The Vital Role of IAM in the Top 5 Cybersecurity Trends for 2025

With more cyber threats emerging on a daily basis, the world of cybersecurity needs to evolve fast to suit. As we enter 2025, here are the top trends shaping the industry, and how IAMs impact each.

1. AI-Driven Cybersecurity

AI is set to revolutionize cybersecurity because it can detect threats in real time. Analyzing huge amounts of data in a split second, AI-based systems can identify anomalies and predict probable risks. They take proactive measures to safeguard digital environments.

Since AI is always learning from new threats, its ability to counter sophisticated cyberattacks is also constantly improving.

Akku MFA uses AI-driven anomaly detection and step-up authentication to deliver adaptive authentication. This achieves the right balance between security and ease of access.

2. Zero Trust Security

Zero Trust Architecture removes implicit trust from access authentication. Users and devices should not be granted access privileges by default. Instead, a policy of minimum access privilege should be followed. 

Strong IAMs are built on a foundation of Zero Trust principles. Strict access controls are laid down and followed automatically. These rules could be based on user identity, role or context.

You can maintain tight control over access permissions to move towards a zero trust security strategy with Akku User Lifecycle Manager. This is enforced through granular access controls, continuous authentication, and automated access deprovisioning.

3. Passwordless Authentication

Biometric systems and other authentication methods are replacing traditional passwords, improving security and user experience alike by reducing dependency on weak or reused passwords.

Advanced IAM solutions like Akku Password Manager and Akku MFA enable passwordless authentication for seamless and efficient user access.

By removing password vulnerabilities, businesses reduce risks like phishing and credential theft. Akku supports passwordless login, streamlines security, and helps organizations meet 2025’s cybersecurity demands more effectively.

4. Stricter Data Privacy Regulations

With increasing regulatory scrutiny, organizations must adopt stronger security measures. IAM solutions are essential for ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations.

Akku Access Manager enforces policies to prevent unauthorized access and maintains detailed audit logs for reporting.

It does so by letting you apply access restrictions based on IP address, device, location, and time of access. Akku helps businesses stay compliant while strengthening data protection in a rapidly evolving landscape.

5. Critical Infrastructure Security

Essential services like energy and healthcare are prime targets for cyberattacks. IAM solutions help protect these industries by enforcing strict controls and monitoring system access.

Akku SSO & IdP, Akku Access Manager and Akku MFA lay down privilege guidelines and ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive systems, minimizing the risk of both insider and external threats.

Akku Cloud Directory, Password Manager, and User Lifecycle Manager enable organizations in these critical industries to secure their user identities and streamline access management, providing comprehensive essential infrastructure security.

 

By investing in the latest IAM technology, organizations can easily cope with the challenges of 2025 and safeguard their valuable assets. Reach out to our team to learn more about the cybersecurity trends for 2025 and how Akku can help you address these new challenges and opportunities.

3 Challenges of hybrid work, and how identity & access management solves them

Even as an increasing percentage of the workforce works remotely, cyberattacks on organizations continue to surge. 73% of executives viewing remote workers as a heightened security risk. A 2024 report revealed a 104% increase in attempted cyberattacks over the previous year, highlighting the critical need for strong cybersecurity measures.

While the increased adoption of remote and hybrid work models has reshaped the workplace, the bottomline is that it also poses security challenges. Therefore ensuring secure collaboration – whether on-site or remote – requires solutions that protect data, authenticate access and mitigate risks in various environments. 

That’s where Identity & Access Management (IAM) comes in with its toolkit designed to safeguard your workspace – whether it’s at the office or remote.

Security Challenges of Hybrid Operations

1. Increased attack surface

With employees accessing resources from various networks and devices, the risk of unauthorised access grows, expanding the attack surface.

2. Access control and data security

Hybrid setups require strict control over access to sensitive data to prevent breaches and regulatory issues.

