Once an identity management (IAM) system has authenticated a user, it must consider the proper access limitations for that account. This process is called authorization. An exemplary IAM tool will allow IT to control this process at the granular level, including the ability to monitor and audit privileged accounts. This is essential for compliance.
Scalability
Scalability is a common term in business, and while it may seem like a buzzword that companies throw around without consideration of its true meaning, it’s a critical factor to consider when selecting the right access management solution. Scalability means the ability of a system to handle more users, more data, or more transactions. This can be done physically or with more software, hardware, or servers. An effective access management solution should enable you to expand the system while minimizing performance degradation quickly. It should support the increased workload without disruptions and provide accurate reports and dashboards on performance to help you identify any areas for improvement. An ideal access management solution should also allow you to integrate with widely used authorization-related business systems. This lets you quickly see who has access to what and helps prevent insider threats by giving visibility into privileged accounts. It should also provide tools for fast, accurate provisioning of new user accounts and deprovisioning, allowing you to apply role-specific templates to speed up the process while ensuring compliance with established policies and procedures. It should also be able to manage consent and privacy, perform access certification and attestation, and provide reporting on user activity. This can help you meet compliance requirements for GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulations.
Integrations
A business needs to integrate the different systems in its operations. It helps streamline processes, reduce operating costs, and comply with regulations. The integration also allows the organization to give external users (customers, partners, and suppliers) access to the company’s network without compromising security. Choosing an IAM solution that has a solid set of integration capabilities is essential. The tools should be scalable and offer future-proofing. In addition, the tools should be easy to use and offer hands-on support. Lastly, the system should be able to handle data ownership and ensure that all stakeholders have the same understanding of the security standards. An IAM solution with good integration capabilities can help reduce the time and hassle it takes to manage user credentials. It can also enable organizations to make quicker decisions about granting or revoking privileges based on identity and role rather than by device or location. In addition, it can help organizations improve their customer and employee experience and reduce operating costs. The best integration tool for IAM should have a flexible API and be easy to use. It should have a robust workflow engine and allow multiple communication channels, including email, web chat, and phone. In addition, it should also offer a dashboard to display all the key metrics and provide the ability to set up alerts for specific events.
Security
Ensuring that only authorized personnel can access information and systems is critical to protecting your data from cybercriminals. An IAM solution can provide visibility into user access configurations and permission settings. For example, a business can set up role-based access control so employees can only see the tools needed. This helps prevent accidental or malicious changes to important files. An IAM solution can also authenticate users by requiring multi-factor authentication or adaptive authentication to verify that they’re who they say they are. This prevents unauthorized individuals from accessing sensitive information, which could lead to costly security breaches or data loss. An IAM solution can also limit the time a user can access a system or file. This can help reduce the risk of unauthorized access by an ex-employee or a competitor who knows how to gain entry. A comprehensive IAM solution should track these activities and provide visibility into privileged accounts to prevent internal threats. In addition, it should be able to detect and report on user-access-related activity to support compliance with regulatory mandates.
Cost
IAM protocols improve productivity by automating critical aspects of managing identities, authentication, and authorization. Moreover, IAM solutions reduce the number of admin hours spent dealing with access-related issues. The average organization can save $332,000 in time on onboarding, offboarding, and privilege escalation tasks by implementing the right privileged access management (PAM) solution. PAM software allows centralized administration, ensuring the right people have suitable access to the right systems at the correct times. This helps businesses manage security risks and comply with regulatory guidelines, such as HIPAA and PCI. An IAM solution also improves the user experience by allowing employees to use one set of credentials for their work accounts, improving productivity. It can help you reduce IT support costs by eliminating password reset requests, and it can even detect breaches of a given username or password, preventing employees from using a compromised account. Implementing an IAM solution can be costly but pays off in the long run by reducing risk and saving administrative time. However, you should budget for extensive user training to ensure all staff understand how to work with the solution. Training that includes user guides, videos, and screenshots makes internal process compliance more accessible for users, which can cut down on security risks that result from working around the system.