Why is identity and access management so vital today?

Identity management refers to the field of IT security, framework and solutions for managing digital identities. Identity management encompasses the provisioning and deprovisioning of identities, obtaining and authenticating identities, and authorizing access to funds and to perform specific activities. Even if a person (person) has only one digital identity, they can have multiple individual accounts representing them.

The overarching goal of IAM would be to ensure that a given identity has access to the right tools (databases, applications, networks, etc.) and is present in the right context. Organizational IAM policies define

• How users are identified and the roles assigned to them
• Systems, data, and other regions protected by IAM
• The correct levels of protection and access for sensitive data, systems, data and locations

Identity and access management solutions are essential to protect company systems, assets and sensitive data from unauthorized use or access. An end-to-end IAM implementation will reduce the likelihood and effect of information breaches and ensure that only valid, authenticated users have access. IAM is crucial to protect the following areas by simply allowing access:

1. Data and Information :Customer, company, supplier or other sensitive data, stored on local servers, in the cloud or even elsewhere.
2. Software and Software :Systems used by employees, customers, suppliers, partner companies and many others.
3. Development, Testing, Staging, and Working Platforms :All computing environments used for the creation, launch and operations of products and services.
4. Devices :Notebooks, smartphones, laptops, tablets, IoT, as well as other devices.
5. Locations :Commercial locations, including private office spaces, information centers and protected places.
6. Integrations: Data that is sent, received, stored, or otherwise interacts as it moves between different areas.

The intersection of identity and access management and privileged access administration

Although some people treat so-called identity management (PIM) – also called privileged access management (PAM) or privilege management – ​​because of the subcategory within IAM, others consider the PAM as a thing in its own right. However, for holistic identity governance that controls both unprivileged and privileged identities, IAM and PAM must be older applications that work and communicate with each other.

While IAM allows organizations to provision/de-provision identities, authenticate them, and authorize their access to resources and certain actions, it lacks the ability to overlay granular controls (e.g., application of the security principle of least privilege) with respect to privileged anonymity. and anonymous access and permissions.

With an IAM solution, permissions and privileges are typically granted in broad strokes to too many individuals, accounts, applications, etc. So while IAM options allow IT teams to determine who has access to what?', PIM/PAM options need to be layered to answer questions such as 'is this the right level of access?' "

Conclusion

While any IAM run starts with meeting a business's needs (specifying features, accessibility requirements, etc.) and creating coverage, there are many different IAM tools and solutions that can enable you to run an IAM application. Any tools you choose should address use cases in your own environment.

Also consider prioritizing tools that could offer highly automated workflows to simplify IAM administration and identity management tools that integrate well with other security platforms and technologies (such as PAM ). The simpler the tool and the better it is for your environment and other security programs, the more likely you are to close security holes and improve business operations.