3. Device and network security

The mix of personal and corporate devices on different networks raises the risk of malware and cyber threats.

Key IAM features for Secure Collaboration

1. Single Sign-On (SSO)

SSO streamlines access to multiple applications with a single, secure login and reduces the need to manage multiple passwords. Akku’s Single Sign-On feature offers one-click access across applications, a single dashboard for quick provisioning, permissions management, and easy revocation of access across all applications.

2. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

MFA strengthens security by requiring a second form of verification beyond just a password. However, implementing MFA can be complex and costly, especially when multiple applications from different providers need a unified platform. Akku offers MFA functionality that’s quick and cost-effective to deploy, with authentication factors including biometrics, SMS, and push notifications.

3. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

RBAC restricts access to specific data and applications based on an employee’s role. This approach limits data exposure to only those who need it, safeguarding sensitive information and preventing accidental leaks or security breaches.

What does IAM ensure?

1. Real-time monitoring and auditing

IAM systems offer real-time visibility into user activities, allowing IT teams to monitor logins, device usage, and detect potential security incidents as they occur. Regular auditing ensures that user access aligns with each person’s current role, preventing privilege creep and enhancing accountability within the organization. In other words, real time monitoring and auditing ensure better decision-making, operational efficiency, breach detection and prevention, and customer satisfaction.

2. Data protection in multi-cloud and hybrid environments

A recent study reported a 75% rise in cloud incidents last year, which explains why IAM is highlighted as a key cloud security trend for 2025, with zero-trust architecture adoption projected to reach 60%, along with advanced access control measures to secure critical systems. IAMs secure collaboration across various cloud services by enforcing consistent access control policies across environments.

3. Improved compliance and data privacy

Compliance with data privacy regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA is essential for organizations handling sensitive information. By employing IAM, organizations can ensure they maintain the highest standards of data privacy and regulatory compliance.

 

The hybrid work model brings new security challenges, but your organization can stay not just a step but leaps and bounds ahead of every threat simply by adopting an IAM solution. Protect your data, improve your productivity with Akku. Talk to us today to find out more.

The future of safe hybrid collaboration with Akku


In case you’re still wondering how important it is to focus on security during remote operations and collaboration, there are 10.5 trillion reasons to sit up and take note. According to the
2023 World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, the cost of cybercrime is projected to hit an annual $10.5 trillion by 2025. 

A single data leak can have catastrophic consequences for a business, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties. As of February, the global average data breach cost was 4.88 million U.S. dollars.

As organizations transition to cloud-based collaboration, this opens the door to risks of remote ops that didn’t really exist before or were far easier to manage in an office-based working context. 

Additionally, misconfigured security settings and improper assignment of access rights, which can result in “privilege creep”, or employees gaining more access rights than necessary. This is a major risk factor since insiders are responsible for 20% of data breaches, often due to such excessive access.

 

Here are three ways to address these challenges related to security during collaboration.

1. Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

This ensures team members only have access to the information necessary for their specific tasks. RBAC needs to be reviewed regularly and updated.

2. Regularly audit collaboration tools

This helps identify potential security gaps, misconfigurations, and outdated permissions. 

3. Utilize secure collaboration platforms

Invest in collaboration tools that prioritize security features, such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and robust compliance measures. Akku offers secure collaboration solutions tailored to meet your organization’s needs.

Akku has a suite of features designed to secure team collaboration in hybrid work environments. 

Here are some of the ways Akku enables secure collaboration.

Granular access control

Akku ensures secure application and data access for hybrid teams, even beyond office firewalls. It allows administrators to enforce strict control over user access by utilizing IP-based, device-based, location-based, and time-based restrictions. Administrators can whitelist or blacklist specific IP addresses, ensuring access only from authorized locations. Also, device-based restrictions tie access to registered devices, while location- and time-based controls further limit access to designated areas and specific time frames. 

