Managing Identity in the Digital World

Identity and Data Governance is a critical core function in enterprise cybersecurity and IT operation strategies. Identity is the cornerstone of the digital world, allowing businesses to automate access to an ever-complex estate of systems and technology whilst managing security and compliance risks.

Understanding who has access to systems and data has never been more important. Because of the demand for mobility and accessibility, which has driven the move to cloud, along with big data and social network usage, organizations now have an ever-increasing need to manage access and identity. A business must be able to extend its operations outside traditional boundaries, enabling access to information from anywhere and at any time — but only by authorized people.

Today’s business users demand a level of increased convenience when accessing applications and data across multiple platforms, from the company desktop to their own mobile devices. Traditionally thought of as a problem for the IT and/or security department, a modern Identity Governance programme necessitates a new approach with recognition that it’s an enterprise-wide solution that requires buy-in, budget and support from the whole business.

Selling such a program to senior management can be difficult, especially when the programmes don’t tie directly to the bottom line, but with the number and cost of identity-related breaches increasing year on year, strategic Identity Governance programs can — and do — provide measurable ROI. 

An Identity Governance program is a significant undertaking for a modern enterprise, but the potential benefits are substantial. Some of these benefits include:

• Enhanced security with reduced cost and complexity
• Improved governance
• Compliance and regulatory requirements addressed
• Enterprise-wide control
• Improved user experience
• Reduction of load on IT = improved automation
• Demonstrable management of user access as required by all governance and compliance standards including ISO27001, Cyber Essentials and GDPR

Identity programmes have a reputation for being notoriously complex and tricky – but they don’t need to be!

Key factors for a successful program include:

• Understanding the business need and managing both user and management expectations
• Gaining support from the business — it’s not an IT-only problem!
• Educating the business covering process ownership, roles and responsibilities
• Reducing the complexity and not over-complicating things
• Selecting the right technology solution — solutions available currently bring simplified process and reduced deployment times.
• Defining an approach which provides a sustainable and supportable solution and reducing the potential of a dead-end approach
• Focussing on user experience
• Getting the process right
• Changing the process — getting away from the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mentality and not over-engineering the solution

Maximise the value of your identity programme and streamline operations in your business. Download our eGuide to learn more.