Self Service Identity and Access Management

Self service identity and access management is increasingly embraced by users and companies and it is a matter of time before it’s widely adopted due to the many benefits it offers. Of all the expectations placed on the typical IT department, managing identity and access is perhaps the most challenging for a variety of reasons.

Self service identity and access management

People are often the root cause of the identity and access management challenges but not necessarily because they have bad intentions or are malicious. They change roles, leave their companies, fall victim to phishing scams that lead to the theft of their access credentials, share passwords, use the same passwords for multiple accounts, and most of all forget their passwords.

As users experience problems accessing their systems due to reasons that were listed above, they contact the help desk expecting a speedy solution. Gartner estimates that each call to the helpdesk to reset a forgotten or expired password costs the company $50. In an organization with thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of employees, those costs add up quickly.

The Self Service Solution

Many systems offer self service features to employees and customers to reduce the burden on the IT helpdesk and improve productivity as system users can quickly reset passwords online without the IT support involvement. Although the self service identity and access management concept is not new, many systems still lack self service IAM features.

Around the Y2K crisis, it became apparent that the old helpdesk model was not scaling well, especially with regards to password resets. Thus, self service identity management allowing users to reset passwords and change basic account info started to attract attention.

Back in those days, self service user identity management was sometimes web-based, but more frequently used automated call attendants because system users were familiar with the process of calling the helpdesk.

Ever since the Y2K crisis when users and companies panicked and prepared for the worst to come, self-service IAM has become commonplace, and is now often accessed via both voice and web based systems. Many years of experience and millions of transactions have provided some perspective on do’s and don’ts for implementing self service identity management.

Self-Service Pitfalls

The success of self service IAM for password resets has encouraged the delivery of automated services beyond password management. This has sometimes resulted in system security weaknesses and other issues.

Here are some pitfalls to avoid when implementing self service user identity management:

  • Validating the identity of the user is absolutely critical. In the days of password reset by human helpdesk, the technicians often acted on “hunches” they weren’t talking to a true account owner. Machines still don’t recognize hunches. Perhaps the self service IAM request is from the real user; or maybe it’s from vindictive ex-husband. Social security numbers and validation questions aren’t enough any longer. Instead, consider a two-factor authentication method to confirm an identity.
  • Contact information like cell phone numbers and physical addresses must be validated. Employees might neglect to update their personal contact records because thanks to direct deposit and email, people tend to be lazy or forgetful about updating their home addresses. To ensure data integrity, personal data must be validated upon updates and changes.
  • Keep expectations in check. Some self-service identity management solutions may offer short term savings, however,  chances are that any self-service IAM deployment won’t bring any immediate cost savings. However, the mid- and long-term prospects for cost savings on self-service IAM are excellent.

Choose Your Battles

When implementing a self service identity and access management tool, only parts of the self-service solution may be needed and benefit your organization, therefore, a requirements analysis must be made to better understand the organization’s needs and reduce the risks to the company without creating any unnecessary audit and compliance issues.

Perhaps the most important part of deploying a self service identity and access management solution is remembering that one size does not fit all.

Visit the list of identity and access management vendors for self service solutions.

Identity and Access Management Certifications

The fastest growing professional certifications in cyber security are the Identity and Access Management certifications and there are very good reasons why IAM certifications by Identity Management Institute have received enormous attention from the information security industry.

Identity and Access Management certifications -Identity Management Institute IAM certifications

As we explore and analyze the information security landscape, we can understand why Identity and Access Management (IAM) is one of the fastest growing and most dynamic segments of information security which in turn increases demand for certified IAM experts.

First, information security risks and focus have been shifting away from the traditional system security management practices to identity and access management because companies have discovered that information security threats are as much internal as they are external. Many user access credentials are increasingly under attack by hackers who see great value in weaknesses in identity and access management practices which they leverage to gain access to systems and data. It is reported in research reports that most system intrusions are executed using stolen IDs and passwords. As such, highly privileged accounts introduce even a greater risk because any unauthorized access with these accounts provides additional capabilities which can be used to inflict greater damage. Therefore, identity and access management is as much about processes and people as it is about technology.

