What IAM is and what it does
IAM gives secure access to company resources—like emails, databases, data, and applications—to verified entities, ideally with a bare minimum of interference. The goal is to manage access so that the right people can do their jobs and the wrong people, like hackers, are denied entry.
The need for secure access extends beyond employees working on company machines. It also includes contractors, vendors, business partners, and people working on personal devices. IAM makes sure that each person who should have access has the right level of access at the right time on the right machine. Because of this, and the role it plays in an organization’s cybersecurity, IAM is a vital part of modern IT.
The importance of IAM for organizations
IAM makes it possible to set controls that grant secure access to employees and devices while making it difficult or impossible for outsiders to get through. While perfect protection unfortunately doesn’t exist, IAM solutions are an excellent way to prevent and minimize the impact of attacks. Instead of restricting everyone’s access in the event of a breach, many IAM systems are AI-enabled and capable of detecting and stopping attacks before they become bigger problems.
Key benefits of IAM
The right access for the right people
IAM system makes it easier to ensure that users have access to the resources they need without making it possible for them to access sensitive information they don’t need.
Unhindered productivity
IAM tools like single sign-on (SSO) and unified user profiles make it possible to grant secure access to employees across multiple channels like on-premises resources, cloud data, and third-party applications without multiple logins.
Protection from data breaches
While no security system is infallible, IAM technology reduces your risk of data breaches. Tools like MFA, passwordless authentication, and SSO give users the ability to verify their identities using more than just a username and password, which can be forgotten, shared, or hacked.
Improved collaboration and efficiency
Seamless collaboration between employees, vendors, contractors, and suppliers is essential to keeping up with the pace of modern work. IAM enables this collaboration by making sure that not only is collaboration secure, it’s also fast and easy.
Accelerate your Zero-Trust Strategy
Instead of assuming everything behind the corporate firewall is safe, the Zero Trust model assumes breach and verifies each request as though it originates from an open network. Every access request is fully authenticated, authorized, and encrypted before granting access.
Protect and govern your remote workers
Now, more than ever, remote work capabilities are vital. Ensure your workforce is as efficient working from home as they are at the office.
