In order to thrive, companies of any size in every industry must keep employee and customer identities safe. Leaked login info or vulnerable access points can be devastating and costly, which is why identity and access management is important to every organization. Proper identity management protects customer information against threats and ensures that employees can collaborate on key projects and share important data with minimal risks.
If you're a member or owner of an organization that regularly handles sensitive data, finding the right identity management tool is a must. Let's explore the ins and outs of identity management and access control so you can determine the right solution for securing your data.
What is identity management?
Identity and access management (IAM) is a set of procedures used to verify the identity of users accessing a given platform, program, or resource. Identity management is mainly concerned with access control, making sure that the right people can access the right resources at the right time. Every time you sign in to a device, access your bank account, or enter login information anywhere, you're relying on access management systems to recognize your identity.
As a broad field within IT and cybersecurity, identity management has a lot of moving parts. Authorization, user authentication, user lifecycle management, and auditing are just a few key components of identity management. There are generally considered to be four fundamental parts of IAM:
- Access Management: How users access data and resources within an organization or company
- Identity Governance and Administration: Administrative oversight on user identities and their access privileges within a given system
- Privileged Access Management: Heightened protection on the IAM front for users with certain system or organization privileges
- User Management: Using an IAM platform to manage and maintain user access to resources
Besides reducing security risks, IAM is important for a few other reasons. For example, identity management can, and often does, impact an organization's user experience. Consider how simple it is for users to log in to your platform or service regularly, or how tedious the user onboarding process is for your organization. IAM also covers offboarding, as it's important to minimize lingering access when a user leaves your platform or deletes their account.
What should I look for in an identity management solution?
Compatibility
The first consideration for an IAM solution should be whether it will fulfill your organization's specific requirements for access control. Always choose an identity management tool that is tailored to meet the needs of your platform or service. For instance, larger organizations would benefit from a stringent identity management system that all employees can still learn and navigate easily. Or, if your platform supports integrations with Gmail and external accounts, an IAM solution that sends login confirmations to other accounts during the authentication process could be a good fit. These are just a few examples of what to account for when considering whether an identity management tool would be a good fit for your security needs.
Security risk reduction
Identity management and access control systems can minimize vulnerable avenues for data access. IAM solutions should provide a robust authentication framework that prioritizes simple and secure access for trusted users and effectively blocks unauthorized login attempts.
Before you settle on a solution, try out a few different identity management tools to gauge their effectiveness. Establish some security objectives, check the IAM tool's accuracy with user authorization, research any vulnerability issues it might have, and make sure it's compliant with your industry's standards. You won't want a solution to fail you after your organization has already purchased and adopted it. Check what authentication options are offered by each service and gauge which access control tool uses the most secure user identity protection methods.
Compliance
Many access control systems will adhere to a set of industry compliance standards when it comes to protecting user identities and data. This provides a degree of safety that many other institutions and organizations use and trust as well. An identity management tool that's compliant with well-known specifications like ISO/IEC 27001 or the IETF Internet Standards is not only safer, but appears as less vulnerable and more trustworthy in the eyes of your users.
Look for an access control solution that provides easy access reviews, too. Features like this make it easy for organizations to keep track of who can access what. A compliant IAM tool also helps mitigate liability in the event of a data breach, which is why some solutions provide administrators with user activity records in the event of an audit.
Process automation
Having a proper tool for moderating user access control will reduce the manual workflow involved in account and access request management. As we mentioned, many IAM tools let users set up their own accounts, which reduces onboarding time by a significant margin. Doing so also cuts back on the work needed to maintain your platform's user experience standard.
Scalability
You shouldn't have to worry about increased identity vulnerability as your organization increases its user base. The ideal identity management system should be able to accommodate business growth without any obstacles or tech limitations. When looking for an IAM tool, consider the volume of users it can handle effectively. If your organization operates in multiple countries, also check if your access control solution is licensable and safe to use in different geographic regions. A small business may only need to manage a handful of users, but large enterprises could need to handle thousands or even millions of users across various systems, platforms, and applications.
Access control done right with Duende
When it comes to identity management tools, Duende Software provides top-of-the-line access control solutions for institutions and organizations of any scale. Our IdentityServer framework can be custom-tailored to your workflow, giving you complete control over your system UI and data. We also prioritize total compliance with security standards, which is why IdentityServer is officially certified by the OpenID Foundation.
Curious about our documentation and development process? Our source code is easily accessible on GitHub, so you can see how we design our products with your requirements in mind. Never have to worry about hosting limitations again - Duende's identity management solutions have no regional restrictions and are conducive to any hosting environment for your convenience.
We're here to help you build airtight access control systems for your organization, incorporating industry best practices along the way. If you want to own your data and truly stay protected, read more about our solutions and features.