Second, with the ever increasing number of mobile communication devices and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, identity and access management has expanded beyond the enterprise devices. Companies which allow employees to use their personal devices for business purposes to reduce costs and improve device management for employees and businesses need identity and access management experts to manage device identities and their access to enterprise resources for a greater security posture of the organization.

Third, due to the flood of drones and other Internet connected smart devices also known as the Internet of Things (IoT), identity and access management will become even more complicated and important to manage new and evolving risks. These devices will include self-driving cars and smart robots which self-teach with artificial intelligence and perform tasks on behalf of their owners. Today, we all have smart phones and many of us will own robots in the near future which will perform tasks on our behalf. Today, we are just worried about the security of our smart phones which if compromised will disclose some of our most private photos, emails, notes, and other information. In the future, we will also have to worry about the security of our smart robots and devices not just because of the private information they contain, but also the connectivity they will have to other devices or the transactions they can perform on our behalf.

“Identity theft committed by humans today will transition to identity theft committed by devices tomorrow which will initially be controlled and guided by humans. As automated devices are empowered with Artificial Intelligence to become independent, self-taught, and smarter, they will overtime have their own mind and potentially become corrupt” says Henry Bagdasarian, Founder of Identity Management Institute. “The rising deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT), and the arrival of automated cars, drones, and robots in all areas of personal and commercial markets as well as the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence validate this assessment”, he continues.

In addition, advancements in the areas of authentication technology, changes in identity services, and adoption of cloud services also require changes in today’s cyber security approach emphasizing the importance of identity and access management certifications. All of these evolving trends which are increasing risks for all organizations demand knowledgeable and qualified professionals who know how to assess risks and help manage human and device identities and their access.

In the future, information security managers must be much more proactive and fast in identifying risks before their organizations are impacted. This process requires very strong analytical skills to assess various security report data, open mindedness, and a vision to foresee the upcoming challenges and opportunities. These skills will not only help professionals identify risks but also propose innovative solutions in the form of new or improved products, services, and governance.

List of Identity and Access management Certifications

Identity Management Institute is the leading Identity and Access Management certification organization which offers global IAM certifications.

Below, you find a list of identity and access management certifications within IAM career categories and web page links for quick access to program details:

Certified Identity Governance Expert (CIGE)®

Certified Identity and Security Technologist (CIST)®

Certified Identity and Access Manager (CIAM)® 

Certified Identity Management Professional (CIMP)®

Certified Access Management Specialist (CAMS)®

Certified Identity Protection Advisor (CIPA)®

Certified Red Flag Specialist (CRFS)®

Certified in Data Protection (CDP)®

Download “Becoming a Cybersecurity Expert” from the IAM certification page for details about the IAM roles in cyber security career choices.

Identity and Access Management certification benefitsBenefits of Identity and Access Management Certification

Some people may not see the value of professional certification in the marketplace and others may question the benefits of pursuing identity and access management certifications. Below are some questions that some may ask themselves when considering a professional IAM certification:

  1. Is the certifying organization providing awareness and training with periodic articles, newsletters, blogs, social media posts, discussion groups, and other resources which serve the greater society?
  2. Is the IAM certification name a registered trademark to protect the organization and its certificate holders?
  3. Is a process in place to list criteria for IAM certification and ensure certificate holders are qualified?
  4. Does the organization and its certifications stand out as the leader in the field?
  5. What value do companies and the industry as a whole place on certification?

Let’s attempt to answer the above questions and further explore each area:

The image or perception of the certificate issuer is extremely important. The issuer must be a recognized leader, credible, and trustworthy with integrity. Certifying organizations must provide services and value to their members and respective industries by:

  1. Defining a scope of responsibility for the profession,
  2. Drafting articles, newsletters, analysis, and documentation to expand knowledge,
  3. Assessing member knowledge through exams and/or background assessments,
  4. Providing training for up to date knowledge,
  5. Helping members share information related to the profession and employment, and
  6. Connecting members to one another and companies.

