What Is Identity and Access Management?

Identity and access management (IAM) is an essential cybersecurity framework for organizations of any size. By implementing IAM organizations can control and manage user access to critical information within their networks, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access sensitive data and systems.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at IAM: its core elements, benefits, and how it can enhance your cybersecurity. 

What is IAM?

IAM is a comprehensive cybersecurity framework that combines various processes, policies, and technologies to manage digital identities and control access to your resources. 

“Identity and access management (IAM) is a security and business discipline that includes multiple technologies and business processes to help the right people or machines to access the right assets at the right time for the right reasons, while keeping unauthorized access and fraud at bay.”
Gartner

By verifying identities and permissions, IAM safeguards your resources while allowing your employees, contractors, or partners to perform their jobs. At its core, IAM involves identifying users, authenticating them, and authorizing their access to resources.

How does IAM work?

The main goal of IAM is to ensure that the right users can access the right assets at the right times, thus, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Here’s how it works:

User identity

The IAM process begins with an identity: a unique representation of a user, device, or application within a system. Once you’ve onboard new employees, you will need to create digital identities for them. This involves collecting and securely storing user information, such as names, job roles, and credentials. 

Authentication

After a user’s identity is established, an identity and access management system can help you make sure that users attempting to access resources really are who they claim to be. Authentication can be performed through: 

• Single Sign-On (SSO). SSO lets users authenticate just once, and then get access to different apps or systems without the need to log in again. 
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA). As an extra layer of authentication, MFA requires users to provide additional forms of verification before accessing a system. This typically combines something users know (credentials) with something they have (mobile devices).
• Biometric authentication. This method uses fingerprints, facial recognition, and other biological characteristics.

Authorization and access control

After successful authentication, identity and access management solutions can help you establish which resources each user is allowed to access. You can implement various access control models to manage access:

• Role-based access control (RBAC) — permissions are assigned based on a user’s role within your organization.
• Attribute-based access control (ABAC) — access is granted according to the specific attributes assigned to users.
• Policy-based access control (PBAC) — access decisions are made based on policies defined by the organization.

Privileged Access Management with Syteca

Identity lifecycle management 

IAM tools manage a user’s access throughout their user identity’s entire lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding. This includes updating access rights as users change roles, revoking access when they leave the organization, and managing temporary access for contractors. 

Monitoring and reporting

IAM solutions monitor user access activity and generate detailed reports to support your organization’s access reviews, security audits, and compliance efforts. 

Benefits of IAM

Implementing IAM solutions offers many advantages for organizations of any size. IAM serves as a first line of defense, ensuring that only authorized users can access your organization’s critical data and systems. Here’s how IAM can strengthen your cybersecurity posture:

Reduced risk of data breaches

Data breaches can occur due to credential compromise. IAM systems provide security teams with centralized control for managing user identities and access privileges. By enforcing robust authentication methods such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and implementing granular access controls, IAM helps prevent unauthorized access to your sensitive data and resources.

Streamlined compliance

Many industries are mandated to follow cybersecurity and data privacy regulations. IAM solutions help organizations meet compliance requirements by enforcing access controls, maintaining audit trails, and generating comprehensive reports. An efficient IAM solution can help organizations avoid hefty non-compliance fines and reputational damage.

User Activity Reporting with Syteca

Increased operational efficiency 

IAM tools automate access management processes, reducing the administrative burden on IT teams and allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks. Automated processes also significantly decrease the chances of human error.

Enhanced user experience

Features like SSO provided by IAM systems simplify the user experience. SSO eliminates the need to remember multiple passwords, reducing login friction and saving time. 

Insider threat protection

IAM systems provide a centralized view of user identities and access rights throughout the organization. By monitoring user access and helping detect suspicious activity, IAM systems make it easier for your security team to detect and prevent potential insider threats.

Support for zero trust architecture

IAM is a fundamental component of a zero trust architecture, a security approach that suggests no user or system should be trusted by default. By continuously verifying user identities and managing access rights, IAM aligns with zero trust, helping you ensure that access to your critical data and systems is granted on a strict need-to-know basis.

Syteca supports IAM by offering robust solutions for identity management, two-factor authentication, secondary authentication for shared accounts, and privileged access management. The platform also provides comprehensive user activity monitoring and additional features to help you reduce the risk of unauthorized access and improve your overall cybersecurity posture.