Businesses often struggle to provide their employees with the appropriate level of access to the right resources at the right time.
Workforces have shifted to a mobile-first strategy, allowing users to access information from multiple locations. However, devices can introduce new threats, if not properly managed.
To effectively manage these risks and eliminate operational inefficiencies, companies must implement governance policies and solutions – this can be done by implementing an effective identity and access management program.
What Is IAM?
An Identity and Access Management (IAM) system is a framework of policies and technologies that identifies and manages user identities and access permissions.
Importance of Identity Access Management (IAM)
An IAM system helps keep track of employees’ activities. Knowing that only certain employees can view applications or programs strengthens both the security and operational programs of an organization. The system’s parameters can be customized to identify any dubious user activity, communication, or issues that might go unreported.
Moreover, the IAM solutions assist organizations to meet industry regulatory requirements while also reducing expenses by minimizing the amount of time spent dealing with user account-related issues.
Here are the key benefits of IAM solutions and how they can be beneficial for an organization’s security.
Weak Password Security
IAM solutions enforce best practices when it comes to credential management while effectively mitigating the possibility of users using default or weak passwords.
Insider Threat Mitigation
Insiders are the root cause that leads to an increasing number of breaches.
IAM prevents the damage caused by malevolent insiders and ensures that people only have access to the systems they need – and the privileges cannot be escalated without being supervised.
Advanced Anomaly Detection
Modern IAM solutions go beyond basic credential identity access management and restrict abnormal behavior using technologies like artificial intelligence, risk-based authentication, and machine learning.
Multi-Factor Authentication
IAM solutions help enterprises progress from two-factor to three-factor authentication, using capabilities like iris scanning, fingerprint sensors, and face recognition.
Enhanced Security
IAM solutions aid in the detection and mitigation of security threats.
Without having to quest through various distributed systems, IAM solutions identify policy violations and eliminate improper access privileges.
IAM can also be leveraged to ensure that security measures are being set up to comply with regulatory and audit requirements.
Data Sharing
IAM offers a common platform for access and identity management information – the same Security policies and procedures can be applied across all of the organization’s operating platforms and devices.
IAM frameworks can furthermore assist in enforcing user authentication, validation, and privileges policies – along with preventing “privilege creep.”
Usability
IAM promotes user satisfaction by providing and managing access in a much simpler manner – this includes streamlining the signup, sign-in, and user management processes for end-users, system administrators, and application owners.
Increased Productivity
IAM creates automated workflows for scenarios such as new hires and role transitions to increase the processing time for access and identity changes while also reducing the errors that may occur.
Reduced IT Costs
Using federated identity services indicates that no local identities for external purposes are required – this simplifies application administration. Moreover, IAM services can reduce operating costs.
Cloud-based IAM services can also lessen the demand to acquire and retain on-premises infrastructure.
Concluding Thoughts
Deploying a robust IAM solution benefits an organization; however, the complexity and cost of implementing these solutions can derail any well-intentioned organization.
When businesses consider the cost of a potential security breach or the inefficiencies associated with manual provisioning/ de-provisioning of access to corporate resources, the need for a centralized IAM team to develop and enforce organization-wide identity and access management policies becomes evident.