Certifying organizations also provide services and value to companies by:

  1. Ensuring employees are certified through formal assessments such as examination and enforcement of completed and required continuing education, and
  2. Connecting companies to certified members.

Certification Limitations

The total value that a professional may provide can not be solely determined with a certification. Therefore, the certification can only provide assurance for some of the qualification factors that companies are looking for which include education, experience, personality, appearance, passion or enthusiasm, creativity, integrity, and hopefully proven credibility and track record. The value of a certificate is determined by a combination of factors, however, a designation only complements the assessment that companies must perform to hire the best. For example, a certification does not guarantee that a person has great personality or creativity, however, it might provide assurance that the certified person’s knowledge has been assessed through an examination or other means of evaluation, and to some extent an assurance that the person is enthusiastic or ambitious because he or she joined a professional organization. A professional designation means that certified professionals have passed a rigorous certification assessment, including education and experience verification by the certification organization, and that certified members continue to be involved in their chosen professional field and take the necessary training to maintain an up to date knowledge.

And lastly, in order to assess the importance of having certification, the view or perception of a hiring company and its management must also be considered. A certificate like every thing else in life has no value except the value we give to it, therefore, the degree by which a hiring company and its management value professional designations is important when evaluating a certificate’s true and overall value. If management strongly considers a certificate or even requires one from job applicants, then the certificate’s overall value increases accordingly. In general, there are some people who recognize and highly value the benefits of professional certifications, and there are others who have no respect for them. Interestingly, those who don’t respect certifications also lack professional designations.

It is commonly said that a professional certification increases the overall value of an employee, and those holding a professional designation earn higher salaries than their counterparts who do not have a professional certification. It’s somewhat true that certified professionals can demand higher salaries and find jobs much more quickly, especially in tough economic times when the job market is much more competitive. A person has nothing to lose but every thing to gain with a little investment to be involved in a professional organization and maintain a professional designation. It takes very few resources to gain a competitive advantage when looking for work, and a professional certification from a recognized organization offers that competitive advantage. The cost of professional certification and membership is well worth the investment for a long and prosperous career.

Even if some companies do not reimburse the cost of the certification such as membership, study guide, training and exam fees, it is still recommended to aim for the desired IAM certification in your chosen field since no one really cares about your career as much as you do. The resources that you allocate to a professional organization or certification program is never wasted given the value you receive in return such as networking, knowledge, and credibility.

On a final note, a certification which has been registered for trademark protection will ensure that the certification will maintain leadership in the marketplace and offer protection to the certifying organization as well as its members for many years to come.

Identity Management Institute has carefully designed IAM certification programs for the identity management field which evolve as the industry evolves. All the programs have been registered for trademark protection and continue to be recognized internationally as leading identity and access management certifications in the cyber security field.

Why Are Identity and Access Management Certifications Important

One of the questions in the certification applications is about why identity and access management certifications are important to the applicants. Below are a few samples from actual member applications:

