9 Identity and Access Management Best Practices

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Are your current identity and access management practices robust enough to safeguard your organization from data breaches and unauthorized access? With compromised credentials accounting for 61% of breaches, the stakes are higher than ever.

Using IAM tools for security and compliance without adhering to best practices isn’t just ineffective—it can also increase risk.

Adhering to specific identity and access management best practices is essential to ensuring the safety of sensitive data and streamlining operations.

This article covers 7 essential identity and access management best practices that go beyond just tools, focusing on strategies like enforcing MFA, managing Shadow IT, and automating access controls to secure your organization and streamline operations.

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What is Identity and Access Management in Cyber Security?

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Identity and Access Management (IAM) refers to a framework of policies that ensures the right individuals have access to digital resources used by your organization.

In simpler terms, IAM involves managing and controlling who can access what applications your teams use. It revolves around two main aspects:

• Identity Management: Identifying and authenticating users to confirm their identities. This involves creating and managing digital identities using authentication methods like passwords, biometrics, or two-factor authentication.
• Access Management: Once a user's identity is confirmed, IAM controls and manages their access rights, determining what resources, data, or systems they can access and what actions they can perform.

For example, in SaaS applications like HR systems (e.g., Workday) or finance tools (e.g., QuickBooks), IAM ensures employees can only access the specific modules relevant to their roles. A recruiter may only access employee records, while a finance executive can view and manage budget-related data—ensuring sensitive information remains secure and unauthorized access is prevented.

IAM ensures users have the necessary permissions based on their roles, responsibilities, or job requirements while restricting access to sensitive areas where the user doesn’t have permission.As per recent data, the global revenue generated in the Identity and

Access Management (IAM) market reached around 16.17 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, showcasing substantial growth compared to the preceding year.

The primary goals of IAM in cybersecurity are to protect sensitive data, mitigate insider threats, and minimize the risk of unauthorized access.

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Common Cyber Security Challenges that Organizations Face Due to Poor IAM

Poor IAM practices can lead to several cybersecurity challenges in your organization, contributing to various risks and vulnerabilities.

Key issues include,

1. Poor Visibility and Troubles with API Integrations

Limited visibility into access logs, user behavior, access privileges, and API interactions can hinder threat detection and response. Challenges with API integrations may also create security gaps, enabling attackers to exploit vulnerabilities.

2. Data Security and Privacy Hassles

Inadequate IAM practices often result in weak access controls, making it easier for unauthorized users to access sensitive data. This can lead to data breaches, expose confidential information, and compromise the privacy of customers or employees.

3. Increased Risk of Unauthorized Access

Poor IAM implementation can create vulnerabilities in access controls, increasing the likelihood of unauthorized users entering critical systems. This can result in data theft, manipulation, or misuse.

4. Identity Theft and Credential Compromise

Weak authentication methods or improper handling of user credentials can expose accounts to identity theft. Cybercriminals can exploit these vulnerabilities to impersonate legitimate users, access sensitive information, or perform malicious activities.

5. Compliance and Audit Failures

Inefficient IAM practices often result in non-compliance with regulatory requirements. Without proper access controls and monitoring, organizations may fail audits, leading to fines, legal repercussions, and reputational damage.

6. Managing Inactive Accounts and Privileged Access Misuse

Ineffective user lifecycle management can leave inactive accounts or excessive privileges open to misuse. These orphaned accounts and unmonitored admin access points create significant security risks.

7. Risks with Remote and Hybrid Work Setups

The rise of remote and hybrid work has expanded the attack surface, requiring robust IAM frameworks. Without proper authentication and role-based access controls, employees accessing systems from various locations can increase the risk of breaches.

8. Shadow IT

Unauthorized use of SaaS tools and applications outside IT’s oversight creates hidden vulnerabilities. Shadow IT complicates access control weakens overall security, and increases the risk of data leaks and compliance violations.

By following the identity and access management best practices, organizations can strengthen their cybersecurity posture, minimize risks, and protect sensitive information from evolving threats.

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7 Identity and Access Management Best Practices to Overcome Security Hassles

Following are the best practices to strengthen the security of your business or SaaS landscape, which include:

1. Implement a Centralized IAM Approach

Effective identity access management practices are pivotal in overcoming security challenges in your organization. A centralized IAM approach is a foundational step, enabling streamlined management of user identities and access rights across various systems and applications.

Centralized identity management hinges on gathering and storing user identity data. Under this system, users can access all their applications, websites, or other systems using uniform credentials.

This centralized system ensures uniformity in user provisioning, modification, and deprovisioning. It reduces errors and vulnerabilities associated with disparate identity management processes.

