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Identity and access management (IAM) best practices seek to clearly define, and oversee the access privileges granted to network users, and ensure that access is only granted to those within the organization. 

Think of identity and access management best practices and tools as gatekeepers, tasked to either allow or deny entry, depending on who or what is trying to enter the “premises”, as well as closely monitor all visitors’ movements within the designated “area”. 

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Identity and access management best practices are comprised of the following intrinsic elements:
 

• Identification of individual users within a given system or network

• Identification of specific user roles, and the assignment of such to eligible individuals 

• Updating, or removing individuals and their corresponding roles within a given system or network

• Establishment and assignment levels of access for an individual user or a group of individuals

• Security of the overall system or network, and all information within it

 

By initiating and enforcing identity and access management best practices within an organization, it effectively protects its business interests, information assets, and shareholders and partners from being exposed to and taken advantage of cybercriminals. 

 

The Gravity of Data Security Risks 
 

In a separate study conducted by Verizon, it was revealed that 71% of data breaches were done for financial gain, while 25% were conducted to obtain highly sensitive information. 

Because of the growing audaciousness of cybercriminals, it is unsurprising that global spending on cybersecurity is expected to reach at least $133.7 billion by 2022. One of the IT safety and security measures that is seen to effectively mitigate the risks of costly data breaches is the enforcement of identity and access management best practices. 
 

According to Yassir Abousselham, senior vice president and chief security officer for enterprise identity and access management firm Okta, the primary objective of identity and access management tools is to “grant access to the right enterprise assets to the right users, in the right context, from a user’s system onboarding to permission authorizations, to the offboarding of that user as needed in a timely fashion.” 

Identity and access management best practices, considered an intrinsic foundation of cloud security, must include necessary tools and controls that can capture and store user login details, facilitate the assignment and revocation of user access credentials, and oversee the central enterprise database of user roles, levels, and access privileges.

 

Assess your cybersecurity

 

Identity and Access Management Best Practices Investing in identity and access management tools is imperative for all businesses and organizations, given the highly interconnected manner that organizations interact with each other and with their respective customers. Failure to anticipate and prepare for data breaches may only prove to be more costly and damaging than investing in identity and access management best practices and tools.  Aside from reducing the risks of potential internal and external data breaches, investing in and implementing identity and access management measures can help businesses manage their networks efficiently and seamlessly versus those that supervise their systems manually.  

Here are some identity and access management best practices that organizations and businesses can use to maximize the efficacy and impact of IAM tools. 

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The Principles of Least Privilege 
 

It is an identity and access management framework to implement The Principle of Least Privilege. Also known as The Principle of Least Authority, The Principle of Least Privilege is defined as the act of assigning specific access privileges to a user that will allow him to open or retrieve files and directories that are essential to the performance of his role and corresponding responsibilities. 
 

Let us say that your organization employs a Health and Safety Officer. Aside from maintaining his own records, s/he must be given access to files of the Human Resources team to allow him to monitor how many direct and indirect employees, as well as contractors, the company has. He can be granted access to a portion of the files maintained by the Finance team so that s/he can be guided on his annual budget – but his access privileges should end there. 
 

As his responsibilities no longer concern historical financial statements and profit and loss reports, or existing contracts with suppliers of third-party agencies, s/he should not be given access privileges to the directories where these files are contained. Role-based access control (RBAC) or the limitation of non-essential access to sensitive information is an effective way of reducing the risk of internal and external data breaches. In addition, this identity and access management best practice can help further identity security for individual and group users, define and enhance business processes, and improve overall cybersecurity visibility.

 

Automated Onboarding Procedures 
 

Managing employees -and their respective user privileges – is one thing; including new team members, and orienting them on the company’s IT safety and security regulations is another, especially if you are managing IT safety and security for a sizable organization.  By automating the onboarding process, your IT Team is able to create and implement a clear framework of the access privileges a new employee should receive, from generally shared directories to precise folders and drives. This asset management best practice is a more practical way of working, versus providing all users with access to the company’s entire information network then revoking privileges only upon request. Moreover, this identity and access management best practice enables your company’s IT team to devote their efforts to preventing external security threats, as data abuse from within the organization is adequately controlled.

 

Multi-Factor Authentication 
 

Passwords have, time and again, been shown to be ineffective in securing confidential personal and corporate information. Perhaps due to carelessness or the lack of proper guidance, there are still a large number of users that make use of generic passwords and even reuse these across a number of accounts and platforms. Such practices make it very easy for cybercriminals to unlawfully access accounts and networks, and use these for their personal gain. 
 

Another identity and access management best practice that organizations can consider putting into action is the use of multi-factor authentication systems. By adding more robust layers between the access request page to the folders and directories where the needed information is kept, companies put into effect more security barriers that would flag and deter potential cybersecurity attacks. 

Organizations can employ one or a combination of the following multi-factor authentication methods:
 

• Passwords or passcodes

• Challenge/Response methods

• SMS messaging systems

• Magnetic stripe cards or card security codes

• Biometrics

• Security tokens

• Time of access request monitoring

• Geofencing

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