Data is expanding in both quantity and value. However, as companies invest money in collecting and processing data, they must also ensure that it is protected from threats and breaches. Identity and Access Management (IAM) can be helpful in this situation. How does identification and access management work, though? It is a device that aids companies in safeguarding their data from both internal and external threats. By allocating and monitoring user access, it serves as multi-level data protection by preventing any harm.
What is Identity and Access Management?
The phrase “identity and access management” refers to a collection of programmes controlling an organisation’s user access and digital identities. The main elements that IAM controls are authentication, authorisation, and the capacity to access vital information. IAM software also provides a directory for employees’ access rights and login information. Additionally, it keeps track of assigned, modified, and removed accesses.
Why Do You Need IAM?
There is still a group of sceptics who need help seeing why they need IAM in the first place, even though the advantages of IAM are vast and will be described below. What purpose does it serve? Why should my business worry about single sign-on alternatives or multi-factor authentication?
IAM is a crucial component of any security strategy since it is linked to efficiency and productivity in a world that is becoming increasingly digital. The transition to a digital age does not herald the end of business crime, and ransomware, phishing, and other malware attacks are becoming more frequent. When it comes to user credentials, even the slightest chink in a company’s security line may be disastrous, unleashing a network attack that would bring down the entire organisation. From the perspective of fundamental security, IAM must be used.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that IAM can boost productivity as well. No of the setting, centralising the processes can make it easier to protect user credentials and access, freeing up more time for productivity. Regarding the variety of workspaces, the current world is more adaptable than any other, and IAM enables this to happen in total security.
IAM Benefits
IAM has several advantages, but a few of the most significant from a security standpoint are as follows:
Enhanced security through granular access control
Computers, mobile phones, router servers, controllers, and sensors are all part of the apparatus. It seeks to give a person or thing a unique identity. Once a digital identity has been created, it needs to be updated and tracked throughout each user’s access lifecycle.
Improved security through single sign-on
With IAM, users only need one set of credentials to access all the required applications. This lowers the possibility of lost or stolen passwords and makes it simpler for users to abide by strong password standards. The quantity of Help Desk calls relating to requests for password resets is also decreased with single sign-on.
Increased visibility through Identity Governance
IAM can help you better understand who has secure access to your systems and data and what they are doing with that access. This is crucial from a security standpoint since it enables you to recognise possible hazards and take action to reduce them. In addition, IAM offers a thorough audit trail of user behaviour, which is helpful in a security breach.
Improved security through two-factor authentication
By providing a second line of defence known as two-factor authentication, IAM can increase security. Users must submit two pieces of identification proof to use this authentication method. This might include things they possess and know (like a password) (such as a security token or user attributes). Even if they have stolen a user’s credentials, two-factor authentication makes it more difficult for attackers to access systems and data.
Greater compliance with data security regulations
IAM can assist your business in adhering to laws and regulations that are becoming more strict, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). IAM can help you avoid trouble by restricting access to data and ensuring that only authorised people may view or edit it.
Several companies, such as Microsoft, Okta, and Ping Identity, offer IAM solutions. Additionally, there are other open-source IAM options available, including Keycloak and FreeIPA.
It’s crucial to find an IAM solution that caters to the particular requirements of your business. The size of your company, the kind of applications you use, the amount of protection you need, and your budget are all things to think about.
IAM might be a complicated subject, but it’s crucial to comprehend the fundamentals to keep your company secure in the modern digital environment. Utilising IAM’s security advantages will help you safeguard your most important assets and prevent illegal access to your data.
Improves productivity
Authentication and identity management are made simple by automation and AI-driven solutions that are built into every current IAM.
By automating several crucial aspects of handling authentication, identities, and authorisation processes, IAM systems increase productivity.
Some IAMs use machine learning models to recognise threats and activate risk-based authentication procedures quickly.
How Does IAM Work?
Digital identities are managed through the Identity and Access Management (IAM) process. IAM can prevent unwanted access to infrastructure, applications, and data. It also entails creating and maintaining user accounts and designing and enforcing rules on who has access to what resources.
User provisioning, establishing and managing user accounts is often where IAM gets started. This comprises operations like showing new versions, changing user rights and resetting.
Difference Between Identity Management and Access Management
Let’s see at what both these terms mean.
What is Identity Management
Your digital identity is managed through identity management. You are given a few characteristics when you work for a company in the digital sector. These characteristics could include things like your title, division, and work specifications. You have a distinctive quality because of the database’s properties. The company’s IT and HR staff often manage these attributes.