  • Having certification will help greatly in my professional career. Most of the Federal clients prefer to have certified professionals.
  • I have been a thought leader in IAM for years. I have helped my company to significantly improve their programs with automation, self-service and most importantly governance and security. The CIAM designation would help me validate my expertise and accomplishments.
  • I intend to become a Certified Identity and Access Manager to expand on my IAM knowledge and skillset. In addition to my Information Assurance MS degree, it will support my contribution to society by allowing me to practice what I’ve learned about IAM and reinforce its importance in the systems and people I work with.
  • Protecting user identity in cyber and cloud environments utilizing various cybersecurity tools will require knowledge, certification, and credibility. CIST will give me the credibility to continue working and supporting the industry and the enterprises to build cyber resiliency technology to manage the identity of the users. Today’s enterprises and social media tools would need CIST experts to help enhance their security capabilities to provide better cyber protection and prevention against the adversaries.
  • The CAMS certification would validate my several years of experience serving on projects as a project manager/business analyst in the identity access management field, including extensive experience directing and leading user support teams with activities related to role-based access control, audit report reviews, and user identity validation. The CAMS designation would expose me to more career opportunities that could leverage my experience for complex and challenging projects.
  • Protection of IT systems is data driven as we have witnessed from recent breaches that resulted in huge fines and losses on many fronts. CDP designation will position me to support my organization and providing expert advice with cost effective solutions to protect data.
  • The CIGE will further demonstrate my commitment to identity governance and strategic planning across technology and security. It is my hope that this IAM certification and membership in the IMI will allow me to further grow and practice sound identity governance.
  • My current duties are specifically around Identity Management. The CIMP certification will validate my expertise in the field.

Identity Management Institute on LinkedIn

Visit the IAM certification page to learn more identity and access management certifications and select the best certification for your career.

AAA Identity and Access Management Framework Model

The AAA identity and access management model is a framework which is embedded into the digital identity and access management world to manage access to assets and maintain system security. AAA stands for Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting which we will cover in depth below.

AAA identity and access management framework model to authenticate, authorize, and audit

Authentication

Authentication is based on the idea that each individual user will have unique information that sets him or her apart from other users to provide proof of identity when they identify themselves. For example, you enter a guarded area and identify yourself as an employee or homeowner of the guarded area. Next, you must provide proof to authenticate the person that you claim to be. This concept along with the AAA identity and access management model will also apply to connected IoT devices.

There are primarily four types of authentication methods which use:

  1. Static passwords which remain active until they are changed or expired,
  2. One-time password (OTP) such as codes delivered thorough SMS texts or tokens used for each access session,
  3. Digital certificate, and
  4. Biometric credential.

Authentication types fall within one of the following forms:

  1. Something you know such as  a password;
  2. Something you have such as a key fob or cell phone; and
  3. Something you are such as your finger prints, voice, hand geometry, etc. also called “biometrics authentication”.

When we combine more than one of these categories, it’s called Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which makes it difficult for someone to authenticate as another person. For example, if a hacker steals a user’s password, he’d also have to steal the mobile phone to access the code sent by the SMS text or possess the key fob that displays the code which syncs with the rotating code inside the system being accessed. Using two passwords is not considered 2FA because both passwords fall under the category of “something you know”. It’s like placing two locks on a door at home that could be opened with the same key.

Most companies are moving toward Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) which leverages a static password and OTP or challenge question to strengthen cybersecurity. Biometric authentication is slowly being adopted as technology becomes more cost effective and errors associated with biometric authentication are reduced. However, biometric authentication presents a different set of privacy and security issues. For example, stolen finger print data can not be replaced such as in the case of passwords and can disclose personal data to unauthorized parties.

That’s why 2FA or MFA are considered the best near-future authentication mechanism which use a combination of password, OTP, and potentially biometric such as iris, retina, or hand geometry.

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), using two-factor authentication which includes text messages is not a good solution because NIST believes that text messages can be intercepted, however, companies have resisted the NIST argument and continue to use 2FA with a password and a code delivered by cell phone texts.

“The industry believes that using 2FA with two authentication methods is the best option for now to improve security and justify costs in case one method is compromised” says Henry Bagdasarian.

Authorization

Authorization is represented by the second A in the AAA identity and access management model which is the process of granting or denying a user access to system resources once the user has been authenticated through the username and password. The amount of information and the amount of services the user has access depend on the user’s authorization level.

After the user identifies himself and is authenticated to prove his ownership of the identity, he must pass the authorization rule to access system services, programs and data. Authorization determines what the user can access and what he can not access.

