Identity and access management, often referred to as Identity management can be regarded as a framework of several policies and technologies deployed to ensure that the proper individuals within an organization or enterprise, have appropriate access to certain resources. This system usually falls under the Data and IT security management systems. It is just a means of protecting critical information within an organization.

Main Features of identity and access management

The access given to information means the individual who gets the access can perform a specific operation and only the person or a group of persons given the same access can perform such operations. With identity and access management, the individual can view, or modify a file for instance and the roles of individuals with access are defined based on their level of competency and responsibility within the enterprise.

The systems that are used for identity and access management may include Single sign-on or Multi-factor authentication. In some cases, a third option known as Privileged Access Management, may be used. With these technologies, it is easier to store identities alongside profile data to ensure that only relevant information is shared.

What are the Basic Components of Identity and Access Management?

At the fundamental level, identity and access management comprises some basic components, these are;

• Techniques or parameters for Identifying individuals in a system.

• The identification of different roles in a system and how such roles are assigned to different individuals.

• The addition, removal, and updating of individuals and their roles within the system.

• Assigning different levels of access to individuals or groups of individuals within the system, and

• Protection of sensitive information or data within the system, and making sure the system itself is secured.

What Should be Included in the Identity and access management

Ideally, the identity and access management system must contain all necessary controls and tools that can capture and record all user login information. It should also contain parameters to manage the enterprise database of the identities of the users. The system must also be able to initiate assignments to the users, and also remove any outdated access privileges once the individual with access has completed an assignment.

Technologies deployed in identity and access management must be capable of simplifying all user provisioning and the setup of account procedures. The technology should reduce the total time spent on completing all processes alongside a controlled workflow that will reduce the risks of errors and the risk of abuse from those who have access to certain information.

Identity and access management must easily allow administrators to view and change instantly access rights to different individuals.

Conclusion

When properly handled and managed, identity and access management should be able to balance the speed and automation of all processes. Administrators must be able to monitor and control all access rights. The administrators of the access and identity management system constantly manage access requests, while the system itself is automated to match employee work titles with their specific responsibilities and location.

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