tracking application usage through tools like browser extensions or agents is equally vital. These features reveal not just which apps are in use but how actively employees rely on them—helping you make smarter decisions about optimization and cost-saving.
Data Analysis and Reporting
Discovery is just the beginning—an effective app discovery platform must excel in data analysis and reporting. It should provide clear insights into application usage patterns, user activity, and license utilization. The right platform helps pinpoint these inefficiencies, allowing you to optimize costs effortlessly.
Robust reporting tools are equally critical. They should monitor compliance requirements, flag security risks, and evaluate your SaaS management strategy’s impact. For instance, as compliance tools, the platform should detect apps with access to sensitive data or identify when files are shared publicly—proactively safeguarding your organization’s compliance and security posture.
Automation and Integration
A great app discovery platform doesn’t work in isolation—it integrates effortlessly with IT asset management tools and SIEM platforms to ensure smooth data flow and stronger security. Even better, automation features take the heavy lifting off your plate. Tasks like onboarding, offboarding, and license reclamation become streamlined, reducing manual work and saving time. The goal is simple: go beyond discovering SaaS apps to actively managing them. With automation and integration, you can create an efficient, secure, and hassle-free IT environment.
API Management Capabilities
A SaaS application discovery platform doesn’t just use APIs for discovery—it helps you manage them. Many SaaS applications rely on APIs to integrate seamlessly, so the platform should offer visibility into these connections. This lets you understand how data flows between apps and ensures everything is running smoothly.
Security is key here. The platform should monitor API usage, flagging excessive or unusual calls that could signal a breach or misuse. Managing API keys, access tokens, and credentials should also be part of the package, giving you better control over your connected applications and protecting sensitive data.
Customizable Workflow Automation
Automation is a must-have for managing SaaS environments, but one size doesn’t fit all. A SaaS discovery platform should let you go beyond pre-built templates and create fully customizable workflows. Look for features like custom triggers and conditions, enabling you to tailor processes to your unique needs.
Think beyond basic onboarding and offboarding. Imagine automating actions based on data within specific apps or adjusting user access dynamically based on set criteria. This flexibility ensures the platform adapts to your workflows, saving time and reducing manual effort. With customizable automation, your SaaS management becomes smarter, faster, and more efficient.
Your Solution for SaaS Shadow IT Management
Octobits is your go-to tool for SaaS shadow IT management in 2025. Why? With its advanced capabilities, it identifies and secures unsanctioned applications, giving you unmatched visibility into your entire app ecosystem—both authorized and shadow IT. By addressing these blind spots, Octobits helps close security gaps, reduce compliance risks, and optimize SaaS usage.
As SaaS environments become more complex, Octobits keeps pace. Its powerful automation and seamless integration with IT tools ensure your business stays agile and secure. With real-time application tracking and a centralized dashboard, IT teams gain a clear view of app usage patterns.
But Octobits doesn’t stop at discovery—it’s about effective management. Simplifying workflows like onboarding, license management, and app decommissioning saves time, resources, and headaches. And you can try Octobits for free until the end of December 2025.
Case Study: Streamlining IT Operations with App Discovery
A mid-sized architecture firm in Australia was drowning in SaaS sprawl. With over 85 apps—many unsanctioned and underutilized—they faced growing security risks, mounting costs, and compliance headaches.
In just three months, Octobits helped them turn things around. Its advanced discovery tools identified every app in use, flagging 25% as unauthorized. Real-time tracking also exposed unused apps, enabling the IT team to decommission redundant licenses and cut software expenses by 30%.
Octobits didn’t just stop at cost savings. Its centralized dashboard simplified compliance monitoring and automated workflows like user onboarding. This saved the IT team 15 hours per week and tightened security by reducing unauthorized data access.
With Octobits, the company didn’t just manage its SaaS environment—it transformed it. By replacing chaos with control, Octobits empowered the firm to operate smarter, safer, and more efficiently.
Your Next Steps
Managing your SaaS environment doesn’t have to be a headache. With the right tools, you can take control, ensuring security, compliance, and efficiency across your organization. Start by assessing your SaaS landscape. Are shadow IT, unused licenses, or redundant apps holding you back? Identifying these gaps is the first step towards smarter management.
An app discovery platform like Octobits turns these challenges into opportunities. From real-time application tracking to customizable workflows, it simplifies complexity and helps your team work smarter—not harder. Plus, Octobits is free until December 2025. Why wait? Take the next step today and make SaaS management work for you.
Article Sources
Octobits relies on primary sources to inform their work, such as white papers, government statistics, firsthand reporting, and interviews with industry professionals. Additionally, we use original research from other trusted publishers when relevant.
- BetterCloud. (2024). State of SaaSOps 2024. BetterCloud. Retrieved from https://www.bettercloud.com/monitor/the-2024-state-of-saasops-report/
- CrowdStrike. (2024). 2024 State of Application Security Report. CrowdStrike. Retrieved from https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/2024-state-of-application-security-report/
- Már Guðmundsson, B., Berentsson, J., & Már Pétursson, V. (2023). SaaS Discovery : discovering methods to enumerate managed third-party SaaS platforms utilized by organizations with an online presence (G. Sigurðsson & S. Ingi Garðarsson, Eds.; p. 42) [PDF SaaS Discovery : discovering methods to enumerate managed third-party SaaS platforms utilized by organizations with an online presence]. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/43289
- Mallmann, G. L., de Vargas Pinto, A., & Maçada, A. C. G. (2019). Shedding Light on Shadow IT: Definition, Related Concepts, and Consequences. In I. Ramos et al. (Eds.), Information Systems for Industry 4.0 (pp. 63-79). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14850-8_5