The Principle of Least Privilege requires that users, processes, programs, and devices must only be granted sufficient access necessary to perform their required functions, and nothing more. Any authorization beyond normal job functions opens the door for either accidental or malicious violations of security objectives; Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. This is one of the main reasons why employees must not have administrator or root access to their employer provided devices but rather have an account with limited privileges consistent with their job requirements. One of the risks of granting employees admin access to company provided devices is that when the device is infected with a virus, the malware will run with the privileges of the user.

The principle of least privilege must be applied at all times until it is time to temporarily escalate access when warranted by business requirements.

Accounting

The third A in the AAA identity and access management model refers to Accounting which is the process of keeping track of a user’s activity while accessing the system resources, including the amount of time spent in the network, the services accessed while there, and the amount of data transferred during the session. Accounting data is used for trend analysis, discovering failed login attempts, data breach detection, forensics and investigations, capacity planning, billing, auditing and cost allocation.

Keeping track of users and their activities serves many purposes. For example, tracing back to events leading up to a cybersecurity incident can prove very valuable to a forensics analysis and investigation case.

Also, monitoring the activities of employees who might be somewhat disgruntled due to company events such as layoffs can help detect failed login attempts and predict what kind of malicious goal they might have.

In order to be effective in IAM accounting, generic and shared accounts must be avoided so that the actions of each individual can be accounted for.

To detect fraud and other malicious activities, companies may send employees on mandatory vacations letting the employee’s replacement to perform checks and balances on the employee who could have been hiding or covering up his actions such as log entries which could offer the company many clues about the malicious activities of their employees.

Identity and access management certifications

The Future of Identity and Access Management

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is bound to be increasingly an integral part of our personal and business lives as the technological and societal landscape continues to rapidly change. Although we can not fully and accurately predict anything beyond the near future, it is likely that technology will continue to change our lives in future years which will require a new approach to identity and access management.

“When considering that users’ inability to protect and manage passwords causes over 90% of cyber attacks, it is evident that our current IAM approach which mostly uses passwords for authentication can not support the security of the future state where many devices will be interconnected” says Henry Bagdasarian, Founder of Identity Management Institute and cybersecurity thought leader.

For example IAM will expand beyond humans, pets, and other living things to include identities of robots and smart devices. Anything that needs to be connected to something for data sharing and automated tasks will be connected to make human lives easier, collaborative, and more productive.

As distributed and interconnected systems increase in numbers, seamless, continuous, and accurate access to all resources with advanced authentication systems such as biometric and artificial intelligence technology will be prevalent. Password will be the thing of the past as user controlled access will be replaced by machine controlled access management. There will be no more passwords to access systems or badges to enter buildings. Smart systems will be able to recognize and greet us using some of our personal and distinct features when we use ATMs, enter stores and restaurants, visit online websites, enter office locations, drive cars, and access business systems.

Identity management and artificial intelligence will revolutionize security beyond people, places, and things that we manage today as increasing number of devices and systems will communicate with and learn from one another without human intervention. For example, household systems which will be a big part of the Internet of Things will communicate with each other to control and manage our lives. Refrigerators will order food items when the inventory goes down, fire detection systems will contact the fire department and other nearby households in case of fire, doctors will be notified when our vital signs show trouble and much more. Almost everything will have an identity which will change today’s definition of identity theft.

Form a business standpoint, distributed and trusted identity concept will be adopted by every object, service, and system.  A person may have multiple identities but still be recognized as the person and the identities of smart things will be linked to persons owning the objects. With the increasing number of highly potent identities, global identity service providers will register identities and maintain identity directories.

Biometric Authentication

Biometric authentication uses a person’s characteristics to identify and authenticate the person. Biometric technology is advancing rapidly and the market for biometric systems is estimated to increase from $10 billion in 2015 to about $40 Billion by 2022 according to various research reports. Artificial Intelligence embedded in the future IAM products will be able to learn about the user for access management and user activities will be analyzed and anomalies will be reported automatically.