These digital identities and employee attributes are created, maintained, and checked as part of identity management. You may manage an employee’s data over time using identity management. For instance, changing projects, receiving a promotion, or even getting married all change an individual’s qualities.
Identity management enables the appropriate individuals to have the proper level of access at a reasonable time. For your business to access its resources and data, it is essential to have adequate identity management.
What is Access Management
Access management, as its name implies, gives a user permission to access or not access particular firm data or resources. A yes or no conclusion is made based on the user’s characteristics. Access control must be in place before an employee may access a resource or log in.
There could be multiple access points. A user may be unable to access or view the resource depending on the qualities. However, there may also be circumstances where the user is prohibited from accessing a particular file or document within the folder. On login sites or portals, access points for access management are possible.
Users must verify themselves before their attributes may be supplied and checked for access (authorisation). You must be genuine about who you are if you want to authorise a resource. However, as was already mentioned, authentication identifies the person, whereas authorisation determines whether or not the user is entitled to access the resource.
IAM is used to manage everything (identity and access management). Depending on their position, function, and task, different employees inside the firm have access to various resources. Access management requires routine identity maintenance and monitoring to keep up with their evolving needs.
As a result, access management enables you to limit or control employee access to corporate resources based on their digital identities.
Tools Needed to Implement IAM
MFA
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) provides an additional layer of IAM protection. This can be the fix if the initial layer of usernames and passwords is compromised. MFA can also stop passwords from becoming unreliable because it just needs information the end user already has in addition to their credentials.
SSO
SSO is a component of the overall IAM approach. It first saves time and calls for extra assistance, such as credential storage and protocol implementation. Additionally, SSO lessens the risk to corporate data because employees only need to log in once per day using a single set of credentials.
IAM Implementation Strategy Basics
How do you implement IAM?
When implementing an IAM system, several considerations must be carefully considered. The implementation process should address every aspect, from removing all potential cyber threats to guaranteeing compliance adherence. Let’s look at some of the main steps that make up the procedure.
Have a vision and develop a plan: IAM frameworks begin with an idea, much like any other IT process. You must decide what you hope to accomplish with this. Then, it would help if you concentrated on creating a framework for applying the IAM policy.
Incorporate central identity management: Centralising identity management makes it much more manageable. You may centrally administer your IAM by synchronising all identities from several directories.
Create policies for control: Users ought to have access based on their duties or roles. This can be accomplished by developing policies that specify the degree of access to specific jobs.
Incorporate zero-trust policy: It is best to avoid trusting anyone in a modern corporate infrastructure unless their identities can be independently verified. A zero-trust approach constantly authenticates users, monitors their actions, and assesses the risk associated with each session. This will make it easier to spot unusual activities that point to violations or breaches.
Secure your privileged access: Some of your accounts are different. Privileged accounts are significantly more critical to your business operations than regular accounts. You must apply extra security to these accounts by restricting user access and setting up specialised software.
Provide training and support: Users who interact with the IAM system frequently should have the necessary training to use it. Users should know who to contact when something goes wrong with the system.
IAM’s Role in Compliance
Regulatory audits are a must for all firms, and they demand proof of compliance and repeatable outcomes. Due to this, a lot of businesses are turning to IAM solutions built on a Zero Trust model, which eliminates all implicit trust and only permits access to resources after a continuous assessment of the user’s identity, the posture of their device, and the specific access policies that the company has established. Built on the idea of least-privileged access, Zero Trust removes the possibility of too lenient regulations, which pose a compliance risk. It renders it impossible for unauthorised users to move laterally across a network.
The access assessment and approval processes are fully automated by IAM, which further enhances compliance. Additionally, it lessens human error and the issues arising from too many access requests, which frequently result in over-provisioned users and unsuccessful compliance checks.
Finally, many regulations place a strong emphasis on data sovereignty, and businesses must be able to demonstrate that the data is being stored where it originated. To adhere to the strictest international privacy and data residency laws and keep your sensitive data and backups under your control and in the relevant region or country, you need a cloud architecture with complete tenant isolation.
Create a Robust Security Environment
Identity and access management should be a key component of your company’s cybersecurity plan. IAM gives you the ability to restrict and validate who has access to your sensitive resources in a time when data breaches are all too common, averting crippling security breaches. You can build a robust IAM infrastructure to fend off threats by following best practices and correct implementation.