Government + SaaS = Chaos? Here’s a Path to Order

Martin Snyder
Sep 18
4 min read

Modern government runs on SaaS—procurement portals, case management, e-sign, analytics, AI assistants—but that speed often turns into chaos: duplicate tenants, unmanaged identities, and opaque data flows. Waldo Security gives you a living map of every SaaS app, tenant, account, and OAuth connection in minutes, then helps you enforce SSO/MFA, right-size scopes, automate offboarding, and export audit-ready evidence. Start with Instant SaaS Discovery and keep program managers, auditors, and AOs happy with the SaaS Compliance Overview.

Why public-sector SaaS feels messy

Mandates changed the playbook. OMB’s M-22-09 Federal Zero Trust Strategy requires centralized identity and phishing-resistant MFA at the application layer, pushing agencies to verify every access request—not just protect networks. (The White House, Microsoft Learn)
TIC 3.0 modernized network expectations. CISA’s Trusted Internet Connections 3.0 replaces one-size choke points with use cases for SaaS and hybrid networks—emphasizing visibility, telemetry, and policy enforcement across many boundaries. (CISA)
Authorizations demand continuous proof. FedRAMP Rev. 5 and monthly continuous monitoring shifted cloud oversight from paperwork to ongoing control performance; StateRAMP extends similar expectations to state and local governments. (FedRAMP, static.carahsoft.com)
Zero trust is the North Star. NIST’s SP 800-207 defines a model that centers on explicit identity, least privilege, and continuous evaluation—exactly what sprawling SaaS estates struggle to deliver without a ground-truth inventory. (NIST Publications, NIST CSRC)

Translation: Your security story must prove (continuously) who accessed what, with the least permissions necessary—across every SaaS app in use, not just the ones on a contract.

The root cause of “chaos”

Most agencies still lack a complete, current inventory of SaaS apps, tenants, and OAuth connections. Without it, zero-trust controls (MFA, device context, policy enforcement) and TIC 3.0 capabilities land unevenly; FedRAMP/StateRAMP evidence becomes a screenshot scramble; and vendor reviews miss shadow apps that actually move data. CISA’s TIC and TRA guidance are blunt: visibility first, then control. (CISA)

A practical path to order (you can start this month)

1) Build a living inventory (the non-negotiable)

Correlate IdP sign-ins, email/collab logs, DNS/proxy, browser extensions, and purchase data into a deduped list of apps, tenants, accounts, and OAuth grants. Tag each with owner, mission/program, SSO/MFA status, admin count, scopes (*.ReadWrite.All, offline_access), and data sensitivity. This aligns with M-22-09’s identity goals, TIC 3.0 visibility, and zero-trust asset awareness. (The White House, CISA)

With Waldo: Discovery produces this map in minutes—covering sanctioned and shadow SaaS, including AI plug-ins.

2) Make identity controls real (not just on paper)

Enforce SSO + phishing-resistant MFA (WebAuthn/PIV) for high-risk apps first.
Alert on password logins to apps that should be behind SSO.
Require time-boxed admin elevation.These steps satisfy M-22-09’s identity thrust and reduce the blast radius that zero trust seeks to minimize. (Microsoft Learn, NIST Publications)

3) Govern OAuth like change management

User consent can bypass SSO guardrails. Set policies to allow only verified publishers and low-risk scopes; require admin approval for tenant-wide or write scopes; regularly revoke idle refresh tokens. This plugs a common exfil path and supports zero-trust “explicit verification” principles. (Microsoft Learn, NIST Publications)

4) Align to TIC 3.0 use cases and log everything

Adopt TIC 3.0’s cloud/SaaS use cases: route relevant telemetry to your SOC/SIEM; monitor for new admins, public links, high-privilege grants, and apps with no SSO. This yields the continuous evidence that AOs and IR teams expect. (CISA)

5) Treat authorizations as living products

For FedRAMP systems, maintain monthly ConMon packets (control status, POA&Ms, patch cadence). For StateRAMP, mirror the same discipline. Your SaaS inventory becomes the index for what must be monitored and proven—continuously. (FedRAMP)

A 30-60-90 you can actually deliver

Days 1–30: See it

Run discovery; publish the SaaS catalog (owners, SSO/MFA status, scopes). Flag apps with usage or spend but no SSO and grants with offline_access + broad write scopes.

Days 31–60: Stabilize it

Enforce SSO/MFA on high-impact apps; restrict end-user consent to verified publishers; revoke idle refresh tokens; time-box admin roles. Map controls to M-22-09 targets and TIC 3.0 capabilities. (The White House, CISA)

Days 61–90: Prove it

Stream SaaS audit logs; build monthly ConMon-style reports (SSO coverage, admin changes, OAuth diffs, offboarding timestamps, public-link exceptions). Tie artifacts to FedRAMP Rev. 5 and StateRAMP expectations so AOs and procurement can review without fire drills. (FedRAMP)

How this helps procurement, security, and mission owners

Procurement gets a fast lane: pre-approved vendors/scopes, plus visibility into duplicate tenants before invoices arrive.
Security gains continuous assurance: fewer surprises, better IR timelines, cleaner ATO renewals.
Program teams keep moving with guardrails, not gates: clear defaults, quick approvals, in-line coaching for risky actions.

KPIs leaders will care about

Unknown → Known: % of SaaS usage tied to inventoried apps/tenants.
Identity posture: % of high-risk apps enforcing SSO + phishing-resistant MFA.
OAuth health: count of high-privilege grants with offline_access; % reduced month-over-month.
Evidence freshness: % of artifacts updated in the last 30 days (ConMon-ready).
Incident readiness: mean time from alert to who/what/which scope, and time to revoke.

Bottom line

Government + SaaS doesn’t have to equal chaos. The path to order is the same one public guidance already prescribes: see everything, enforce least privilege, verify continuously, and keep the receipts. Waldo makes that operational: discover what’s real, fix what matters, and prove it every month—without slowing the mission. Start with Instant SaaS Discovery and turn today’s tangle into a program you can defend with confidence via the SaaS Compliance Overview.