Since the security needs of digital businesses have increased significantly, the use of older access control methods has been replaced by the modern cloud-based IAM architecture. Identity Access Management (IAM) provides managing user identities and entitlements across all corporate resources, both in data centers and in the cloud. It also provides basic cloud security control by authenticating users and regulating access to systems, networks, and data.
In 2021, 74% of global respondents said their IAM solution captures access level data on their users. Notably, the majority of firms keep roughly 50% of fundamental user attributes through their IAM system. This means that just around half of all organizations have clear visibility of their users.
IAM services use open standards integration for reduced overhead and maintenance. The process includes verifying user identities and their access rights to a particular system. With the help of the IAM, it is easier to succeed and flourish in becoming more efficient and secure, save costs and ease frustration from ineffective practices and policies. To assist you in adopting the process, this article offers identity access management best practices to follow as you develop your strategy.
Use Multi-factor Authentication
Using an access management tool such as Multi-Factor Authentication allows you to create an extra security gate when logging into your apps and devices. It is beneficial to integrate MFA into user access portals instead of relying only on a single password for the security of your data.
Multi-Factor Authentication is an additional authentication method that ensures users are binary secure when entering their credentials into your system. It requires users to provide two or more factors when signing in to an account. These factors can include a password paired with a verification code on your mobile device, push notification, facial recognition, or fingerprint software.
Adopt Zero Trust Network Access
ZTNA is the key point access management solution when it comes to assigning rights. It is a network security approach integrated into the IAM environment. As more people work outside their corporate networks and use multiple devices and applications, organizations must secure their entire systems with the Zero Trust approach of trusting no one and continuous authentication.
The Zero Trust model works in such a way that users and applications should not fully trust anything, both inside and outside of your network, until they are authenticated. After the authentication is performed, the security checks continue until the user leaves the network.
Centralize Your Network
One of the best practices for identity access management is to create a centralized network system. Centralizing gives you visibility and control over who has access to what in your organization. You should choose an identity management solution that puts a centralized view of your user identities.
Centralizing is critical in complex systems with multiple cloud databases or core applications. It makes monitoring more effective by making real-time user access visible and enables seamless management of accounts. Since so much activity circulating on your networks such as users, databases, applications, and portals, it is necessary to keep a close eye on any activity.
Rotate Credentials Regularly
Changing your account passwords and access keys regularly is one of the most important steps in securing your account. Likewise, it’s helpful to make sure that all IAM users in your account do as well.
In this way, if a password or access key is compromised without your knowledge or consent, you limit and determine how much and how credentials can be used to access your resources. It could be beneficial to apply a custom password policy to your system to require that all your IAM users rotate their passwords.
Conclusion
Cloud technology allows your employees to work from anywhere, at any time, and from any device. However, this may lead to vulnerabilities that endanger the security and confidentiality of internal company information. That’s why you should adopt another security solution that focuses on identity rather than network security. IAM technology is designed for exactly this need, with many benefits such as centralized access control, less risk of data breaches, improved user experience, regulatory compliance, and lower IT costs. By having a simple cloud identity management process, IAM encourages the integration of consistent data access controls for enterprises to deploy across a variety of on-premises, mobile, and cloud services. It allows organizations to remain secure and adaptable in changing business models for greater agility.
