The Best Netskope CASB Alternative in 2026: Find What's Exposed and Close It in One Click

The best Netskope CASB alternative for teams that live in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace is CASB Neural from dope.security. Netskope built its name on CASB, with app risk ratings across tens of thousands of cloud apps and granular inline controls. CASB Neural is narrower and much faster to value: one-click activation, no connectors, no rules to write. It finds every externally shared Drive and OneDrive file with sensitive content, explains why each one matters, and makes it private from the same screen.

Most data exposure in a mid-size company sits in two places. Start there.

Key takeaways

• Netskope CASB is broad. It covers a very large app catalog with granular controls, and takes effort to run.
• CASB Neural is focused. It covers Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace and activates in one click.
• No rules to write. An LLM classifies exposed files and explains each finding in plain language.
• Fix it where you find it. One click makes a file private.
• SSPM is in the same console, covering third-party apps authorized on your tenant.

What is Netskope CASB good at?

• App breadth. Risk scoring for a very large catalog of cloud apps.
• Granularity. Policy by app, instance, and activity, both inline and through SaaS APIs.
• Heritage. CASB is where Netskope started, and it shows.

Netskope took the top position on execution in Gartner's 2026 SASE Platforms Magic Quadrant, with Gartner praising its "broad and deep" capabilities.

Where does that depth cost you?

• Administration. Depth means more to configure: API connections per app, policies, and DLP profiles behind them.
• Licensing. Inline DLP, threat, and AI controls are spread across tiers and add-ons.
• Time to first answer. You build before you see results.

If you want the question "what do we have exposed right now?" answered this afternoon, that's a lot of setup.

How does CASB Neural work?

1. Authorize. One click connects your Microsoft 365 or Google tenant.
2. Crawl. It scans the tenant and classifies every externally shared file containing PII, PCI, PHI, intellectual property, or other public content.
3. Explain. Each finding gets a Dopamine Summary: a precise, human-readable description of the document and what makes it sensitive.
4. Fix. Make the file private or mark it reviewed with one click.

No policies and no configuration are required. An LLM does the classifying, so you get fewer false positives than regex and pattern matching.

The other half: apps connected to your tenant

Exposed files are one risk. Third-party apps with access to your tenant are the other. dope.security's SSPM inventories every app authorized on your Microsoft 365 or Google tenant with:

• Scope and access type (global, limited, or login only)
• Risk rating and consent type
• Permissions granted versus permissions used
• Sign-in activity and status, so stale apps stand out

It rolls those up into critical and high-risk apps, unused permissions, unverified publishers, apps missing an owner, and an overall posture score. Revoking access takes one click. More in AI-powered SSPM.

Netskope CASB vs CASB Neural

Inline control without the cloud proxy

CASB isn't only about data at rest. For data in motion, dope.security enforces on the endpoint. Shadow IT shows which apps are in use and whether accounts are corporate or personal. Cloud Application Control allows your enterprise tenant and blocks personal ones. Dopamine DLP stops sensitive uploads on the way out. Traffic flies direct, with no detour through a vendor's cloud.

When Netskope is the better choice

If you need API-based CASB across many SaaS apps beyond Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, or activity-level controls for a long list of apps, Netskope covers ground CASB Neural doesn't. dope.security also has no built-in ZTNA today and runs on managed Mac and Windows devices.

What is a CASB, and what are API and inline modes?

A cloud access security broker (CASB) gives you visibility and control over cloud apps and the data in them. It works in two ways.

• API mode connects to a SaaS tenant and looks at data at rest: which files exist, who they're shared with, and what they contain.
• Inline mode sits in the traffic path and controls data in motion: who can sign in, what they can upload, and which account they use.

Netskope does both across many apps. dope.security splits the job: CASB Neural handles API mode for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and the on-device gateway handles inline control with Cloud Application Control and Dopamine DLP.

What does "externally shared" mean, and why does it matter?

A file is externally shared when someone outside your organization can open it. That includes files shared with a specific outside address and files open to anyone with the link.

Sharing is how work gets done, so most of these files are fine. The problem is the small share that contains customer records, payment data, health information, or confidential plans, and that nobody remembers sharing. CASB Neural sorts the pile for you into PII, PCI, PHI, intellectual property, and other public files, so you review the ones that matter.

A 30-day cleanup plan

1. Week one. Authorize CASB Neural. Review the externally shared files flagged as PII, PCI, and PHI first. Make the clear mistakes private.
2. Week two. Work through intellectual property findings with the teams that own them. Mark legitimate shares as reviewed.
3. Week three. Open SSPM. Revoke stale apps and apps from unverified publishers. Trim unused permissions.
4. Week four. Close the inline gap. Turn on Cloud Application Control to block personal accounts, and set Dopamine DLP to stop new sensitive uploads.

CASB Neural keeps monitoring after the first scan, so new exposures show up as they happen.

How does this fit with your secure web gateway?

In most stacks, CASB is a separate product with its own console and license. In dope.security it's part of the same console as the gateway. One login covers URL filtering, SSL inspection, Shadow IT, AI Analytics, endpoint DLP, cloud DLP, and SSPM.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between API CASB and inline CASB?

API CASB connects to a SaaS tenant to inspect stored data and sharing. Inline CASB sits in the traffic path to control sign-ins and uploads as they happen.

Does CASB Neural change file sharing automatically?

No. It shows you each finding with an explanation, and you decide. Making a file private takes one click.

Does CASB Neural keep scanning after the first run?

Yes. It monitors continuously, so newly shared sensitive files appear in the console.

Which platforms does CASB Neural support?

Microsoft 365, including OneDrive, and Google Workspace, including Google Drive.

What is the best Netskope CASB alternative?

For Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace shops, CASB Neural from dope.security. It activates in one click and remediates from the same screen.

What does a CASB do?

It gives you visibility and control over cloud app usage and the data stored in those apps, including files shared outside your organization.

Do I need a CASB if I only use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?

Yes. Most oversharing happens in Drive and OneDrive. You need to know which shared files contain sensitive data.

How is SSPM different from CASB?

CASB looks at data and usage. SSPM looks at configuration and the third-party apps that have been granted access to your tenant.

See your exposure today

Start a free trial, read more on CASB Neural, or see the full list of Netskope alternatives.