The process enhances the user experience by requiring only one set of login details. Still, it poses a heightened vulnerability risk in the event of credential compromise.

2. Use Multi-Factor Authentication

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Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a crucial defense against unauthorized access and identity theft. MFA significantly strengthens authentication mechanisms by requiring users to provide multiple forms of verification, such as passwords, biometrics, or tokens.

Here's a table with organizations' preferences on enabling MFA.

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Embracing MFA will bolster your security and add an extra barrier against cyber threats seeking to exploit weak authentication measures.

This additional layer of security mitigates the risks associated with compromised credentials. It reduces the likelihood of unauthorized entry, even if login credentials are compromised.

Enabling MFA in your organization,

• Offers enhanced security with more layers than 2FA.
• Ensures the identity of consumers is safeguarded against attacks.
• Aligns with regulatory compliance standards.
• Boasts straightforward implementation.
• Integrates seamlessly with Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions.
• Enhances security measures, even in remote

3. Leverage the Principle of Least Privilege and Zero-Touch Security

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The next identity and access management best practice is to leverage the least privilege and zero-touch security principles involves granting users the minimal access required for their roles and implementing a zero-trust model.

This approach effectively reduces the risk of unauthorized access by strictly limiting user access to only essential resources. It adopts a philosophy of mistrust, requiring verification of identities and devices before granting access, enhancing overall security measures.

Adopting this principle ensures heightened security by default, minimizing potential breaches due to excessive permissions and unauthorized access.

The process combines,

• Regularly perform privilege audits.
• Commencing all accounts with minimal privileges.
• Upholding the segregation of privileges.
• Formulating and enforcing Principle of Least Privilege (POLP) policies.
• Adopting a just-in-time approach to access.
• Employing multi-factor authentication.
• Monitoring and maintaining records of privileged accounts.
• Utilizing dedicated tools to facilitate the implementation of the Principle of Least Privilege (POLP).

4. Follow Role-Based Access Control Approach

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Following a Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) approach is instrumental in structuring access permissions based on job roles and responsibilities. RBAC aligns access rights with specific job functions, ensuring that users only have access to resources essential for their tasks.

This strategy streamlines access management, reduces the likelihood of unauthorized data exposure, and simplifies access controls.

5. Automate Onboarding Using User Provisioning Software

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Automating onboarding processes through user provisioning software is a key strategy for streamlining and enhancing user access rights management.

Automation enables the swift provisioning of access to newly onboarded employees. It ensures they can start working promptly while adhering to predefined access policies.

The automated onboarding system boosts productivity by expediting the setup process. Further, the process minimizes the potential for oversight or delays in granting essential access.

This automation enhances operational efficiency and reinforces security measures by ensuring access is granted consistently and per established security protocols.

If you want to know how automated user provisioning can save 500+ hours annually on onboarding, read this article.

6. Establish Single-Sign-On and Enforce Robust Password Policies

Implementing single sign-on (SSO) and enforcing strong password policies enhances authentication mechanisms.

With SSO, users can conveniently use a single set of credentials to access multiple applications, streamlining the login process. This simplifies user access and ensures a higher level of security through robust authentication practices.

Many users struggle with creating and employing robust security passwords, leading to common choices like "123456," "admin," and "password." Unfortunately, the weaker the password, the quicker it can be cracked; these examples can all be compromised in under a second.

Enforcing strict password policies, such as requiring complex passwords and periodic changes, enhances password security. It reduces the risk of unauthorized access due to weak or compromised passwords.

7. Leverage Identity Governance Administration (IGA)

Effective identity governance is critical to managing user access securely while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.

CloudEagle’s governance capabilities ensure:

• Strengthened Security: Real-time insights into access activities to detect unauthorized access quickly.
• Streamlined Compliance: Automated compliance reporting for regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.
• Efficient Access Management: Automated provisioning and deprovisioning to reduce risks of errors or unauthorized access.
• Increased Operational Efficiency: Automation of routine identity management tasks, freeing up IT and HR teams for strategic initiatives.

For example, CloudEagle’s app access module allows employees to request access, while administrators grant it based on pre-defined roles. When employees leave, the system automatically revokes access, ensuring compliance and security.

8. Incorporate Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Privileged accounts, such as admin and root accounts, hold elevated permissions, making them critical for managing IT systems but also highly vulnerable to misuse or attacks. These accounts require special care because they can access sensitive data, modify configurations, and pose significant compliance risks if compromised.

CloudEagle simplifies privileged account security by:

• Automating Role Assignments: Ensuring accounts only have access to necessary resources.
• Enforcing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adding an extra security layer for privileged accounts.
• Real-Time Monitoring: Tracking activities to detect and prevent unauthorized actions.
• Auto-Revoking Access: Automatically removing access when it’s no longer needed.