Centralized policy management

As teams and projects evolve, so do access needs. Akku’s User Lifecycle Manager provides centralized control over access policies. Integrated with Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication (AMFA), the platform provides real-time adjustments to security policies, enhancing overall control and ensuring secure access across various environments.

Compliance and auditing

Akku’s detailed audit trails and activity logs help organizations track every interaction within their collaboration tools. This ensures compliance with industry regulations like GDPR and HIPAA. 

For one of its clients, Akku helped ensure HIPAA compliance by securing access to sensitive medical data through its internal office networks, minimizing the risk of data breaches. By implementing a unified identity and access management solution, Akku provided visibility into user access, addressing the challenge of shared computers and reducing the manual effort involved in password management. This streamlined solution enhanced data security, improved compliance with HIPAA regulations, and protected the privacy of sensitive medical information for their 8,000+ distributed workforce. 

500+ Pre-Built App Connectors

Akku integrates with over 500 cloud-based collaboration platforms, including Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 allowing businesses to enjoy collaboration across their favorite tools without sacrificing ease of use.

 

Securing hybrid collaboration is no longer optional—it’s essential. Businesses need tools to protect sensitive data, ensure compliance, and streamline collaboration across cloud-based platforms. If you’re looking to safeguard your team’s collaboration, explore how Akku’s IAM solutions can help you.

BYOD Security & Compliance: How Akku’s Device-Based Access Controls Protect Your Data


A staggering
82% of organizations now have a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program in place, with 68% reporting a boost in productivity after making the switch. Also, companies that adopt BYOD smartphones can save up to $341 per employee. However, with these advantages comes risk — data loss remains the top concern for organizations, especially with stats showing about 50% of employees fail to change their passwords after a data breach.

It’s clear these risks need to be addressed, a solution that incorporates device-based access controls along with necessary security to protect data while maintaining the flexibility of BYOD.

So what are the key security challenges in a BYOD world?

1. Data leaks

Personal devices are more prone to data breaches, as sensitive information may accidentally or intentionally be shared with unauthorized individuals. Reports are that the major security barriers include data leakage or loss (62%), downloading unsafe apps (54%), and stolen devices (53%). Despite these concerns, many organizations are still blind to the risks, with 49% unsure if malware has compromised their networks via BYOD.

2. Lost or stolen devices

When a device containing corporate data is lost or stolen, it poses a serious risk, as unauthorized users could gain access to critical information. Stats show that though 70% of BYOD applies to employees, other groups such as contractors (26%), partners (21%), customers (18%), and suppliers (14%) also access corporate networks, raising the stakes.

3. Malware and virus threats

Personal devices are not always equipped with the same level of security as company-issued ones, making them vulnerable to malware and viruses, which could compromise data integrity. Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report 2023 says BYOD should stand for “bring your own disaster” and reveals that about 90% of ransomware attacks in the past year stemmed from unmanaged devices, typically personal gadgets brought in from home that lack sufficient security protections. With global ransomware attacks skyrocketing by more than 200%, organizations adopting BYOD policies are unwittingly exposing their networks to substantial risks.

Akku’s device-based access controls

With Akku Access Manager, admins can easily whitelist approved devices, so only authorized devices like company-owned laptops or specific mobile devices can access your organization’s applications.

How does it work?

  • The Akku Agent is installed on the device to be whitelisted, similar to how you would install any other app
  • The Akku Agent authenticates the user account details to be activated
  • It then captures the device’s serial number and securely stores it on Akku’s server, linked to the user’s account
  • Each time the user attempts to log in, Akku compares the device’s serial number with the list of approved devices associated with that user
  • If the serial number matches, the user is granted access
  • If the user tries to log in from an unapproved device, access is denied

This system ensures that only trusted devices gain access to the company’s network, reducing the risks of unauthorized logins and data breaches.

With a device-based access control implemented, here’s how Akku protects your data.

