The 2023 State of SaaSOps Report

Hot off the press: the 2023 State of SaaSOps report is now available! 

We’re back this year with our tenth annual exploration of trends in SaaS operations (SaaSOps). 

Earlier this year, we surveyed 700+ IT and security professionals to uncover the trends, challenges, and priorities defining SaaSOps. After a burst in pandemic-driven SaaS app growth, IT is facing more challenges (and opportunities) than ever. And our data shows that IT teams are doubling down on automation to manage it all. But what does this look like in practice? And what will it mean for IT in the future?

Grab your popcorn, and let’s take a look at some of the key trends from this year’s State of SaaSOps report. 

Organizations are still using more SaaS apps than ever, but growth has slowed a bit 

This year, 40% of IT professionals said they consolidated redundant/duplicate SaaS apps, in part prompting a slower growth rate this year. After rapid acceleration of SaaS adoption in the beginning of the decade, the yearly growth pace has finally slowed down a bit for the first time. 

Despite that, the net growth of SaaS apps used is still up 18% this year, with organizations now using 130 apps on average. 

SaaS security is increasingly IT’s responsibility, and it’s not going away anytime soon

The line between security and IT is blurring. A whopping 81% of IT professionals say they are responsible for protecting sensitive data within SaaS apps. 

And the amount of sensitive data is rising too, which makes security even more challenging. 43% say they’ve added a new SaaS app that stores sensitive data in the last 12 months. Another 42% say they have difficulties securing users’ activities within SaaS apps.

Nearly everyone finds automation critical to overcoming today’s SaaSOps challenges

An overwhelming 86% of IT professionals believe automation is important to effectively managing SaaS operations, but nearly two-thirds (64%) lack insight and visibility to automate effectively.

For many enterprises, the automation journey is underway—bringing new automated processes, skill specialization, and the right tools to get the job done

71% of respondents have already automated at least one help desk process, like onboarding or password resets. Carving out specialized automation teams is on IT’s roadmap too. 43% already have a dedicated SaaSOps automation role or team where they only develop and manage automated workflows, and another 23% plan to. 

As for automation tools? Insights are key. 75% prefer SaaS management solutions that enable insights-driven automation.

Download the full report to learn: 

• IT’s top priorities in 2023
• Why SaaS security continues to be a major concern
• The operational challenges most crucial to solve in SaaS environments
• Which types of tickets your peers are currently automating (and planning to automate in the upcoming year)
• The strategic projects your peers are working on by automating more

To learn more about how BetterCloud can help you discover, manage, and secure your SaaS environment, request a demo.