Identity and Access Management (IAM): All you need to know (+examples)

Imagine Julie, a new recruit in your company.

Her first day is off to a bad start: she has not yet received her work computer, her access to internal tools is not configured, and she has to wait for hours before she can start working. After a few exchanges with the IT team and HR, nothing is really progressing. His manager, pressed for time, decides to share his own identifiers by Slack, so she can access files and get to work quickly.

It goes faster, of course, but a few days later, a data leak is detected. Hastily shared credentials and a connection from an unprotected computer allowed a hacker to access sensitive company data.

By trying to Save time, the company is exposed to a major risk of cybersecurity, with potentially disastrous consequences.

This is exactly the kind of situation that theIdentity Access Management (IAM) or identity and access management in French, makes it possible to avoid. In addition to guaranteeing the access security, the IAM ensures that each employee gets the adequate rights automatically, without sharing risky identifiers or an improvised approach. Julie's integration would have been smooth, secure, and uncompromising for the company.

Between the protection of sensitive data and the simplification of onboarding processes, IAM is now essential for companies. Do you want to know how it works and why you need it? Follow the guide!

Identity and access management: what is it?

To understand how an identity and access management system, also called IAM, let's see its main components:

1. Digital identity management:

Every employee in your company has a digital identity. Imagine that Julie, a new employee at your company, needs access to her computer, software like Microsoft Teams, and your CRM data. An IAM solution allows her to be assigned a unique digital identity that she will use to everything. No need for multiple accounts or different passwords for each application. It is this identity that will be used to connect to the various apps or resources. This often includes a username, a password, and sometimes additional information like:

‍Multi-factor authentication (MFA) :

THEmulti-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security. In addition to the password, the user must provide a second factor, such as a code received by SMS or via a Mobile app.

Example: If someone tries to access an account with Julie's password, it will be impossible for them to log in without the code sent to their phone.

Single sign-on (SSO):

With l'single sign-on (SSO)), a user can access all of their applications after a single login.

Example: Julie only connects once to Okta, and she can then access all her applications (Teams, Salesforce, Gmail...) without reconnecting.

2. Management of users and access rights:

Once the identity is created, you have to make sure that Julie does not have access only to the necessary resources for his work. IAM allows you to assign roles or rights based on the function of the user. Julie will thus have access to her tools, but not to sensitive management data.

Example: With an IAM system, you can define predefined roles for each function in the company. The system knows that Julie, as a marketing manager, will need Salesforce, but won't need access to financial servers.

Note on privileged access management (PAM):

High-privilege accounts (directors, officers) represent a high risk. La privileged access management (PAM) makes it possible to secure these critical accounts with additional controls. This is an additional dimension within this access rights management framework that you can manage on a daily basis in order to avoid any risk of data leaks.

3. Identity and access management platform:

Les identity and access management solutions allow centralize identity and access management. These tools automatically manage permissions, the access rights, and even the authentications for all business applications.

Concrete example: In a company that uses Azure AD, each new employee automatically receives the access to the tools they need according to their position, without the need to configure everything manually for each individual.

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Can I automate identity and access management?

Absolutely, and it's actually one of the biggest benefits of modern IAM solutions. Automating identity and access management not only saves time but also improves the security and compliance of your business. Indeed, each manual process of creating, deleting, or modifying access exposes to the risk of human error and delay. Automation eliminates these risks by applying preconfigured rules at each stage of an employee's or external user's lifecycle.

At Rzilient, the implementation of these automations is at the heart of our offer. Here's how it works:

1. Automatic access provisioning: As soon as a new employee like Julie joins the company, a well-configured IAM system automatically assigns him the necessary access according to his position. There is no need to go through HR or IT to manually grant each access. She receives the permissions adapted to her role directly from her first day.

2. Role-based access management (RBAC): Each employee is associated with a defined role (for example, “Marketing”, “HR”, “Finance”) that determines what access is available. This ensures that Julie only has access to the tools and data that are relevant to her work, reducing the risks of accidental data leaks.

3. Automatic deprovisioning: When Julie leaves the company or changes jobs, her accesses are immediately revoked or adjusted, ensuring that her former access rights do not persist. This avoids potential vulnerabilities related to unused but still active accounts.

4. Real-time access update: If the company integrates new applications or changes security policies, access rights are automatically updated for all employees concerned, without the need for manual intervention for each user.

5. Automatic security audits: IAM systems can conduct regular audits to ensure that employees only have access to the resources they need. If superfluous accesses are detected, they can be automatically revoked. This allows the company to maintain an environment that complies with regulations such as the GDPR or the ISO27001 standard.

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In summary, the automation of identity and access management makes it possible to simplify daily administration, to secure systems by limiting human errors, and to gain in responsiveness. Your IT team can focus on higher value-added tasks, while IAM automatically manages employee access rights based on their roles and responsibilities.

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The plus: the Rzilient platform automatically integrates with your HRIS, which allows us to effortlessly detect planned arrivals and departures in your organization. Thus, HR and IT teams streamline their collaboration and ensure optimal management of on and offboarding.

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Want to know more? Request a demo now!

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Why automate identity and access management in my company?

The importance of IAM does not end with access management. Let's see why it's essential for businesses.

1. Data security:

Without a good IAM system, it becomes very difficult to protect sensitive information. If an employee has access to data they shouldn't see, or if a hacker succeeds in breaking in using stolen credentials, the consequences can be disastrous. Also, when an employee leaves, you can systematically suspend access to private and sensitive internal data.

2. Compliance and regulations:

With regulations like the ISO27001, it is crucial to prove that only authorized users can access certain data. IAM solutions allow track and record all user actions.

3. Productivity and efficiency:

A good IAM solution does more than just secure access. Elle simplifies also the lives of users! No more juggling dozens of passwords and logins. THEsingle sign-on (SSO) allows a user to log in once to access all of their applications. And for HR and IT teams, it's one less time-consuming task to do on a daily basis.

4. Savings on your license:

By automating the opening and closing of accesses to your applications and software, you avoid paying for licenses in the wind following the departure of an employee.

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How do I set up these automations in my organization?

Integrating an identity and access management (IAM) solution may seem complex, but with Rzilient, you're in good hands. We understand that every business has unique needs, and our approach is designed to adapt to your specific needs. Here's how we do it, step by step, to make the transition easy, smooth, and secure:

1. Personalized needs assessment:

Above all, we work with you to carry out a thorough assessment of your needs. What types of sensitive data need to be protected? Which users, internal or external, will have access to which resources? We identify potential risk areas and define the specific objectives of the IAM solution to ensure optimal protection of your environment.

2. Choosing the right IAM solution:

At rzilient, we support you in choosing the IAM solution that perfectly meets your needs. We ensure that the solution integrates easily with your existing systems, offers robust and centralized authentication, while being scalable to support the growth of your business.

3. Customized implementation and support:

Don't worry, Rzilient takes care of everything. Our team takes care of the complete integration of the IAM solution, ensuring a smooth transition. We test the solution with a select group of users before global deployment, and we offer customized training so that each member of your team quickly masters the new tools.

With Rzilient, you are assured of a gradual, efficient and above all secure implementation. You don't need to be a tech expert: our teams are there to guide you every step of the way. To go further, make an appointment now with one of our IAM experts, and find out how we can simplify and secure access management in your organization.

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‍Make an appointment with one of our experts now.

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Conclusion

La identity and access management has become a top priority for businesses looking to secure their data and improve productivity. With the right IAM solutions in place, you can protect your systems, simplify the lives of your users and comply with the most stringent regulations.

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