This blog details why do we need to have a trusted Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform. Although there are many methods for implementing a successful IAM program, a trusted platform experience is always the best solution.
Here are a few reasons:
- Learning one suite of solutions
Mostly, the IT staff overwork. Having an IAM team is generally based on the company’s size and complexity. The staff could find difficulties in learning to use multiple Identity Management tools. It is more important to ease the administration of IT staff by choosing a comprehensive IAM solution.
- Cloud technology
There was a time when protecting internal applications was hard. But now organizations are encouraging their employees to move to cloud applications. It has the newest features and also lowers costs.
Moving the data and applications to the cloud also requires the implementation of IAM protection. A trusted IAM platform preserves both the on-premise traditional assets and the SaaS assets.
- Comprehensive Lifecycle Management
A reliable lifecycle coverage is essential for the successful functioning of the IAM program. The users change over time. They change their jobs. The new applications will be received. Hence ‘One and done approach to Identity Management is not going to work. The lifecycle approach means monitoring and controlling the user accounts right from creation to termination. Whereas the neglection of accounts at the end of their lifecycle is a problem.
Continuous management is the basis for success. The following are the practices to sustain a robust IAM platform.
1) Technology Project Management
Every new technology that is implemented by an organization must be covered by the IAM solution. The best time for planning is during project implementation as it helps in avoiding security gaps.
2) Organization Changes
IT must engage the HR department to understand the substantial organizational changes. For example, while acquiring another company, the new users and technologies will be integrated into the organization’s trusted platform. Whereas, additional set-up support is required during expansion.
3) Employee Training
The managers must be well trained in their job. They are the ones who off-board the users, remove the inactive users, and escalate the issues to IT. The new hires will usually be trained on the basics yet they should be given knowledge about IAM too.
4) IAM Monitoring
Creating a simple dashboard could be the best idea. It shows the state of the IT security program. It can also include indicators on the number of password resets, inactive users, and multi-factor authentication usage. Regular monitoring of these indicators will give an early warning if the trusted platform is in need of a tune-up.
