SaaS Catalog

The SaaS Catalog provides comprehensive information about SaaS applications helping you maintain consistency and simplifying documenting SaaS applications.

Overview

SaaS Catalog is a Knowledge-as-a-Service offering that provides users with comprehensive information about SaaS applications, including description, product category, SSO, and hosting information. This information is automatically synced and updated on relevant Application Fact Sheets when they are linked to the catalog. The SaaS catalog also provides details on related IT components and providers associated with the SaaS application. The information in the catalog is maintained and regularly updated by a dedicated research team of LeanIX.

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Note

LeanIX recommends modeling IaaS and PaaS as IT Component Fact Sheets, and hence, these components are not available in the SaaS Catalog.

Key Features

  • Comprehensive list of attributes: The SaaS Catalog offers a comprehensive list of attributes, including:
    • Name: Name of the SaaS application.
    • Description: Description of application from the official website.
    • Product Category: To categorize and indicate the type of the product.
    • Hosting Type: Where the product is hosted.
    • Hosting Description: Information on hosting and hosting provider.
    • SSO Status: Whether the product is supported via SSO.
    • SSO Available Providers: List of all SSO providers supported by the application.
  • Standardized information: The SaaS Catalog ensures standardized information, helping you maintain consistency and simplifying documenting SaaS applications.
  • Automatic update of information: Once the Application Fact Sheets are linked to the catalog, the information from the catalog is automatically synced and updated whenever there is a change in the catalog's data.
  • Creation of IT Component and Provider Fact Sheets: When a SaaS application is linked to a catalog item, the associated SaaS Hosting IT Component Fact Sheet is automatically created and linked to the Lifecycle Catalog. Additionally, corresponding Provider and Tech Category Fact Sheets are also created if they don't already exist. Many relevant details, such as lifecycle information, support policies, vendor particulars, and more, are synced and regularly updated to the Fact Sheets. This simplifies lifecycle management and management of provider dependency and spending.

SaaS Catalog Configuration

Users with Admin rights can configure the SaaS Catalog in the Admin settings to choose the fields and relations of the SaaS application they want to sync from the catalog.

To configure SaaS Catalog syncing, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Administration > Reference Catalogs.
  2. Under the SaaS Catalog tab, choose the fields you would like to Sync from the SaaS Catalog.
  3. Choose whether to include IT Component and Provider relations in the Application Fact Sheets and click Save.
SaaS Catalog Configuration

SaaS Catalog Configuration

Linking SaaS Application to Catalog Item

When an application is linked to a SaaS Catalog item, all relevant information, including description, product category, SSO, and hosting information, are automatically synced and updated regularly.

There are three ways to link applications to the SaaS Catalog:

  • Bulk linking Application Fact Sheets from the inventory
  • Linking individual Application Fact Sheets from the Fact Sheet page
  • Linking an Application Fact Sheet during Fact Sheet creation

In the Last Update tab of the Fact Sheet, you can check any updates made to the linked Fact Sheet as a result of syncing. Updates done are attributed to the System user ‘reference data’.

Checking Updates in the Last Update section of the Fact Sheet

Checking Updates in the Last Update section of the Fact Sheet

Bulk Linking Application Fact Sheets From the Inventory

Bulk linking applications from the inventory is a simpler and faster way of linking Fact Sheets to the catalog items. It allows you to review, link, unlink, or ignore recommendations conveniently in one location.

To link multiple applications at once, do the following:

  1. In the inventory, use filters to narrow down applications as per your needs.
  2. On the right side pane, click SaaS Catalog to open the SaaS Catalog linking page.
  3. Application Fact Sheets are organized into different tabs based on whether they are still unlinked, ignored, or linked. In the Unlinked tab, select the Application Fact Sheets that need to be linked, and click Link.

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Note

The displayed list of applications is based on the filters you applied in the Inventory.

Bulk Linking Applications

Bulk Linking Applications

In the Confidence column on the right, intelligent recommendation tells you the match level between the application and the catalog item. If you want to focus on applications with very high or high confidence matches, you can use the Confidence Level filter at the top left.

On expanding each row, you get an overview of your Application Fact Sheet and details of corresponding catalog recommendations. Click on the search field to see alternate recommendations and to search for a specific item to link.

You can link, preview, or ignore individual Fact Sheets in each row. Previewing gives you more detailed information that is being synced.