1. Device authentication

Akku’s access controls ensure that only devices that meet your organization’s security criteria are permitted to access the network. For example, Akku uses an agent to grab the serial number and BIOS UUID from each user’s device, linking it to their profile. This makes sure that only the devices registered to a specific user can access their account.

2. Access controls and compliance

The BYOD policy should clearly define the permitted and prohibited use of personal devices within the workplace. It must also cover security, privacy concerns, and potential liabilities in case of breaches. With Akku Access Manager, admins can also set time limits for when users can access your organization’s apps. This feature makes sure that access is only allowed during certain time windows, adding another layer of security and control.

3. Real-time monitoring and reporting

Smart Analytics in Akku Access Manager keeps track of both successful and failed login attempts. It logs who’s trying to access which apps, along with details like the time, location, and authentication methods used. You also get insights into which AMFA checks are triggered most often, helping you prioritize those factors to make the login experience smoother for users. And it’s all in real-time.

 

It is time to take control of your BYOD security, compliance, and monitoring. Explore how Akku’s device-based access controls can protect your data!

The AI Revolution: Transforming Cybersecurity

Author: Dinesh

Reading Time: 3 mins

Any conversation you tune in to these days – be it related to business, entertainment, or technology – connects back to artificial intelligence in some way. The advances in natural language processing in the last year or two have made it even easier for laypeople to engage with the tech, and beyond research, writing, and design, the AI revolution has well and truly arrived in cybersecurity technology too.

 

 

Here’s a few ways that AI is impacting the world of cybersecurity management.

User behavior tracking

AI-powered IAMs can use user behavior analytics to identify ‘normal’ user behavior patterns and detect deviations or anomalies. AI algorithms undertake continuous analysis of user activity to identify baseline patterns and trends. On this basis, they can flag unusual activity such as unusual login locations or times. As these anomalies may indicate account compromise or fraud, this advance warning lets companies respond promptly.

Threat detection

Using AI in identity and access management, you can automatically analyze significant volumes of threat intelligence data to identify anomalous behavior or patterns. You can even integrate with threat intelligence feeds for real-time security information and threat detection.

By analyzing data such as user behavior, network traffic and logs, AI-powered systems can learn and understand normal user behavior. They are thus able to detect deviations from this norm. The cybersecurity solution can flag suspicious access, fraudulent activity or account compromise, and AI-powered cybersecurity can be trained to block unauthorized access.

Through machine learning, AI in cybersecurity and AI in network security can identify potential vulnerabilities before they’re exploited. This form of proactive threat detection helps businesses better protect their systems. By analyzing code patterns, behavior, and other indicators of compromise, malware detection improves in terms of speed and accuracy.

Intelligent identity and access management

An AI PAM (Privileged Access Management) experience is enhanced by the AI-powered security identity management solution. By monitoring and analyzing privileged user activity, the tool can recommend least privilege principles. This reduces the risk of privilege abuse and insider threats. With contextual information such as user roles, locations, and networks, the tool can make more informed decisions pertaining to access control. Dynamic access management helps businesses enforce highly specific access policies. You can adapt access privileges based on circumstance. 

Innovative and adaptive authentication management

With AI-powered IAM systems, you can implement more secure and user-friendly authentication methods, such as behavioral, voice-based, or risk-based authentication. Based on user behavior and device information, AI algorithms can assess risk levels in real-time. This way, you can enable adaptive authentication. The level of security and AI authentication needed for the specific use case and device access varies based on the perceived risk. IAM AI thus balances security and user convenience.

Automated IT support

Through AI-driven IAMs, you can automate user provisioning and de-provisioning processes based on defined policies. By streamlining the identity lifecycle in this way, you reduce the burden on IT administrative staff through AI business process automation. AI is also ‘always on’, and provides automated IT solutions and continuous user activity monitoring. AI monitors access controls and security events, based on which it provides risk assessment and adaptive security measures. This frees up your IT cybersecurity team from such regular monitoring activities and helps improve organization efficiency.

