The digital world is no longer as safe as it was considered to be, it is wrought with problems and concerns on security. These days all it takes for someone to breach a system or network is the desire and a few tools, some of which are actually available for free on the open internet. It is here that CIOs and IT managers require the help of Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools or solutions. The terms identity management and identity & access management are used interchangeably. 

Identity management solutions fall under the larger category of IT security that has become a major focus point for organization over the years. CIOs with their redefined roles are required to ensure absolute security to the IT infrastructure and the networks within the organizations. 

What is Identity Management? 

Identity Management in simple words is that practice which – enables the right individuals to access the right information or data at the right and of course, for the right reasons. In short, it is about managing who should access what data. 

Protecting Data – A Prime Objective 

It is important to note that threat can be both external and internal – unauthorized internal access to data and systems is something every organizations wants to avoid. In certain cases, there can be deliberate attempts by resources within organizations to access data that they are not authorized and this needs to be avoided. The external threat however, is more dangerous – cybercriminals can access and steal data via employees’ systems which are not well protected. So, identity management solutions help IT managers control access to data and thus avoid threats from both inside and outside of the office networks. 

Another area where identity management solutions play a vital role is at Enterprises Mobility management. Nowadays, organizations are opening up to work-from-home and work-on-the-move options even as employees seek changes on the workplace dynamics. Cyber criminals are only too eager to hack into the mobiles and handheld devices of gullible employees to breach into the heart of a company’s systems and networks. Organizations are required to balance between allowing remote access to users and ensuring tighter device security controls which is a tough task. Identity management solutions help identify and secure devices to help avoid breaches. 

Benefits of IAM 

Organizations will begin to see a growing number of benefits as they implement identity management solutions. One thing for sure, the IT infrastructure will have an added layer of security through these solutions. 

Let’s observe some of these invaluable benefits – 

Improved Data Security: Without doubt, data is the number one priority – data that belongs to an organization and data that belongs to its customers. With identity management solutions in place IT managers can consolidate user identity, authentication and authorization on a single platform. This consolidation would allow the managers to have a better control on data access and tighten their grip on data security. While respective users will have respective access, IT managers will have the tab on the entire dynamics and can centrally control the process. This also helps when users move out of the organization and when new users move into the organization. 

Remote and seamless access: With the kind of business dynamics that organizations are part of, it becomes imperative to have a seamless and friction-free workplace dynamics. There is a huge competition when it comes to client detailing and client services and organizations cannot afford to miss out on these areas. In order to compete, organizations need to move quicker and that means providing data and information access to employees remotely and live. Identity management solutions facilitate the access of data and information on the go and employees can access the information remotely while IT managers are assured of the safety of the access. 

Savings on Costs: Another major benefit of adopting an identity management solution platform is that it helps organizations save on costs and time. By virtue of providing tighter security controls, identity management solutions save on costs as they help minimizing issues associated with data theft. And by centralizing the data access control and ensuring IT managers have better control on user access and authorization, these solutions help save a lot on time. 

Organizations are embracing change as far as workplace dynamics is concerned. As these organizations become distributed and employees prefer to work on-the-go and remotely, Identity Management Solutions become critical to the efficiency and security of workplace dynamics. Adopting these solutions is one more step towards ensuring that a robust cyber security process is in place even as organizations look to evolve and expand by thwarting cyber threats.