Topic starter
10/06/2026 9:48 pm
TL;DR: SaaS sprawl makes application portfolio management a governance problem as much as a cost problem, with Zluri describing discovery, rationalisation, renewal control, and lifecycle automation for SaaS estates. The key issue is that application visibility, access revocation, and shadow IT control increasingly shape identity risk, license waste, and audit readiness.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Zluri: “Top 9 Application Portfolio Management Software in 2026”.
Key questions
Q: How should security teams govern access across SaaS sprawl?
A: Security teams should govern SaaS sprawl with one inventory, one policy model, and one review process that covers both human and non-human access.
Q: Why does SaaS sprawl increase non-human identity risk?
A: SaaS sprawl increases NHI risk because every new integration can create tokens, service accounts, OAuth grants, and delegated permissions that persist outside normal review cycles.
Q: What are the signs that an application portfolio is not under governance?
A: Common signs include duplicate apps, licenses that are paid for but unused, no clear owner for renewals, and no reliable revocation path when users leave.
Practitioner guidance
- Map every SaaS app to a named business owner Require ownership for sanctioning, renewals, and access exceptions so no application sits outside accountability when usage changes or contracts come up for review.
- Tie revocation to offboarding workflows Connect license removal and app deprovisioning to joiner-mover-leaver triggers so departing users do not retain access in overlooked SaaS tools.
- Run quarterly application rationalisation reviews Use usage, contract, and risk data to identify duplicate or redundant applications that should be retired, consolidated, or moved to exception handling.
Bottom line: SaaS sprawl turns application inventory into a governance problem because access, renewal, and offboarding now depend on the same visibility.
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This topic was modified 4 days ago by NHI Mgmt Group
12/06/2026 6:43 am
SaaS sprawl is now an identity governance problem because application ownership and access ownership rarely drift in sync. The article shows that discovery, renewal control, and revocation are all part of the same control plane once SaaS becomes the default delivery model. The implication for practitioners is that app portfolio management cannot sit outside IAM and IGA anymore; it is now one of the places where identity governance either keeps pace with change or falls behind it.
A few things that frame the scale:
- Nearly 60% of IT leaders cite restrictive cost and complexity as a weakness of legacy identity governance, according to the 2025 State of Identity Governance Report.
A question worth separating out:
Q: Should teams treat application rationalisation as an IAM issue or a finance issue?
A: It should be treated as both, but the governance signal is stronger than the cost signal. Rationalisation reduces spend, yet it also reduces the number of applications that need access reviews, offboarding logic, and audit evidence, which makes IAM and IGA outcomes more reliable.
👉 Read our full editorial: Application portfolio management and SaaS sprawl are now identity issues
This post was modified 4 days ago by NHI Mgmt Group