Expanding a Row To Search and Link Alternate Recommendation, Preview, or Ignore Recommendation

Expanding a Row To Search and Link Alternate Recommendation, Preview, or Ignore Recommendation

Ignoring Application Fact Sheets

You can ignore an Application Fact Sheet if you don't want to link it to the catalog item.

Reasons to ignore include:

  • It is a proprietary product, and you do not expect the catalog to have information about it.
  • You want to overwrite the information in the linked Fact Sheet. As ignoring a linked Fact Sheet effectively unlinks the Fact Sheet and stops the updates from the catalog.

Ignored Fact Sheets are then listed in the Ignored tab. On expanding each row, you get an overview of your Application Fact Sheet. You can relink them to catalog items if needed.

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Note

Ignoring a linked Fact Sheet halts updates from the SaaS Catalog.

Changing the Link to a Different Item

You can change the link between an Application Fact Sheet and the linked catalog item to a different item if there is a more appropriate one or if it was inadvertently linked to the current item.

In the Linked tab, you will find the list of linked Fact Sheets. To change the link to the catalog item, do the following:

  1. Click on the application to expand the row.
  2. Click on the search field to see alternate recommendations or to search for a specific item to change to.
  3. Choose the appropriate recommendation you want to change to, and click Change Link.
Changing the Link to a Different Entry

Changing the Link to a Different Item

Linking an Application Fact Sheet from the Fact Sheet Page

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the Application Fact Sheet.
  2. On the right side panel, click SaaS Catalog. The SaaS Catalog page opens with relevant recommendations for that application.
  3. Choose the catalog item to link or search for a specific item to link from the search bar and click Link.
Linking Applications From the Fact Sheet

Linking Applications From the Fact Sheet

Linking Application Fact Sheet During Fact Sheet Creation

You can link the Application Fact Sheet to a catalog item directly from the Fact Sheet creation overlay while creating an Application Fact Sheet.

While creating an Application Fact Sheet, do the following:

  1. Enter the name of the application in the Fact Sheet creation overlay. As you type the application name, recommendations from the SaaS Catalog will appear below the input field
  2. Choose the appropriate catalog item, and click Create & Link.
Linking Application Fact Sheet During Fact Sheet Creation

Linking Application Fact Sheet During Fact Sheet Creation

Linking Multiple Applications to the Same Item of SaaS Catalog

When configuring SaaS Catalog settings, selecting the Name field for syncing prevents linking multiple Fact Sheets to the same catalog item. This helps avoid duplicates and name conflicts in workspaces.

However, there are scenarios where linking multiple Fact Sheets to the same Catalog item is needed. For example, when the same SaaS application is used by different organizations for distinct business capabilities or when the same SaaS application is used in different environments for varied purposes. Users often need to model these multiple instances of the same Application to bring transparency.

To link multiple Application Fact Sheets to the same item of the SaaS Catalog, exclude the Name field from syncing in SaaS Catalog configuration settings.

Linking Multiple Applications to the Same Entry of SaaS Catalog

Linking Multiple Applications to the Same Item of SaaS Catalog

If you prefer to sync the Name field and still want to link multiple Fact Sheets, a workaround involves creating an abstract parent Fact Sheet and linking it to the catalog item. Then, model all instances of the same application as child Fact Sheets under this parent instance.

Aligned SaaS and Lifecycle Catalog Items

When a SaaS application is linked to a catalog item, the associated SaaS Hosting IT Component Fact Sheet is automatically created and linked to the Lifecycle Catalog. Additionally, corresponding Provider and Tech Category Fact Sheets are also created if they don't already exist. Lifecycle Catalog provides automatic updates on the life cycle, end-of-support information, and provider information, along with information for many other attributes of IT components.

Lifecycle Catalog is part of the LeanIX Technology Risk and Compliance product. However, if you are using just the SaaS Catalog, you can still access the Lifecycle Catalog but limited to those IT Components that were created as a result of linking the SaaS application to the SaaS Catalog. Having full access to the Lifecycle Catalog allows you to link all other IT components, and allows actions like bulk linking, reviewing ignored components, requesting additions/updates to Lifecycle Catalog information, and other functionalities.

The alignment in catalogs also ensures there are no duplications of IT Components for users who use both catalogs.