9. Conduct continuous Access Audits

Conducting consistent access audits is essential for evaluating and validating the effectiveness of IAM policies and access controls. Regular audits help identify discrepancies, unauthorized access, or outdated permissions.

According to reports, 92% of remote employees work on tablets or smartphones. It poses a considerable risk of potential malware infections that could propagate throughout the corporate network.

Your teams can promptly detect and rectify security gaps by reviewing user access rights and activities thoroughly. It ensures ongoing compliance and mitigating potential risks associated with improper access permissions.

A notable 66% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) express intentions to boost investments in cybersecurity. But merely investing is not enough; they must enable the best solutions to tackle such issues.

To achieve a better IAM system in your organization, you must opt for CloudEagle’s IAM Solutions for many reasons.

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CloudEagle - The All-in-one SaaS Management Platform for Effective IAM

CloudEagle is an all-in-one SaaS management and procurement platform specializing in Identity and Access Management (IAM) functionalities. The platform leads the way by offering extensive identity and access management features, presenting a revolutionary approach to security.

Through real-time monitoring, strong authentication, and seamless integration with Single Sign-On (SSO) and Human Resources (HR) systems, CloudEagle ensures accuracy and efficiency throughout the entire identity and access lifecycle.

Its automation features, personalized workflows, and user-friendly interfaces empower IT and HR teams, simplifying operations and boosting productivity. The platform's self-service access request feature significantly reduces IT ticket volumes and enhances resolution times by over 50%.

Key Features

Centralized Identity Management: CloudEagle presents an integrated solution to streamline access management and enhance identity governance. It provides a centralized dashboard where administrators can manage user identities, roles, and permissions across multiple SaaS applications.

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By leveraging real-time notifications through email and Slack, CloudEagle ensures prompt approval of access requests. Thus, the tool saves valuable time and eliminates delays or missed messages.

User Provisioning and Deprovisioning

Efficiency is key in provisioning and deprovisioning. With CloudEagle, automated workflows expedite the onboarding process for new employees, granting immediate access to necessary applications.

It streamlines onboarding processes by automating them, ensuring swift access to SaaS applications for new users upon joining your organization. Additionally, it promptly revokes access when users leave, facilitating efficient offboarding.

Moreover, the platform implements secure auto-revocation protocols, safeguarding against unauthorized access upon an employee's departure.

Integration Capabilities

CloudEagle offers over 500+ integrations at no extra cost, providing unparalleled flexibility for tailored integrations to suit your needs.

You can integrate the tool with your Single Sign-On (SSO), finance, and HRIS applications. After the integration, CloudEagle will swiftly provide comprehensive and precise data across all your SaaS applications.

With just a few minutes of integration, security teams can acquire valuable insights into application usage patterns. Additionally, the platform will identify duplicate licenses, track unused apps, and provide much more—all conveniently accessible from a unified platform.

"Provisioning and deprovisioning users used to take hours, even days, and often led to delays and security risks. With CloudEagle.ai's automated workflows, we now ensure Day 1 access for new hires and immediate deprovisioning for departing employees, saving time and enhancing security," Sam Middleton, Head of IT, Bloom & Wild.

Check out this customer success story to see how Sam Middleton streamline employee onboarding and offboarding with CloudEagle by following the identity and access management best practices.

Monitoring Capabilities

CloudEagle enhances access management with advanced features like app access reviews, which regularly audit and validate employee permissions to ensure compliance and reduce risks.

Its role-based access control streamlines permission management by aligning access with specific job roles, and minimizing unnecessary or excessive privileges.

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Additionally, time-based access allows organizations to grant temporary permissions for specific tasks or projects, ensuring security without compromising flexibility.

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These features collectively empower organizations to manage access effectively while enhancing security and operational efficiency.

Learn from Joshua Peskay, a 3CPO (CIO, CISO, and CPO) at RoundTable Technology, about optimizing Shadow IT in organizations. Also, discover the ROI score he introduced for SaaS tools, which you can use for enhancing security and operational efficiency to maximize ROI.

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Conclusion

The latest cybersecurity statistics for 2024 reveal 2,200 daily cyber attacks, occurring every 39 seconds on average. In the US, the average cost of a data breach is $9.44 million.

Incorporating the mentioned identity and access management best practices in Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a proactive approach to enhancing the security of your systems and data significantly.

This proactive approach safeguards sensitive data and strengthens the overall cybersecurity posture. It provides a robust defense against potential cyber risks and ensures a more secure digital environment.

If you seek detailed guidance on improving your organization's security and identity access management, schedule a meeting with CloudEagle's expert team.

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