Why is an IAM system needed?
Identity and Access Management addresses the business-critical need to ensure appropriate access to resources in increasingly heterogeneous technology environments while meeting ever stricter compliance requirements.
With IAM technologies, companies can control user access to sensitive information by initiating, capturing, documenting, and managing user identities and associated access authorizations to IT systems and IT applications.
IAM ensures access control and auditing of all corporate resources.
Important functions of an IAM at a glance
IAM systems can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used locally on-site, provided by a third-party via a cloud model, or implemented via a hybrid model. IAM offers a wide range of systems used, including single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and privileged access management systems.
In addition to securely storing identity and profile data, IAM technologies also offer the option of introducing data governance functions to ensure that only the data that is necessary and relevant is released.
The key functions of IAM can be summarized as follows:
- Identification of personal and non-personal users in the system
- Identification of roles in a system and their assignment to users
- Management of users and their roles in a system, including adding, removing, and updating
- Assignment of access levels to individuals or groups of individuals
- Securing the system and protecting sensitive data within the system
- Reporting measures: Companies can use reports to prove compliance with regulations, identify potential security risks, and thus improve their IAM and security processes
The benefits of an IAM system
A company can benefit from the following advantages through an IAM system:
- Access is granted in accordance with the guidelines, and all employees and services are properly authenticated, authorized, and audited
- Organizations that manage identities correctly can better control user access, thereby reducing the risk of internal and external data loss
- An automated IAM system can reduce the effort, time, and money spent on manually managing access to its network, enabling companies to work more efficiently.
- IAM systems can help companies comply with laws and regulations by proving that corporate data has not been misused. The company can also prove that it can provide all data required for the audit, if necessary.
- An IAM system enables an employee to work more efficiently and focus on their core skills. Through, for example, single sign-on, they have access to all roles authenticated for the employee with just one login. In addition, they can easily and centrally manage their roles via the IAM system.
IAM – a holistic approach for the company
A major challenge in implementing an IAM system is the holistic approach. While many employees see the management of the IAM system as the responsibility of the IT department, it must be established holistically for the entire company.
For example, specialist departments must define who receives access to which IT applications, who monitors this access, and who manages it. The relevant specialist departments of the individual IT applications and their access and role concepts must therefore be “created” in cooperation with IT. Only through the interaction between the departments does an IAM system become a successful concept for companies.
Conclusion
With the help of the guidelines and tools of the IAM system, the management of personal and non-personal identities is facilitated, and access to the required company resources can be controlled and monitored. IAM technology enables companies to grant users outside the company (such as customers, partners, contractors, and suppliers) access to the network and the necessary applications (mobile, local, and cloud applications) without compromising security and ensuring data protection. The implementation and use of IAM systems and corresponding best practices lead to better collaboration, higher productivity, greater efficiency, and lower operating costs, enabling companies to gain a competitive advantage.
