Identity and access management (IAM) has endured a lot of change in recent years. I say 'endured' because its evolving surroundings has been the bane of the day job for IAM professionals. Just when they think they've cracked it, something new (either a trend or requirement) crops up, leaving your IAM team to throw their hands up in the air. Here we go again. However, change isn't always a bad thing. In particular, IAM has enjoyed many a trend and evolution, keeping IAM pros on their toes. As the year draws to a close, we're reflecting on what has shaped IAM today.
The landscape is getting cloudy
As with many enterprise technologies, the cloud has been impacting IAM and will continue to do so as businesses go more cloud-based. Firstly, the number of cloud services per enterprise environment is increasing. In turn, so does the complexity, making it trickier to manage identities. Although the old adage goes 'you can't fight fire with fire', IAM is an exception; if everything else is going cloud, your IAM should too. It may seem that, one by one, IT resources are all turning into x-as-a-Service, but actually, as-a-Service models offer organisations all the flexibility they need to flourish in the future. As we know with cloud-based applications, they are often accompanied by significant cost savings. It is also beneficial for your employees; not only do they have the flexibility to work from any location and any device, but your IT team can also turn their attention to other pressing matters, leaving IAM in your solution's capable hands.
Multifactor as a must
Multifactor authentication is a must for any IAM solution worth its salt. Today's increasingly digital environment necessitates heightened security, and IAM can help you do so. In particular, multifactor authentication enables you to layer your security to protect your data and apps. For the user, it means they will have to authenticate their identity with more than one method, such as PIN or recognition, rather than depending on their password. Today's calibre of cyber threats is, annoyingly, very complex. In recent years, we have seen multi-vector attacks rise in prevalence. Multifactor authentication aligns itself with the current cybersecurity culture for more advanced solutions and heightened education. Its implementation in particular reminds staff that cybersecurity is indeed an enterprise-wide effort. If, like us, you just can't get enough of IAM, make sure you're attending IDM UK tomorrow. We'll see you there!
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