Identity and access management has become a hot topic in recent months. That focus is no accident: companies are seeing more and more attempted attacks on their systems.
To put it in perspective, a Check Point survey found that 71% of managers reported an increase in security threats since the start of the pandemic. The main vulnerabilities respondents cited include:
- Phishing attempts (55%);
- Malicious websites claiming to offer pandemic information or advice (32%);
- Malware (28%);
- Ransomware (19%).
Another factor that made corporate security even harder was the exponential growth of remote work. Almost overnight, organizations had to adapt completely to an online world.
While this accelerated digital transformation, it also made the entire IT infrastructure more vulnerable, especially to errors or exposure by users themselves, who in many cases work on personal devices.
This scenario laid bare the need for more robust security initiatives that not only protect information properly but also bring the company into compliance with data protection laws such as LGPD.
With that in mind, here's what identity and access management is, the role it plays and how it is implemented.
So, what is identity and access management?
In practical terms, identity and access management (IAM) refers to an organization's ability to manage all of its users and their access levels across internal systems.
This means IT managers can manage these profiles, configure permissions, change roles and monitor all activity on the network.
“Identity” means all of a user's information for accessing systems — in other words, their credentials.
Identity and access management also enables more robust security measures, such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
What advantages does IAM offer companies?
IAM offers companies a range of advantages, including:
- More effective IT management;
- Greater operational security;
- IT governance;
- LGPD compliance;
- Greater operational efficiency and productivity;
- Higher network availability;
- Lower costs.
How is IAM implemented?
To implement IAM in your business, you need to consider the three cornerstones of the technology: simplicity, monitoring and flexibility.
With that in mind, you need a plan that identifies your users, all the access levels required for their roles and the systems to be integrated.
The foundation of identity management is single sign-on: using a single set of credentials to access a range of applications, programs or infrastructure.
To make sure everything works properly, monitor every step of the implementation and run tests. And when choosing a system to centralize access, look for partners that offer strong support across all of these workflows.
Want to keep your company's users secure? Count on us
We help your business implement IAM through our Identity Manager solution.
With a team of specialists, we are recognized in Brazil and internationally for our efficiency, commitment and results.
That's why we support our clients through every stage of an identity and access management rollout, ensuring centralized users, strong security and full system availability.
We also provide end-to-end support, innovative tools and fully customized projects tailored to our clients' needs.