What is IAM ?
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a system that helps organisations control who can access their resources, like data, apps, and files, whether employees are working on-site or remotely. It ensures only the right people, like employees, contractors, or partners, can access important information, while blocking unauthorised users such as hackers. By verifying identities and setting appropriate access levels, IAM enhances security, protects sensitive data, and prevents breaches. It plays a critical role in modern cybersecurity, simplifying user management and ensuring that people have secure access to the tools they need to do their jobs.
What Does IAM Do?
- Managing User Identities
- IAM systems either act as the sole directory or synchronize with others to manage user identities. They also create identities for specialized access needs within an organization.
- Provisioning and Deprovisioning Users
- IAM tools streamline user access assignment through role-based access control (RBAC), automatically granting access by role. It also swiftly removes access for ex-employees to prevent security risks.
- Authenticating Users
- IAM ensures users are authenticated securely, often using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and adaptive authentication for stronger identity verification.
- Authorising Users
- IAM grants users the correct access level based on their role or group, ensuring that each user gets appropriate access to specific tools or systems.
- Reporting
- IAM systems generate detailed reports on user actions, such as login times and access history, to maintain compliance and monitor security risks.
- Single Sign-On (SSO)
- SSO in IAM allows users to authenticate once and access multiple resources, eliminating the need for multiple passwords while maintaining centralised identity management.
Benefits of IAM system an Organization
- Enhanced Security :
- IAM solutions protect sensitive data by enforcing strict access controls and utilising strong authentication methods, reducing the risk of data breaches and unauthorised access.
- Regulatory Compliance
- IAM helps organisations meet regulatory requirements by automating compliance checks and maintaining detailed audit logs, reducing the risk of penalties and enhancing governance.
- Operational Efficiency
- By automating user provisioning and access management, IAM reduces manual workload for IT teams, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives while improving overall productivity.
- Improved User Experience
- Features like Single Sign-On (SSO) streamline access to applications and services, enhancing user satisfaction and reducing password fatigue among employees.
- Risk Management
- IAM provides real-time monitoring and analytics of user activities, enabling organisations to detect and respond to suspicious behaviour quickly, thereby strengthening their overall risk management strategy.
- IAM provides real-time monitoring and analytics of user activities, enabling organisations to detect and respond to suspicious behaviour quickly, thereby strengthening their overall risk management strategy.