Identity and information security are inextricably linked because is impossible to secure information without knowing who or what is allowed to access it, or without knowing who or what is attempting to access it. Simply put, there is no information security without identity.
More accurately, there is no information security without management of identity and management of access: a means of knowing who or what is attempting to access systems or data, a means of knowing who or what is allowed access, and a means of allowing or blocking access based on those predefined access rights.
Identity and Access Management (IAM), therefore, is one the core disciplines of IT (Information Technology), and an essential element within every cybersecurity strategy, because cybersecurity is fundamentally about ensuring that access to IT resources is strictly limited to authorised entities, both human and non-human.
This is especially true in the digital era because business success depends on using the digital identities of consumers, customers, business partners, and employees, as well as of devices, things, or services, which are at the core of the digital business.
Effective cybersecurity cannot be achieved without effective management of identity and access, it is therefore essential for modern organizations to ensure that they have the necessary policies, controls, systems, and architectures in place.
Without these things, there is no way of no effective way of preventing unauthorized access to systems and data, no way of protecting sensitive data, no way of preventing the loss of intellectual property, and no way of ensuring compliance with the growing number of security regulations.
Achieving a successful Identity and Access Management capability, which is essential to effective cyber security, depends on ensuring all the stakeholders are on board, understanding the requirements of business and IT, and on defining a strategy.
This, in turn, requires defining a modern and flexible architecture to support the requirements, selecting the necessary technology and tools, and then executing each step in realizing the predefined strategy.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is at the core of the digital transformation, at the core of cybersecurity, and at the core of regulatory compliance
— Martin Kuppinger, Principal Analyst at KuppingerCole.
Because we understand the important relationship between Identity and Security, and because we are committed to helping your business succeed, KuppingerCole has a great deal of content available in a variety of formats.
This includes live events such the 2022 KuppingerCole European Identity and Cloud (EIC) Conference taking place in Berlin and online from May 10-13.
The agenda features panel discussions on Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) : Managing Your Cloud Scale Risk with an Identity Defined Security Approach and MFA usage in enterprise.
Several other sessions address Security and Identity, including presentations entitled:
- Identity. Security. Decentralized. The Future Composable Enterprise
- The Role of Identity & Access Management for Ransomware Resilience
- Identity is the New Perimeter: How to Discover, Mitigate and Protect Identity Risks
There are also various presentations specifically on multifactor authentication (MFA):
- MFA, (E-)SSO & Passwordless in Hybrid & Multi-Cloud
- Key Requirements for Next Generation MFA
- Enabling MFA and SSO for IoT and Constrained Devices
In addition, there are sessions that look at a range of important Security and Identity related questions and issues, including:
- Why data security & data governance must shift to the center of attention
- The State of Passwordless Authentication
- All Other Identities - The Risk That Is Hiding in Plain Sight
Research
Get a good overall understanding of the intimate relationship between Identity and Security by having at look at these Insights entitled: The Definitive Guide to Identity & Access Management and Decentralized Identity – A Playbook for Your Enterprise.
Advisories
For slightly more in-depth perspectives, have a look at these Advisory Notes on Identity and Access Management and Cloud Services and Security, and this Leadership Brief on Managing Non-Human Identities.
Audio/video
Listen to what our analysts have to say about Identity and Security in these Analyst Chats entitled: GAIN and Reusable Identities, From Ransomware to Globally Assured Identities, and Identity Vetting - Dealing With the Wave of Fraud During the Pandemic.
Alternatively, have a look at these video presentations from previous KuppingerCole events that deal with Identity and Security:
- No Security without Identity
- Why must CISOs and security leaders let IAM drive their cloud security adoption?
- APIs - Where Security Meets Identity Management
- Beyond Blockchain: Creating Value from Compliant Self-Sovereign Identity
- The Balance Between User Experience and Security
- Reimagining Identity: a Buyer’s Guide to Decentralized Identity
Blogs
If you would prefer to read short, concise observations on Security and Identity by our analysts, select the most relevant topics from the following list:
- No Information Security Without Identity
- Security vs Convenience: In the Cloud, it’s Still Your Choice and Your Responsibility
- Blockchain Identity – Success Factors and Challenges
- Blockchain, Identity, Trust and Governance
Webinars
Discussions on Security, Identity, and the relationship between them have been at the heart of many webinars presented by our analysts and partners. Select the most relevant for your organization from the following list:
- There Is No Successful Digital Transformation Without Strong Identity Management
- The Security & Identity Challenges of Modern IT: Agile IT & DevOps Done Right & Secure
- Zero Trust Through Identity-Based Segmentation
- How Security and Identity Fabrics Work to Help Improve Security
- Does Increased Security Still Mean Added Complexity?
- Identity Verification: Why It Is Needed and How It Can Benefit the Business
- Are You Ready for Security Automation?
- Techniques for Securing Transactions With Identity Verification and Verifiable Claims
Whitepapers
Security and Identity have been the focus of several Whitepapers written by our analysts. Have a look through the following list and select those that are most relevant to your organization:
- You Can’t Use & Secure What You Don’t Know. Time to Free Identities From Their Siloes.
- RadiantOne: Identity Integration for Zero-Trust and Digital Transformation
- Oracle Identity Cloud Service: Identity for Business Applications in the Hybrid IT
- A Lean Approach on Identity & Access Governance
- Do Identity Right - So Your Digital Business Strategy Succeeds
- Balancing Security and Convenience: Identity Verification & Authentication made easy
Tech Investment
Learn more about the technology market segments that support organizations’ need improve security through effective Identity and Access Management by looking at these Leadership Compass reports on:
- Identity Fabrics
- Identity as a Service (IDaaS) - IGA
- Identity Governance & Administration (IGA)
- Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)
- Identity API Platforms
And these Market Compass reports on:
- Global IaaS Providers Tenant Security Controls
- Decentralized Identity: Blockchain ID & Self-Sovereign Identity Solutions
Organizations investing in technologies to support Identity and Security can have a look at some of the related technology solutions that we have evaluated:
- One Identity Manager On Demand
- Omada Identity Suite
- Omada Identity Cloud
- OneWelcome Customer Identity and B2B identity
- Identity Automation's RapidIdentity Solution
- Ping Identity Data Governance
- Saviynt Security Manager for Enterprise IGA
- Saviynt Enterprise Identity Cloud
- WSO2 Identity Server
- Orca Cloud Security Platform
- Simeio Identity Orchestrator
- Symantec Identity Governance and Administration