How to Standardize SaaS Application Ownership Across Departments

Software-as-a-service management, or SaaS ownership, enforces accountability for enterprise-reliant tools through strict guidelines to prevent duplicate licenses, hidden fees, orphaned tools, and compliance risks as your business grows.

This article provides a SaaS governance framework that leverages scalable RMM tools for MSPs and IT admins.

How to standardize SaaS ownership

Streamlining your SaaS onboarding process helps IT teams and managed service providers (MSPs) maintain a lean, cost-effective software registry that improves operational efficiency and ROI.

📌 Prerequisites:

• Current SaaS inventory (including billing exports, SSO logs, and a manual registry)
• Pre-defined departmental structure and role definitions
• Coordination with department heads
• Documentation system (Excel/Google Sheets, IT Glue, or Confluence)
• Optional: HRIS or Active Directory (AD) metadata for automation of app-to-department mapping

Step 1: Build a centralized SaaS ownership registry

Start by creating a single, shared list of stakeholders responsible for SaaS governance. Maintaining this spreadsheet not only supports auditability but also tracks leadership across different departments and multiple applications.

Ensure these fields are included:

1. Application name: Include subscription tier for full disclosure.
2. Business owner: The department head responsible for reporting SaaS functionality and business value
3. IT owner: IT staff that manages onboarding and enforces policy compliance
4. Renewal date: The exact date your subscription is scheduled to refresh
5. Contract details: Outlined terms and conditions attached to your app
6. Compliance notes: Records of incidents or policy considerations

Step 2: Define ownership roles clearly

Outline each leader’s qualifications, responsibilities, and main focus to clear up any confusion SaaS owners may have on their roles and prevent responsibility drift.

Business owner

• Main purpose – “Does my SaaS work, and is it bringing value?”
• Responsibilities – Oversee user adoption, manage budget, and track ROI.
• Qualifications – Department head, team lead, product owner, etc.

IT owner

• Main purpose – “Is my SaaS stable, and does it comply with our security policies?”
• Responsibilities – Oversee user access, manage incident response, and track performance.
• Qualifications – IT admin, systems engineer, security analyst.

You should also design risk-based access control tiers. For example, system admins should have access to high-risk financial systems, while low-risk SaaS, like graphic design tools, are delegated to marketing staff.

Step 3: Automate initial ownership assignment

Determining qualified candidates for SaaS ownership can be time-consuming. To shortlist potential leaders, HR metadata is often cross-referenced with an app’s single sign-on (SSO) logs.

Additionally, you’ll also need to present your governance structure and wait for their confirmation. Simplify the process with RMM tools that automate reporting, real-time alerts, and SaaS renewal tracking for you.

Step 4: Map applications by department

Assigning SaaS ownership by department promotes transparency while minimizing crossed wires. Delegate apps in your SaaS registry based on team use, while noting license approvers, onboarding/offboarding managers, and renewal alert recipients.

Step 5: Embed ownership into governance workflows

Assign business and IT owners in your procurement process to keep incoming apps from going unmanaged. Professional Services Automation (PSA) workflows and other similar approval forms should also adapt these changes to improve accountability enterprise-wide.

Step 6: Validate and audit quarterly

Regularly audit SaaS ownership to identify unused tools (A.K.A., orphaned apps), mismatched privileges, duplicate licenses, and more. Awareness of these issues lowers overhead costs, drives strategy, and saves time.

Review the following in every SaaS audit:

SaaS registry

Check expense reports and review browser logs to reduce SaaS sprawl. Modern RMMs like NinjaOne can track software-as-a-service apps via endpoint management along with dedicated backup features.

App risk

Mitigate security gaps by checking each vendor’s risk score. This not only protects your data but also ensures total compliance with international standards like GDPR and HIPAA.

User permissions

Scan for any missing or excessive access privileges to maintain leadership structures, reinforce role-based access control (RBAC), and eliminate unwanted data loss.

Unneeded services

Redundant services, low-value SaaS, and unsupported apps can bog down your budget without you knowing it. Remove any unwanted services from your SaaS inventory for a leaner, more efficient registry.

SaaS lifecycle monitoring

Lastly, establish ongoing audit efforts for total security compliance and SaaS ownership. Centralized dashboards help greatly here, especially in IT environments that rely on hundreds of third-party apps.

SaaS governance framework best practices

Automation touchpoint for SaaS ownership

Automate the most important aspects of SaaS governance with advanced scripts that track app usage, generate reports, and assign ownership during onboarding for you.

📌 Use Cases: To find ownership candidates based on app usage by department.

📌 Prerequisites: Administrator privileges, elevated PowerShell, Windows 10 or 11 (any edition).

1. Press Win + R, type PowerShell, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
2. Run the following:

$usageLogs = Import-Csv sso_usage.csv

$ownership = $usageLogs | Group-Object AppName, UserDepartment |

Select @{Name='AppName';Expression={$_.Group[0].AppName}},

@{Name='Department';Expression={$_.Name.Split(',')[1]}},

@{Name='UserCount';Expression={$_.Count}}

$ownership | Export-Csv SaaSOwnershipDefaults.csv -NoTypeInformation

How NinjaOne streamlines SaaS governance

NinjaOne facilitates SaaS ownership and increases visibility through:

• Versatile documentation features (NinjaOne Docs) that can be used to store the ownership registry
• Automating alerts for app ownership reviews and missed audits
• Notifying business and IT owners about SaaS renewals
• Creating a specialized ticketing system for ownership assignments
• Generating QBR-ready reports that highlight SaaS ownership accountability

Drive SaaS ownership with modern IT solutions

Large enterprises rely on a multitude of third-party software that can strain resources and increase attack vectors if left unchecked. SaaS ownership prevents that, and with the right tools, you’ll be able to improve visibility across your fleet while maintaining strict governance over a well-managed app registry.

Related topics:

• The Top Five Benefits of SaaS IT Management Solutions
• SaaS Backup: Complete Guide & Best Practices
• Why SaaS Backup Matters for MSPs