 

Looking at streamlining cybersecurity identity management? AI and cybersecurity is a complex but interesting field. Talk to our team of experts to learn more about AI in cybersecurity and IAM systems.

Upgrading security: The advantages of Adaptive MFA over standard MFA


What do you think the world’s third-largest economy is? According to
Cybersecurity Ventures, it’s cybercrime. Their report says the global annual cost of cybercrime may hit USD 9.5 trillion in 2024 and reach $10.5 trillion by 2025, literally making it “the world’s third-largest economy after the U.S. and China”. Ransomware is the “most immediate threat” on a global scale, with damages costing victims nearly USD 265 billion annually by 2031, a drastic increase from $42 billion expected in 2024.

One thing is clear: In today’s digital landscape, security is more critical than ever.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA), which became mainstream in the mid-2000s, has been a key tool in enhancing security for over two decades, safeguarding online accounts by requiring multiple forms of identification, thereby adding layers of protection against unauthorized access. However, as threats have evolved, so too needs more sophisticated security measures, leading to the development of Adaptive MFA (AMFA).

Traditional MFA and its benefits

Traditional MFA improves security by requiring users to provide multiple forms of identification before accessing a system. This typically includes:

1. Something the user knows (Knowledge Factor): Like a password or a PIN.

2. Something the user owns (Possession Factor): Such as a smartphone or a security token.

3. Something that the user is (Inherence Factor): A biometric identifier like a fingerprint.

These layers of security make it much harder for unauthorized users to gain access, as they would need to bypass multiple barriers. MFA thereby reduces the risk associated with traditional single-factor authentication, which relies only on usernames and passwords.

Limitations of Traditional MFA

Traditional MFA applies the same security checks to all users, regardless of the context, which can sometimes create unnecessary friction. As the digital environment became more complex, the limitations of traditional or static MFA became more apparent.

That’s what led to Adaptive MFA (AMFA)

AMFA, also known as risk-based authentication, adds an ‘intelligent’ layer that assesses the context and risk of each login attempt. By analyzing factors such as user behavior, location, and device type, AMFA can adjust the authentication requirements accordingly, providing a more effective security solution. It evaluates the context of each access attempt—such as the user’s location, device, and behavior—and adjusts the security requirements based on the assessed risk.

What makes MFA adaptive?

AMFA uses key elements to assess the risk level of each login attempt and determine the appropriate level of security, for example:

  • Geolocation: The physical location of the login attempt is analyzed. Unusual or unexpected locations may trigger additional authentication steps.
  • Device Recognition: The system checks whether the device being used is recognized or trusted. New or unknown devices might require more stringent verification.
  • Behavioral Biometrics: Adaptive MFA can monitor and analyze user behavior, such as typing patterns or navigation habits, to detect anomalies that could indicate a security threat.

How does it work exactly?

Adaptive MFA couples the authentication process with real-time risk analysis. When a user attempts to log in, the system compares their current behavior and context against an established risk profile, which outlines what is considered normal for that user. If the login attempt falls within the expected parameters, access is granted with minimal additional verification. However, if the attempt appears unusual—such as logging in from a new location or device—the system assigns a higher risk score and triggers additional security challenges like answering security questions, entering a one-time password sent to a registered device, or providing biometric verification. AMFA may also use machine learning and artificial intelligence to continuously monitor user behavior throughout the session.

Key Benefits of AMFA over MFA

Security that adjusts based on assessed risk

Unlike static MFA, which applies the same security measures universally, AMFA evaluates contextual factors to ensure that only authorized users gain access. This dynamic approach makes it much harder for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities.

Improved user experience

Traditional MFA can be cumbersome, especially when users need to log in frequently or from familiar devices. AMFA streamlines the process by only triggering additional authentication steps when necessary.

Streamlines access from recognized devices

AMFA also improves efficiency by recognizing trusted devices and routine login behaviors. For example, if an employee regularly logs in from the same device and location during business hours, Adaptive MFA might allow them to access their account with minimal verification.