The list of biometric authentication options includes:

  • Face recognition,
  • Finger print and geometry although it is easier to copy or steal a finger than other human parts,
  • Hand geometry,
  • Ear geometry by simply pressing it against the phone screen during a phone call. No two ears are alike even on the same person,
  • Eye iris or retina recognition,
  • Gait or behavioral biometric such as keystroke dynamics, mouse use, and walking patterns.
  • Heart rhythm can be used in wristbands and other devices for wireless identification to the computer, cars, house, and in stores for making payments,
  • Butt biometrics can be used to authenticate a user by the way they sit. This technology can be used in cars to start the car and adjust car preferences automatically,
  • Nose can be used to identify a person as it is a distinct human feature although it is often surgically modified and rendered useless for authentication,
  • Vein matching also uses a finger or a palm, but provides a few additional security benefits through vein analysis of only alive persons which makes it difficult to fake,
  • Sniff test although in early stages with 10% failure rate can filter out smells like hand cream or changes in odor caused by diet and disease with an artificial nose to identify a person.

Accuracy and affordability will determine which biometric technology will be the market leader. However regardless of product leadership, with increasing number of interconnected systems and devices, unauthorized parties must be kept out of systems and authorized parties must not be denied access to approved resources. Both scenarios present a big risk to the business whereby one leads to data breach with all sorts of consequences and the other leads to lost productivity and  inefficient operations. These challenges will be addressed by advanced identity and access management solutions which will shape the future of cybersecurity.

Future IAM Skills

Many of today’s identity and access management tasks will be automated whereby the work of access administrators will be handled by machines in which case robots will authorize and grant access to resources.

The rapid changes in technology and huge dump of data by robots will require future identity and access management professionals to have analytical and critical thinking skills to sort out useful data and make sense of all the machine reported  data. The work of identify and access management specialists will be to design the automated tasks performed by robots, override machine decisions, and act upon reported data.

Learn about professional IAM certifications and get certified to prepare your career for the future.

Identity and Access Management Market Analysis

This identity and access management market analysis is made possible by existing research reports and assessments made by Identity Management Institute based on publicly available information which indicate a fast growth in the Identity and Access Management (IAM) segment of information security.

Identity and Access Management Market Analysis

According to a recent study, IAM market is estimated to grow from about USD $10 Billion in 2019 to over $22 Billion by 2024. The identity and access management segments of the study included access provisioning, single sign-on, advanced authentication, audit, compliance, governance, directory services, and password management. The audit, compliance, and governance segment is expected to grow at the highest rate. The adoption of identity & access management solutions in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at the fastest rate due to the significant growth in the industrial sector as well as rising demand for cloud-based solutions from manufacturing and other verticals.

Growth Drivers

Major growth drivers of the IAM market include compliance, process inefficiency and errors, increase in hacking incidents and data breach cases which concern global organizations, and, changes in technology, societal, and operating trends.

Below is a list of drivers that fuel the identity and access management growth:

