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11/06/2026 10:39 pm
TL;DR: Cloud security buyers are weighing visibility, policy depth, integration fit, and operational overhead, while also noting setup complexity, compatibility gaps, and cost pressure across competing tools, according to Zluri’s comparison of Netskope CASB alternatives. The real issue is not whether CASB exists, but whether governance can keep pace with modern SaaS sprawl and access pathways.
NHIMG editorial — based on content published by Zluri: IT Teams Top 10 Netskope’s CASB Alternatives & Competitors [2026]
By the numbers:
- Only 5.7% of organisations have full visibility into their service accounts.
- 97% of NHIs carry excessive privileges, increasing unauthorised access and broadening the attack surface.
- 96% of organisations store secrets outside of secrets managers in vulnerable locations including code, config files, and CI/CD tools.
Questions worth separating out
Q: How should security teams govern SaaS integrations that bypass user sessions?
A: Security teams should inventory every delegated connection that can touch sensitive data, including OAuth grants, API tokens, and service accounts.
Q: Why do CASB tools still leave governance gaps in cloud environments?
A: CASB tools are strongest where they can inspect a visible session, but many cloud permissions are exercised through app-to-app connections, tokens, and automated workflows.
Q: What do teams get wrong when comparing CASB alternatives?
A: Teams often compare feature lists instead of control coverage.
Practitioner guidance
- Map delegated SaaS access paths Inventory OAuth grants, API tokens, connectors, and service accounts that can bypass user-centric control points.
- Test CASB coverage against real integrations Validate whether your CASB enforces policy across every business-critical SaaS integration, including non-standard apps and shadow IT.
- Tie access reviews to ownership and offboarding Assign explicit owners to delegated access, then require review and revocation when the business use case ends.
What's in the full article
Zluri's full article covers the product-by-product comparison and implementation detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:
- Vendor-by-vendor feature breakdowns for each Netskope alternative, including where the platform claims to improve cloud visibility.
- Pros and cons tables that help shortlist tools for a specific SaaS environment or budget profile.
- Individual customer rating summaries from review platforms that can support internal procurement discussions.
- The article's full narrative on Zluri's own SaaS management capabilities and how it positions those capabilities against CASB alternatives.
👉 Read Zluri's comparison of Netskope CASB alternatives and competitors →
Netskope CASB alternatives: what the control gap means for IAM teams?
Explore further
12/06/2026 6:55 am
Cloud visibility without identity lifecycle control is a governance illusion. CASB can show activity, but it cannot by itself retire access, clean up stale integrations, or resolve who owns delegated permissions. When the estate includes service accounts, OAuth grants, and API keys, the question is not whether the tool can see traffic. The question is whether the programme can govern every identity that produces it. The practitioner conclusion is that visibility must be tied to lifecycle ownership, or it will overstate control.
A few things that frame the scale:
- Only 5.7% of organisations have full visibility into their service accounts, according to Ultimate Guide to NHIs.
- 96% of organisations store secrets outside of secrets managers in vulnerable locations including code, config files, and CI/CD tools, according to Ultimate Guide to NHIs.
A question worth separating out:
Q: When should organisations treat third-party SaaS access as privileged access?
A: They should treat it as privileged access whenever a connector, token, or integration can read, modify, or delete business data. That access should be owned, reviewed, and revoked with the same discipline used for other high-risk identities. If the vendor relationship changes, the access must not remain by default.
👉 Read our full editorial: Netskope CASB alternatives highlight the limits of cloud visibility