 

When considering an AMFA solution, Akku offers a standout option that combines security with a user-friendly platform. Protect your systems more effectively. Reach out to Akku today.

Save Costs and Boost Security with Automated User Provisioning and Deprovisioning

 

Provisioning and de-provisioning are critical processes in managing access to data and systems within an organization. Proper provisioning ensures new employees receive the access rights they need to perform their jobs effectively. Conversely, de-provisioning ensures access is promptly revoked when an employee leaves the organization, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Failing to provision or de-provision users correctly results in several issues.

  • Delays in provisioning mean users don’t have the access they need, and that’s productive time lost
  • Users with inappropriate access may inadvertently modify or delete important data, leading to inaccuracies
  • Former employees with lingering access, after they exit the organization, can pose significant security threats, leading to data breaches
  • Organizations may face regulatory fines and reputational damage if they fail to manage access controls

Most of these problems are caused by a manual process for provisioning and de-provisioning – here’s why.

  • Time-Consuming Processes: IT teams spend a significant amount of time creating, managing, and disabling user accounts, which can delay access for new hires and leave security gaps when employees depart. A manual process involves multiple steps and approvals, such as filling out forms, sending emails, waiting for responses, and logging into different systems, which can be tedious, repetitive, and prone to delays or failures, especially when dealing with many users or frequent changes. Automated provisioning reduces this process from days to just minutes.
  • Human Errors: Manual processes are susceptible to mistakes, such as granting incorrect access rights or failing to revoke access promptly. For example, a user may be granted access to a resource they should not have, or a user may be left with access to a resource that they no longer need. These errors can cause security breaches, compliance issues, operational problems, or data leaks.
  • Lack of Consistency: Ensuring consistent application of access policies is difficult, leading to potential security vulnerabilities. Provisioning done poorly creates problems with employee onboarding and offboarding, thus straining relationships between departments and adding unnecessary stress across an organization. Governance, risk, security, and compliance teams are frustrated when employees have too much access or access they don’t need or, worse when poor offboarding doesn’t remove access for someone who has left the organization.
  • Lack of auditability: A manual process may not provide a clear and comprehensive record of who has access to what, when, why, and how. This can make it difficult to monitor, review, and report on user activity and access rights, as well as to detect and respond to any anomalies or incidents. Manual processes may fail to meet regulatory requirements for user provisioning and de-provisioning, such as separation of duties, role-based access control, and identity verification.

A manual provisioning and de-provisioning process brings with it certain direct and indirect costs.

  • Direct Costs: The time and resources required to manage user accounts manually can add up, diverting IT staff from more strategic tasks.
  • Indirect Costs: Inconsistent access management can lead to security breaches, regulatory fines, and damage to the organization’s reputation.

That’s why it’s time to make the move to automated user provisioning and de-provisioning.

1. Access control in real-time

Automated systems ensure that new employees have instant access to the necessary resources, enhancing productivity from day one. Automated provisioning sets up access and privileges for each resource in the organization based on the employee’s role and company rules. When an admin adds, edits, or removes a user, the system automatically adjusts the access—turning it on, changing it, or turning it off. Similarly, access can be promptly revoked for departing employees, mitigating security risks.

2. Consistent application of policies

Automation enforces consistent access policies across the organization, reducing the likelihood of errors and ensuring compliance with industry regulations. By automatically giving and taking away access based on set rules, it reduces the chance of unauthorized access. This automatic system eliminates human error, lowering the risk of security breaches.

3. Reduction in administrative overhead

By automating repetitive tasks, IT teams can focus on more strategic initiatives, reducing the overall administrative burden and operational costs.

A study by Aberdeen Group found that effective onboarding can improve new hire productivity by 60% and reduce turnover by 50%. Using automation software and remote support, companies can speed up the onboarding process and help new employees get up to speed faster.

