Navigating the digital future: the critical importance of identity and access management

As the digital world evolves, identity and access management (IAM, from Identity and Access Management) is of paramount importance. This trend is especially evident in the current landscape, where we are witnessing the expansion of the "World as a Service" model, where access to specific resources is limited based on each user's role. In fact, accurate identity and access management not only provides robust security measures, but also offers several practical benefits.

The implementation and functions of the IAM

The concept of IAM is central to securing specific corporate assets and limiting access to unauthorized users. Deployed both internally and externally in enterprises, it leverages server operating system group policies. In essence, IAM involves authenticating and authorizing access to a system by processing user identities and comparing them to a database to determine corresponding access privileges. An IAM system provides constant monitoring of access to the IT infrastructure and allows changes to access privileges for each individual user, including the right to revoke.

IAM and cyber security: focusing on large organizations

In terms of cyber security, IAM defines boundaries and allows for a more focused focus on security, complicating attackers' efforts to infiltrate. However, the issue becomes more complex when you consider large organizations with thousands of employees spread across multiple locations or continents. In these scenarios, it might be beneficial to rely on vendors that offer IAM systems that scale easily, monitor the IAM infrastructure, and assist the company's IT staff with implementation.

The essential characteristics of an IAM system

To ensure secure access to IT infrastructure, shared network resources, and applications, an IAM system must incorporate a few key features. These include: access management, identity synchronization, risk-based authentication (RBA), identity lifecycle management, multi-factor authentication, security information management and events (SIEM) and user behavior analysis (UBA). A good IAM system should support security breach prevention, real-time monitoring, compliance with privacy regulations, and IT administrator workload reduction. These features contribute to greater business reliability, limiting damage to reputation and potential financial losses resulting from cyber attacks.