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12/06/2026 8:58 pm
TL;DR: Duplicate SaaS apps create cost waste, data fragmentation, and security exposure when discovery, categorisation, renewal control, and periodic review are weak, according to Zluri. The identity problem is not just SaaS sprawl, but unmanaged access and ownership across the stack.
NHIMG editorial — based on content published by Zluri: SaaS Management Top 5 Strategies To Reduce Duplicate SaaS Subscriptions/Apps
Questions worth separating out
Q: How should security teams reduce duplicate SaaS subscriptions without losing control of access?
A: Start with a single inventory that combines procurement, SSO, and usage data, then assign clear owners to each application category.
Q: Why do duplicate SaaS apps create identity governance risk?
A: Duplicate apps split ownership, permissions, and data flows across multiple systems that perform the same job.
Q: What do teams get wrong about SaaS renewal management?
A: They treat renewal as a finance task rather than a lifecycle control.
Practitioner guidance
- Build a single authoritative SaaS inventory Reconcile procurement records, SSO logs, finance data, and app ownership into one system of record so duplicate subscriptions can be identified before renewal or consolidation decisions are made.
- Classify apps by business function and ownership Group subscriptions by the work they support, then assign a named owner for each group so reviewers can decide which tool is primary and which is redundant.
- Tie renewal approval to access review Require business owners to confirm active usage and justify continuation before renewal notices are approved, especially for tools with overlapping functionality.
What's in the full article
Zluri's full blog post covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:
- The specific discovery methods used to surface hidden SaaS apps across SSO, finance, direct integrations, desktop agents, and browser extensions.
- The vendor's examples of how app categorisation and overlap analysis can be applied inside its dashboard and reporting views.
- The renewal-calendar workflow and alert timings described for reducing unused auto-renewing subscriptions.
- The audit logic used to flag critical apps, critical users, and unauthorized access patterns within the SaaS estate.
👉 Read Zluri's analysis on reducing duplicate SaaS subscriptions →
Duplicate SaaS subscriptions: what IAM teams need to tighten now?
Explore further
12/06/2026 10:44 pm
Duplicate SaaS subscriptions are an identity governance signal, not just a cost issue. When the same business function is covered by multiple apps, ownership and access authority fragment across teams. That fragmentation makes it harder to certify access, harder to offboard cleanly, and harder to know which platform actually governs the data path. The practitioner conclusion is straightforward: SaaS rationalisation and identity governance need to be treated as one programme.
A few things that frame the scale:
- 70% of organisations grant AI systems more access than they would give a human employee performing the exact same job, according to the 2026 Infrastructure Identity Survey.
- Only 13% of organisations feel extremely prepared for the reality of agentic AI, according to the 2026 Infrastructure Identity Survey.
A question worth separating out:
Q: Who should be accountable for removing duplicate SaaS tools?
A: Application ownership should sit with a named business or IT owner, but IAM, procurement, and finance all need a role in the process. The owner validates need, IAM confirms access impact, and procurement ensures the contract is not renewed without a documented business case.
👉 Read our full editorial: Duplicate SaaS subscriptions expose governance gaps in identity control
