At the forefront of cloud security is Identity and Access Management (IAM). Businesses are turning to cloud-based and mobile-friendly platforms at an ever-increasing rate. Because of this, the face of access management is changing and has never been more important.
At Assertiv, we specialize in IAM. It’s what we do best. So, as we enter this new decade, here are 6 tips from us for access management best practice.
#1 CONSIDER IDENTITY AS A PRIMARY SECURITY PERIMETER
Cloud technology offers access to your systems and applications to anyone, anywhere. Long gone are the days when your security threshold was at the entry point of your network.
Holes in business network perimeters are becoming increasingly exposed. Their existing line of defence has become less and less effective. This is due to remote-based working, digital workspaces and cloud apps growing in popularity.
With more accessibility comes more network entry points. So, where security perimeters currently lie is at the user-level. A business needs to consider identity and verification as a primary security perimeter. Having strong authentication factors in place assists in adding the ‘layers of trust’ needed to safely grant user access.
#2 KEEP IDENTITIES CENTRALIZED
Centralizing your business identities allows your business to be on the front foot. Think of your current network and all your users, apps, systems, portals, etc. That’s a lot of movement. It’s near impossible to manage the identity security of all these individually moving parts.
Assertiv’s IAM platform gives you ultimate control and authority over identities with a centralized dashboard. What’s more, it offers better security than maintaining individual logins for every system. But is exponentially faster to set up and lockdown!
If your business has a cloud-based and on-premises directory, integrating them can be a good idea. In doing so, your IT department can seamlessly manage accounts from a single location. It also results in a productivity boost amongst your users without them needing to individually access on-premises and cloud resources.
Centralized identities increase clarity and reduce the risk of human error.
#3 USE ROLE-BASED ACCESS RESTRICTIONS
Using role-based access restrictions for defining permissions takes a lot of work out of IAM. These restrictions refer to limiting a user’s access to only the tools they need to fulfil their role. Group-based access restrictions are broader with their access permissions created at a department level rather than role level.
Logistically, using pre-allocated sets of defined permissions is best practice for access management. It compresses hundreds or thousands of individuals into a bunch of small, manageable groups who share the same access rights.
We know that it can seem like a daunting task to set up. But a reputable cloud access management solution provider can give you the tools to make it quick and easy. With an Assertiv account, you can do this with just a few clicks of a button!
#4 ENABLE SINGLE SIGN-ON
Enabling single sign-on (SSO) simplifies user access to your devices and applications. Using SSO means your users can access the resources they need with only one set of login credentials. This saves administrative issues for both your users who need to manage multiple logins and your IT department who must constantly reset them.
The benefits of enabling SSO extend beyond simplified access. Where users need to remember multiple passwords, the passwords in place are generally weak and reused, or stored insecurely. This exposes your business to security breaches. So, by making use of SSO, you’re providing simpler and safer access.
Assertiv provides session and user authentication which allows access to multiple applications with only one set of login details. We’ve done the hard work to integrate with the common cloud-based Applications. You simply plug them into your Assertiv account and set up your access parameters.
#5 AUTOMATE ONGOING ACCESS MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
Lengthy, repetitive and ongoing access management processes can cost your business time and money. And whilst technology isn’t perfect, we do see many more cases of human error in manual processes.
Onboarding of new staff, for example, is an IAM process that a business carries out regularly. It can be time-consuming. And failure to do it correctly leads to a lot of valuable time lost in granting the right permissions for the employee to begin work.
As mentioned, a key element of access management best practice is starting on the right foot. An access management solution that provides automation of processes transforms months of work into a few hours. With an Assertiv account onboarding and disabling access is simple. You can activate and disable users from anywhere at any time in one easy step.
Setting up a new employee with the right access is important. But removing access for users no longer with your business is equally as important. Leaving unused accounts lingering on your network creates ‘orphaned accounts’. These can be used to bypass your network perimeters by hackers.
#6 REGULARLY REVIEW ACCESS TO RESOURCES
Regular auditing of your business’s access falls under access management best practice. With the regular review of who is accessing what and when you can stay on top of your user activity. This helps to determine if there are any necessary actions to be taken.
Doing these reviews helps you ensure that correct permissions are in place for your current users. From this information, you can refine future role-based access and onboarding further.
WRAPPING UP
If your business operates in a hybrid set up with multiple devices and locations, these tips can help you. Managing streamlined access whilst reducing your risks of security breaches must be at the forefront of your IAM practices.
A reputable IAM solution provider will embrace the functions we discussed, for example, SSO, authentication and automation. They will provide the tools to make easy work of access management best practice.
Assertiv is the easy, economical and efficient way to control who can access your organization’s IT applications and systems. We’re here to help you. For simplicity, security and flexibility, create your free account today.
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