Access Management Software – The Secret to Enhanced Productivity and Control
Effective security sustains business success, but managing a constantly changing threat landscape can be challenging. Simplification is critical to reducing complexity – especially through vendor, policy and console consolidation. Identity access management, or IAM, helps organizations secure internal systems and user accounts while allowing users to log in and gain access to tools they need easily.
Authentication
Authentication is the process by which a server knows that a user or computer is who it thinks it is. It usually involves a username and password but can include other factors like cards, retina scans, fingerprints or voice recognition. It does not determine what tasks the individual can do or what files they can see; it merely validates who the digital entity is.
Security leaders often mandate two-factor authentication (2FA) for employees to log into the network, making it more difficult for hackers to access sensitive data within an organization’s system. But while this type of security can help, it is not foolproof, as many hacker tactics focus on stealing or guessing a user’s password. To prevent this, multifactor authentication is essential to any enterprise cybersecurity strategy.
Identity as a Service (IDaaS) solutions can help companies protect their data by implementing a robust authentication program that uses industry standards like SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect and WS-Federation to enable single sign-on across platforms, federated business-to-business access and contextual multifactor authentication. In addition, they can provide a central console to monitor and control concurrent remote sessions for privileged users to reduce the risk of lateral movement attacks. This also enables security teams to use the least privilege principle to ensure team members can access the minimum amount of data needed for their jobs.
Monitoring
The ability to monitor and control access to privileged systems is an important part of the access management software security process. This capability enables organizations to enforce policies that ensure users cannot access data they do not need to do their jobs. Monitoring also helps organizations identify suspicious activity that may indicate a security breach is occurring.
Manual processes that require people to grant access to privileged systems manually can slow down work and create opportunities for human error. Using a PAM solution allows teams to automate these processes and enable members to gain the necessary access to complete their tasks quickly. This reduces frustration for team members who want to do their jobs promptly and efficiently.
This also allows your organization to easily monitor hundreds or thousands of privileged session recordings for unusual activities that could signal a potential threat. PAM solutions can help prioritize these sessions and alert the right team members when fishy behavior is detected. It’s important to remember that information security is a continuous process.
As the National Institute of Standards and Technology explains, it’s impossible to maintain stringent user access control without monitoring and updating a wide range of techniques to keep up with the ever-changing threat landscape. Monitoring capabilities that continuously enhance situational awareness will enable your organization to improve its cybersecurity posture by reducing risk across the enterprise architecture and operational environment.
Access Control
Access control provides a layer of security for your organization that verifies that people entering your building, workspace, or other location are who they claim to be. Once authenticated, the system can ascertain their privileges to enter the area and access data or resources. Authentication is one piece of the access control equation, but authorization also comes into play.
For example, when someone attempts to access a particular part of the information, the access control system will ask them to confirm their credentials. Then, the system will also decide whether to allow them to access the information or make the transaction they’re requesting.
Role-based access control (RBAC) grants users permissions based on their business roles rather than their identity and implements key security principles such as least privilege. This model is widely used in businesses and organizations. Discretionary access control (DAC) models allow users to determine their security settings and share permissions with other users on an as-needed basis without strict oversight from the system administrator.
Reporting
In addition to streamlining access, automated reporting provides a more complete picture of your security environment. This can help you better prepare for future threats and identify areas where additional resources are needed. In addition, it can also help ensure that your policies are being followed correctly and prevent potential compliance violations.
Having an easy-to-use reporting tool allows you to provide clear visibility and control over privileged accounts. This reduces the chances of human error and eliminates time-consuming manual processes, freeing up talent to focus on innovation that can support company growth. Simplified and automated reporting can also help you comply with industry regulations. Storing your practices, policies, and guidelines in one central platform makes it easier to prove that you follow your industry’s standards.
Automated reporting also makes it easy for your team to share information and communicate internally about security-related incidents. This fosters a community spirit in fighting against cyber-attacks and allows your team members to feel empowered and confident that they are not alone in their efforts to protect the organization. This is especially important for teams with remote employees, as it helps to alleviate the problems associated with dispersed communication.