When Substly detects a new SaaS tool being used by an employee, it's automatically marked as Unapproved and listed on the Unapproved Services page.
This list shows all services discovered by our discovery engine -- based on employee logins and usage of B2B SaaS tools.
From the Unapproved Services page, you can see key details about each service, including:
- What the service does
- Which employees have used it
- How many times it has been used
- When it was last used
Approving Services
If a service aligns with your organization's policies and you want to include it in your approved portfolio, you can mark it as Approved in Substly.
Once approved, the service will move to the Approved Services page.
Approved services unlock additional functionality, allowing you to:
- Assign a service owner
- Track costs
- Set renewal reminders
- Manage user licenses
- Store contracts and agreements
Understanding Admin-Managed vs. Auto-Managed Services
By default, all services in Substly are set to Auto-Managed.
This means Substly automatically creates user-service connections based on detected usage.
You can switch a service to Admin-Managed at any time.
In Admin-Managed mode, license assignments are handled manually by an admin.
How to Change a Service from Auto-Managed to Admin-Managed
- Go to the Services page and select the service you want to update.
- Click Manage Service, then open the Settings tab.
- Under License Management, select whether the service should be Auto-Managed or Admin-Managed.
How These Concepts Work Together
- Approved vs. Unapproved shows whether your organization has formally accepted the use of a service.
- Admin-Managed vs. Auto-Managed defines how license assignments for that service are handled.
Best Practice
Start with automation. Let Substly automatically build user-service connections based on real usage data.
To get a complete overview, we recommend keeping the Substly Extension active for at least 6-8 weeks.
Quick Compare
| Category | Approved | Unapproved | Admin-Managed | Auto-Managed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definition | Reviewed and accepted by the organization | Discovered by Substly but not yet approved | License assignments handled manually | License assignments handled automatically based on detected usage |
| Typical purpose | Services actively used and sanctioned | Potential Shadow IT to be reviewed | Greater control over license distribution | Automated overview of SaaS usage without manual effort |