  1. The identity and access management market growth is primarily driven by the increased demand in security governance, enforcement concerns, distributed systems and workforce, as well as lower quality of security services within organizations. Security policy enforcement challenges arise when  systems, people, and access management practices are distributed requiring single sign-on and federated identity management as well as older systems lacking the proper settings to be configured in accordance with the stated security policies and standards.
  2. Stolen employee access credentials is by far the leading cause of system hacking cases and data breach incidents which will cost businesses about $5 trillion by 2024. In fact, stolen employee password and human error are responsible for around 90% of data breaches according to leading industry and government reports.
  3.  Changes in technology and way of life are forcing organizations to seek identity and access management solutions. Consider the following:
    • The Internet of Things (IoT) will make almost every object connected to the Internet and each other including drones, cars, and household devices to name a few.
    • Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies by many organizations which slowly but increasingly allow users to use their personal devices for work purposes making security and privacy a real challenge. For example, device identification and authentication process must be effective and software installed by companies onto their employees’ personal phones or devices which can track non-business related data such as employee location, texts, photos, and almost everything else must follow policies that are well defined, communicated, and enforced.
    • Mobility and remote workforce make authentication and access management a real challenge.
    • Rise of cloud computing and storage due to lowered cost of maintaining a dedicated data center and improved system management present a new set of security risks which include reliance on third parties to maintain controls.
    • Online file sharing and collaboration for increased efficiency and productivity also present new security and privacy risks.
  4. Challenges related to on-boarding and off-boarding such as manual and slow processes for access provisioning and inappropriate approvals in decentralized environments in which system owners decide who can access which resources is also driving identity and access management market growth higher. Delayed access to resources results in lost productivity and potentially revenues, and, delayed removal of departed users from systems creates security risks.
  5. Approving and adjusting user access in accordance with their new job duties as they move across the enterprise is a real challenge to manage in larger organizations. This is another main area where IAM technology can support organizations to manage their security risks. “In the future, more important than technical skills, security professionals must have analytical and critical thinking skills to analyze data reported by security systems” says Henry Bagdasarian. “As the automated IAM systems generate reports and information about system access such as excess user access and privileged accounts, dormant or inactive accounts, system attacks, and active accounts belonging to departed users, security analysts must be able to quickly digest the data, analyze trends, and take swift actions to minimize the risks” he continues.
  6. The acknowledgement that a single-factor authentication is no longer acceptable in the expanding digital world and stronger authentication mechanisms are needed to improve security such as a multi-factor authentication or biometric authentication is another IAM growth driver.
  7. Regulatory compliance is another driver of the IAM market growth as many organizations must comply with a variety of regulations which are sometimes overlapping and can make compliance inefficient. Identity and access management solutions help compliance, measurement, and reporting more efficient as IAM solutions can eliminate redundancy and automate assessments, communication, and reporting.
  8. Fast changing, hostile, and competitive environments often force management to make quick decisions. The deployment of identity and access management solutions allow organizations to quickly identify issues and make decisions for mitigating risks.

Shortage in Cybersecurity Experts

This identity and access management market analysis also considers the global cybersecurity expert shortages and unfilled jobs to be a major risk.

Identity and Access Management certification

Professional Certifications

Identity and access management certifications are gaining popularity due to the growing IAM market and risks. Visit the certification page to learn about the IAM technology, governance, operations, and risk management certifications.

Identity and Access Management market report and predictions for 2021 and beyond.

Identity and Access Management Market Report and Predictions for 2021 and Beyond

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

After over four years of discussion, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was adopted on April 27, 2016 and became effective on May 25, 2018. The GDPR replaces the EU’s Data Protection Directive (95/46 EU) which has served as the main instrument of the EU for almost two decades. GDPR is directly applicable to all EU Member States without the need for implementing national legislation.

Read more

Identity Management Blog

This website offers an identity management blog with hundreds of FREE and original  articles which are accessed by thousands of monthly global readers through various access points including an active newsletter called Identity Management Journal, search engine referrals, and our various social media channels. These identity and access management articles discuss the latest threats and related solutions including identity theft, system intrusions and data breach, authentication methods, identity lifecycle management, compliance and much more. Many businesses take advantage of this free service by referring their customers, employees and business partners to this blog in order to reduce their operating costs associated with education, training, and fraud prevention. This is one of the ways that we give back to the community and IAM industry.

The original identity management articles for this progressive and unique identity management blog are written by experts and writers at Identity Management Institute. These identity management articles specifically raise awareness of the risks, and discuss strategies for managing identity and access management risks.

Click below to access the identity management blog and read the latest articles.

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KAGE Data Protection Framework™

The KAGE data protection framework is developed by Identity Management Institute to propose a simple data protection roadmap.

KAGE™ is an information security framework proposed by Henry Bagdasarian, Founder of Identity Management Institute to simplify the information protection risk management process and offer a roadmap that management and security professionals can use to develop a data protection strategy which addresses information protection risks. KAGE simplifies the data security risk management process to effectively protect all business information assets and is incorporated into the Certified in Data Protection (CDP) certification course.

