2025 SaaS Security Word of the Year: Adaptability

Every year, we collectively look for ways to define our focus, to ground ourselves in something that guides us forward. For some, that’s a resolution. For others, it’s a single, carefully chosen word meant to encapsulate a mindset or goal. It’s a small thing, but its impact can be enormous. A word of the year isn’t just about aspiration; it’s a lens. It shapes the way we see challenges, opportunities, and growth.

In cybersecurity, where the stakes are high, and the landscape shifts daily, the idea of choosing a guiding word feels particularly relevant. There’s power in simplicity, and the right word can anchor an entire team or organization in its mission. Some might lean into words like secure, safe, or resilient. They’re the obvious choices, reflecting our shared goal to protect and defend. Others might choose trust or control, centering on relationships and authority in a field often characterized by unpredictability.

But I believe this year demands something different. The world—and the threats within it—are quietly changing around us. This year, the word we need isn’t about holding ground. It’s about moving with intention amidst a changing environment. It’s about adaptability.

Adaptability isn’t merely about reacting— it’s about anticipating what’s next, pivoting when the landscape shifts, and finding growth in the face of overwhelming challenges. The issues security teams face aren’t necessarily new, but they persist, shaping— and often straining— how they operate.  These persistent challenges, combined with the emergence of new, complex threats, validate why adaptability will be the key to effective SaaS security in 2025.

Addressing Shadow SaaS and Shadow AI Risks

It’s no secret that how we adopt and use technology at work has changed dramatically. Gone are the days when IT was tasked with researching and selecting new SaaS tools, and procurement teams reviewed them prior to introducing them into a corporate environment. Employees are now taking the reins, adopting applications that meet their immediate needs. This trend, AKA “shadow SaaS,” has led to a quiet explosion of rogue and unmanaged applications. Grip research shows that SaaS grows by 40% annually, yet IT and security teams are typically aware of only a small fraction of what’s in use. SaaS tools might boost productivity and collaboration, but shadow SaaS also leaves organizations exposed to unseen risks when there is no IT oversight. Shadow SaaS is one of the reasons why hackers are using SaaS as an attack vector—when no one is looking anyway and credentials may not follow best practices, it’s easier to gain access and go unnoticed.  

And if shadow SaaS wasn’t enough, shadow AI adds a new layer of complexity to SaaS security. Employees are quick to experiment with AI tools to automate workflows, create efficiencies, or drive innovation. Some of these tools don’t require payment in the traditional sense but are compensated by using your data to train their models. That data could include sensitive information that is shared unwittingly.  

While some organizations try to block shadow SaaS or shadow AI usage, this practice isn’t just impractical; it’s counterproductive. Employees will find workarounds, creating friction and further weakening security. Case in point: many organizations tried to block ChatGPT, yet it was found present in 96% of organizations analyzed in Grip’s SaaS Security Risks Report.  

The answer isn’t in implementing more stringent policies but in adapting security strategies. Security and IT teams must embrace a collaborative approach, supporting AI experimentation while gaining visibility, maintaining oversight, and protecting the organization. It’s a delicate balance, but one that’s necessary to thrive in this evolving SaaS landscape.

Closing Security Gaps from Tech Silos

One of the primary challenges of shadow SaaS is that it creates blind spots for security teams and leaves gaps in security and identity processes, giving attackers opportunities to exploit the holes. Imagine an identity governance and administration (IGA) tool that manages sanctioned apps perfectly but has no visibility into shadow SaaS. Or third-party risk assessments that overlook suppliers tied to unsanctioned applications. These are gaps that need to be closed.

The first step is acknowledging that these gaps exist and understanding their scope and impact. To do so, security teams need to rethink their existing technologies, not as static solutions but as expandable frameworks. By extending IGA tools to account for shadow SaaS or adding third-party risk assessments to shadow suppliers, organizations can begin to close the gaps. Adaptability here means finding ways to connect the dots to create a more unified, secure environment. It’s not about overhauling everything at once or ditching the security investments you’ve already made; it’s about supplementing what already works and building a system that evolves with the complexity of modern SaaS ecosystems.

Overcoming the Cybersecurity Talent Shortage

For years, we’ve felt the impact from the lack of skilled cybersecurity professionals to fill the roles we need, and that gap hasn’t gone away—it’s widened. In 2022, the ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study estimated a shortage of more than 3 million professionals globally. However, in the 2024 study, ISC2 estimates that 4.8 million professionals are needed to secure organizations effectively, a 19% increase.  

Security teams must continue to rethink how they operate. Securing shadow Saas requires more personnel to discover the apps, review them, and decide on the appropriate handling of them. Personnel you likely don’t (or won’t) have. This is where adaptability comes into play: leveraging automation, extending existing technologies, and rethinking workflows to manage SaaS security challenges effectively. Even small efficiencies can yield significant benefits. For example, PDS Health shaved an hour per app off in identifying SaaS applications without SSO. The net result was a savings of 400 staff hours—a gain equivalent to 20% of a full-time employee’s annual workload.

The talent shortage isn’t going away any time soon, but adaptability offers a path forward. By embracing smarter solutions and rethinking traditional methods, teams can find ways to thrive despite the odds.

Adapting SaaS Security in 2025

Thriving in a SaaS-driven world demands a fundamental shift in SaaS security. The old ways of rigid controls and disconnected technologies can’t keep pace with employee-led SaaS adoption, new AI technologies, or today’s threat landscape. To stay ahead, organizations must adapt and align security strategies with the realities of modern work. That means embracing flexibility to support employee innovation, integrating technologies to close security gaps, and focusing on maximizing every investment and effort. Adaptability is not about doing more—it’s being able to adjust to changing environments for better outcomes.

Grip is here to help you build an adaptable SaaS security program that evolves with your needs. Book time with our team to learn how we can help you uncover shadow SaaS, implement a flexible SaaS risk management framework, and extend the value of your other security platforms.

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