4. Minimizing the Risk of Data Breaches

Automated deprovisioning ensures that former employees no longer have access to sensitive data, significantly lowering the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. According to a Thales report, human actions can compromise security, with 44% of their survey respondents saying they’ve experienced one. In the past year alone, 14% reported a breach.

So how do you choose the right tool to automate user provisioning and deprovisioning?

  • Integration capabilities: Ensure the tool integrates with your existing systems and applications. This will reduce the time required to set up infrastructure components, such as virtual machines, databases, and networking resources, accelerating time-to-market for applications and services.
  • Scalability: As your organization grows, the number of access requests will also increase. So, choose a solution that can grow with your organization and adapt to changing needs.
  • Ease of Use: Look for tools with intuitive interfaces that simplify the setup and management of user provisioning and de-provisioning. Use automated provisioning software that can handle tasks like assigning IP addresses, configuring DNS, and setting permissions for employees and clients. This helps integrate the entire work infrastructure of an organization with just a click.

Automating user provisioning and de-provisioning is a smart investment for organizations looking to enhance security, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. But you need to implement the right automation tools so your organization can ensure immediate access control, consistent policy application, reduced administrative overhead, and minimized risk of data breaches. Our experts at Akku can help you with that. Reach out to us today.

The urgent need for Identity & Access Management at Universities and Educational Institutions

Cyber threats can affect any educational setting, from elementary schools to universities, whether online or brick-and-mortar. Limited resources, budget constraints, outdated software, and inadequate security systems, cause some of the biggest risks. 

Education ranks as the fifth most targeted industry for security breaches in the United States, with more than 1600 publicly disclosed cyberattacks on schools between 2016 and 2022. Just last year, a security lapse in India’s Education Ministry app, Diksha, exposed millions of students’ and teachers’ personally identifying information due to an unprotected cloud server storing the data.

With the increasing adoption of technology in education, and even more so after the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for Identity & Access Management (IAM) systems is now vital for security and productivity at educational institutions.

But first, what are the unique challenges in IAM for educational institutions?

Diverse user base

Educational institutions cater to a diverse range of users including students, faculty, staff, administrators, and sometimes even external collaborators. Managing identities and access rights for such a diverse user base can be complex.

Outdated IT systems

Limited IT budgets result in legacy systems that are challenging to maintain, costly to fix, and may lack effective customer service. They also pose security risks due to outdated infrastructure. Users with multiple roles face challenges as each role is treated as a separate ID, leading to multiple credentials and fragmented access.

Remote learning

The rise of remote learning and the prevalence of BYOD or Bring Your Own Device policies have introduced additional difficulties in managing identities and securing access to resources. Educational institutions must ensure secure access to resources from any location and on any device while maintaining data privacy and security.

Data breach risks

Educational institutions handle large amounts of personal and sensitive information, including academic records, personal information, and research data making them prime targets for data breaches. Maintaining data security is essential for building trust and preventing breaches or leaks.

Changing user roles

Colleges and universities frequently onboard and offboard thousands of new users or new students each semester, each of whom require access to university resources before arriving on campus. Also, access for graduating students needs to be disabled promptly. Also, colleges handle transient users on a massive scale, including students taking semesters off and contingent faculty.

Manual provisioning and de-provisioning

Manual provisioning and de-provisioning of user access leads to high costs, security threats, and help desk overload. Manual authorization workflows for user access are prone to delays, mistakes, and compliance/security concerns. IT staff are responsible for frequently authorizing access requests, leading to inefficiencies. Also, there is a lack of auditing.

No integration with cloud-based platforms

Educational institutions face challenges integrating IAM systems with cloud-based platforms. The absence of dedicated IT help desk teams results in an increased workload for IT staff to resolve password and account unlock requests.

How can IAM address these challenges?

