Our Implementation Methodology
1. Define the Vision for Enterprise Identity and Access Management
Understanding Identity and Access Management (IAM) as a combination of technology solutions and business processes to manage identities and access corporate data and applications, is a critical foundation for successful IAM implementation.
- Beginning with the concept stage, commence by tying business processes to your IAM program.
- Based on your current IT and network infrastructure, build your current and future IT capabilities, such as cloud-based implementations.
- Design the roles of users and applications in terms of privileges, rules, policies, and constraints.
- Access privileges should be mapped to business roles, and excess privileges, accounts, and redundant/dead groups are to be identified.
- Complete all auditing requirements to ensure compliance with compliance regulations, privacy policies, and data governance policies. This will permit the teams to make more informed decisions.
- As part of your IAM architecture, take an enterprise-wide approach to implementing authorization procedures, security, and management, as well as cross-domain integration.
2. Lay a solid foundation
This necessitates a thorough examination of the capabilities of the IAM product as well as its ability to synchronize with organizational infrastructure. Following this, an effective risk assessment of all organizational applications and platforms should be performed.
- Identification of the operating system and third-party applications currently in use, as well as mapping to the IAM program’s functionalities is a necessity
- Customizations should be made to meet new specifications
- Capabilities and limitations of technology should be identified
- Include IAM Subject Matter Experts in the standardization and enforcement of the IAM policy
3. Implementation in Stages
To avoid complexities in the IAM implementation process and to have a clear path of progress while staying true to project goals and outcomes, a stage-wise procedure is recommended.
- Workforce Dispersion
- Distributed Applications
- Provisioning of Resources
- Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
- Password Hurdles
- Complying with the Law
4. Stakeholder Understanding
The stakeholder awareness programme for the IAM programme should include detailed training on the underlying technology, product capabilities, and scalability factors.
The approach to the IAM solution implementation awareness programme should be tailored to the needs of various user communities.
IT teams, more than anyone else, require in-depth knowledge of the IAM programme and its core activities. The Operations team should be aware of the capabilities throughout the IAM lifecycle.
Continuous training should take place in tandem with changing processes or emerging capabilities.
5. Think about identity as the primary security perimeter
Organizations should shift their focus away from network security and toward identity as the primary security perimeter. With the proliferation of cloud computing and remote working, network perimeters are becoming increasingly porous, and perimeter defense is no longer effective. Controls for user and service identities should be centralized.
6. Authentication with Multiple Factors (MFA)
Set up MFA for all users, including administrators and C-level executives. Instead of regular sign-in aspects, it checks multiple aspects of a user’s identity before granting access to an application or database. MFA is an essential component of identity and access management.
7. Single Sign-On (SSO)
Organizations must implement Single Sign-On for their devices, apps, and services so that users can use the same credentials to access the resources they require, wherever and whenever they deem appropriate. SSO can be accomplished by utilizing the same identity solution for all of your apps and resources, whether on-premises or in the cloud.
8. Zero-Trust Policy
The zero-trust policy treats all access requests as threats until they are verified. Before granting permission, access requests both inside and outside the network are thoroughly authenticated, authorized, and scrutinized for anomalies.
9. Implement a Strict Password Policy
Implement a company-wide password policy to ensure that users create strong passwords for access. Make sure employees regularly update their passwords and avoid using sequential and repetitive characters.
10. Protect Privileged Accounts
Securing privileged accounts is critical for safeguarding critical business assets. By limiting the number of users who have privileged access to the organization’s critical assets, the risk of unauthorized access to a sensitive resource is reduced. You must protect privileged accounts from being compromised by cybercriminals.
11. Periodic Access Audits
Organizations must conduct access audits on a regular basis to review all granted accesses and determine whether they are still required. Because users frequently request additional access or want to revoke access, these audits facilitate in managing such requests appropriately.
12. Login without a password
The process of authenticating users without the use of a password is known as passwordless login. It prevents scenarios in which cybercriminals wield weak and repetitive passwords to gain network access. It can be implemented using a variety of methods, such as email-based login, SMS-based login, and biometrics-based login.