The KAGE security framework is so simple that its unique acronym makes it easy for management to remember the main objectives and steps when building the information security strategy. The KAGE data security framework can be used by companies and their executives responsible for corporate information protection to create and maintain a continuous information risk management and safeguard process. This security framework is necessary to ensure continued protection of business confidential information including personal information of clients and employees.

Information protection directives must always be based on current risks facing the companies and individuals. “It would be naïve and risky to assume that an information protection plan is static and does not have to be updated to reflect the current risk landscape” says Henry Bagdasarian. Many companies make the mistake of developing information security policies without any regard for continuous risk assessments, updates, communication, and monitoring. An information security policy is only effective when it is developed and revised based on current risks and communicated to all employees who must be aware of such policies in order to follow management directives for protecting confidential information.

For an information security program to be effective, there are 4 main focus areas which must be addressed. The KAGE acronym stands for Know, Articulate, Guide, and Enforce. Each area is described below:

KNOW – In order to implement an effective information protection strategy and program, professionals must first identify and know what information they want to protect for their companies. For each company, confidential information types may be different. For example, confidential data may include various trade secrets and employee or consumer personal information. Depending on type, format or amount of information available, management must decide what information is important or rather vital to the success of their business. Each type of business information may provide a varying type and amount of risk to the company. For example, a consumer personal information breach may lead to identity theft, identity fraud, and potential lawsuits. Or, a loss of trade secret or intellectual property may result in loss of competitive advantage and revenue. Therefore, for each organization, management must decide what information is important to their businesses based on the risks that they might present.

Next, management must also decide and know how they intend to protect the information based on internal and external needs or requirements. In order to develop an appropriate information protection strategy, risk assessments are required to identify risks associated with confidential information as well as the required countermeasures to be included in policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines. Risks may be derived from the unnecessary collection and sharing of data, lengthy retention of data, unsecured storage location, inappropriate disposal and handling of information, as well as unauthorized disclosure and edits. Once data protection professionals know what information to protect and how they want to protect them, they formally document their information protection scope and vision through security strategies, policies and standards.

ARTICULATE – Once the relevant data security scope is established, policies and procedures are documented, and responsibilities are defined, the data protection strategy and requirements must be effectively and clearly articulated or communicated to the appropriate staff and other parties to make sure everyone understands how the company intends to protect its information and how others may contribute to achieve the overall data protection goals.

GUIDE – Sometimes, employees have a hard time understanding and interpreting the security requirements and purpose and therefore management must make an effort to guide and help employees to understand what is expected of them to help the company better secure its confidential information. As part of the communication, security guidelines can be provided to help employees implement and follow the strategy and policies. Information security guidelines are meant to provide direction for employees to follow and reach the desired security protection goals. Information security awareness training can also be developed and provided periodically to educate employees, reinforce the requirements, and confirm employees’ understanding of those requirements. Employees who are assigned data protection tasks or can unknowingly introduce risks for the company, must be provided periodic awareness and training to be guided in the right direction and be reminded of their responsibilities and capabilities for helping the company achieve its goals.

ENFORCE – Finally, the information protection program and its underlying polices and procedures must be enforced to be effective. Without monitoring and enforcement, violations may not be detected and management directives may be ignored.

Following the creation and communication of the information protection program and all relevant polices and procedures, management must enforce compliance with its security directives through continuous monitoring. Enforcement and monitoring can be automated in some areas or manual in other areas. The principle goal of enforcement is to ensure employees are following management directives and supporting the strategy for protecting confidential information and keeping the security risk exposure to the minimum at all times.

The KAGE data protection framework is addressed in more detail within the Certified in Data Protection (CDP) certification course. The overall concept and the acronym is created to simplify the data protection process. Click below to visit the Certified in Data Protection page to register and become certified.

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