Start the Conversation with Typetec
Submit your email and a member of our team will be in touch with you.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
A key component of keeping your organisation safe is ensuring that only authorised users have access to your company’s network, data and resources. In fact, a staggering 84% of businesses say they’ve been affected by an identity-related attack.
This underscores how critical it is for organisations of every size to get their Identity and Access Management (IAM) right. At its core, IAM is the framework that ensures the right people (and only the right people) can access the systems and data they need, no more, no less.
In this article, we’ll break down the fundamentals of identity and access management, explore some key solutions and best practices for implementing robust IAM, and discuss how to avoid the common pitfalls of introducing IAM to your business.
At its core, IAM ensures the right people have the correct level of access at the time they need it. To achieve this, IAM is divided into two interconnected components: Identity Management and Access Management. Let’s explore what each means!
Identity Management is the part of the IAM process that checks that a person is who they say they are. This involves creating and storing digital identities and providing authentication methods to check these identities when access is required.
When a new employee, contractor, or partner joins your organisation, identity management systems automate the creation of their digital “identity”. This is a unique profile that ties back to a real person.
Identity management systems unlock the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA), which is more secure than using a username and password alone. It introduces an extra verification stage where users must confirm their identity through a secondary method.
Once the IAM system is confident that the individual matches their digital identity, access management ensures that this person has access to what they need, and only what they need.
The process of granting or denying specific permissions to authenticated users is known as authorisation. It defines what actions a user can perform on a particular resource. For example, one user might have permission to read a file, while another might have permission to read, write, and delete it. Access rules allow you to apply authentication settings across groups of users, speeding up the process of handing out the correct authorisations to employees.
Putting IAM theory into action requires thoughtful planning and execution. Here are three key areas to focus on when rolling out IAM:
When selecting an IAM platform, start by defining your organisation’s scope. Are you protecting on-premises applications, cloud workloads, or a hybrid mix?
Microsoft’s Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) within the Microsoft Security suite provides the main capabilities you’ll need out of the box, such as adaptive multi-factor authentication, self-service password reset, and centralised access policy management.
Need more granular control over your IAM configurations? Perhaps a custom enterprise approach is required. However, such an approach does have its downsides. A complex IAM system that is difficult to manage can lead to misconfigurations and security gaps. Aim to strike a balance between features and user-friendliness to improve your chances of a quick integration.
An IAM solution doesn't operate in a vacuum. One of the most critical aspects of a successful IAM implementation is its ability to integrate seamlessly with your existing IT infrastructure.
Initially, all businesses should conduct an audit of their tools with a managed service. For all Microsoft products, it will be a simple ‘plug and play’ solution, but for other applications, it may require some additional work.
Technology is only one part of the IAM equation; your people are the other. Even the most sophisticated IAM system can be undermined by human error or lack of awareness.
All users should understand their roles and responsibilities in maintaining security. This includes training on creating strong, unique passwords, the importance and proper use of multi-factor authentication and how to identify and report phishing attempts.
IT staff and administrators responsible for managing the IAM system should also be provided with specialised training on its configuration, management, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
While the benefits of a robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) program are clear, the journey to implementing and maintaining an effective IAM framework is not without its obstacles.
Here are some common pitfalls and how to resolve them:
One of the most persistent challenges in IAM is achieving the right balance between stringent security measures and an experience that doesn’t hinder or slow down your users.
Cumbersome security protocols can lead to user frustration, decreased productivity, and even the adoption of insecure workarounds as employees seek to bypass inconvenient controls, but valuing convenience too much at the expense of security can leave gaping holes for attackers to exploit.
How can you overcome this? Conditional Access is a brilliant answer to this problem. Adaptive MFA solutions dynamically assess the risk associated with each login attempt by considering various contextual factors. If, for instance, an individual is using the same device and in the same location as their last access attempt, they may not need to re-authenticate.
In the same vein, using a single sign-on (SSO) reduces both the number of login credentials that employees need to remember and how many times they need to authenticate. SSO instead allows users to access multiple applications and systems using a single set of login credentials.
Robust IAM systems help demonstrate that you are adhering to the compliance regulations governing your business, but proving this can be a tad complicated.
Firstly, identify the specific requirements of the regulations relevant to your organisation and map how your IAM controls address each of them. Then, consider your audit and reporting trails. IAM systems must provide comprehensive, immutable audit logs detailing all access-related activities. This includes records of login attempts (both successful and failed), any changes made to user permissions, administrative actions performed within the IAM system, and the resources accessed by users.
We also recommend conducting regular user access reviews and providing specific compliance training to educate your employees on the importance of adhering to access policies and their role in maintaining compliance.
A robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the key to keeping your business safe from intruders. It ensures that the right people are accessing only the resources they need. IAM can help you implement a few basic principles of Zero Trust, namely the principle of least access, but keeping a keen eye on the user experience can help mitigate pushback and improve adoption.
Ready to embark on your IAM journey? Get in touch with us to see how we can help!