Centralized management and access

IAM solutions provide a centralized platform for managing user identities, authentication, and authorization. This helps to streamline user provisioning, de-provisioning, and access management across the institution, reducing administrative overhead. 

For users too, with a single sign-on provided by an IAM platform, all applications are brought onto a single platform. This eliminates the hassle of multiple passwords and logins and makes the login process fast and effortless.

Automated provisioning and de-provisioning

A comprehensive IAM solution like Akku automates the process of provisioning and de-provisioning user accounts based on predefined rules and policies. 

This ensures users have timely access to resources they need and access is revoked promptly upon role changes or departure from an institution, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Also, IAM solutions implement role-based access. This granular control ensures users have access only to resources necessary for their job functions.

Learn-from-anywhere security

IAM solutions often go beyond user permissions to access applications. For example, Akku offers extensive access management features that let you permit access to your institution’s resources only from specific whitelisted network IP addresses, or only from whitelisted devices.

Suspicious login attempts can also be identified and flagged when a user attempts to log in from an unfamiliar location or at an unexpected time.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Many IAM solutions offer MFA capabilities, adding an extra layer of security beyond passwords. By requiring users to authenticate using multiple factors such as passwords, biometrics, or one-time codes, MFA helps prevent unauthorized access even if credentials are compromised.

Akku makes implementation of MFA effortless and cost-effective with a range of authentication factors to choose from, including passwordless authentication.

Integration with LMS and other education-specific platforms

IAM solutions integrate with LMS platforms and other applications used in educational settings, which allows for single sign-on (SSO) capabilities, enabling users to access multiple resources with a single set of credentials, thereby enhancing user experience and productivity.

With Akku, the process of integration is effortless with plug-and-play connectors to over 500 popular applications.

Auditing and compliance reporting

An end-to-end IAM solution like Akku provides robust auditing and reporting capabilities, allowing institutions to monitor user activity, track access privileges, and generate compliance reports. Akku’s Smart Analytics dashboard provides clear visibility across the institution’s users as well as intelligent insights on unused application licenses, provisioned user access, and more.

 

IAM solutions can help educational institutions improve security, streamline administrative processes, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, enabling a safer learning environment for students and staff. Akku’s IAM solutions are tailored to meet these unique challenges, so reach out to us today so we can help you stay secure.

Security isn’t a one-time investment: 3 key areas where most organizations fail

Your management team says that the time has come to invest in your organization’s cybersecurity. Your operations team agrees and says they are committed to security. Your IT team says that an IAM would help to secure your data and application, and identifies customizable IAM solutions, such as Akku, for investment.

So far, so good. But does that complete the job from your team’s end?

Even if your organization’s management and users believe that they are totally committed to improving cybersecurity, many of our recent IAM implementations have brought up some interesting issues of organization productivity.

Low priority on training

Many corporates believe that their employees – young, apparently tech-savvy, living in metropolitan areas – are sufficiently aware of all necessary cybersecurity measures. They believe that their teams are equipped to set up strong passwords, manage their own multi-factor authentication, avoid phishing attacks and browse through only secure web pages.

Some businesses, especially very large enterprises, do understand that cybersecurity training is necessary. However, others (regardless of size) often don’t feel it’s important for workers to take time out from their regular routines to focus on security. This is a prioritization issue, not one of budgets or resources. It can result in a number of security issues, including in terms of secure access to applications and data. No matter how technologically aware your team is, no one knows everything. It’s important to keep your learners up-to-date with regular cybersecurity training.

Fear of adoption

For a simple example, consider single sign-on (SSO). Single sign-on is an efficient way to log on to multiple applications. Using 2FA or MFA (two-factor or multi-factor authentication), single sign-on is secure as well as easy. However, if your team has never used such tech before, it can be bewildering. In our experience, 75-80% of corporate users don’t know how to use SSO without training. Post implementation of Akku, our team has occasionally offered training on how to use SSO and multi-factor authentication in the past. 

When we speak to our customers, we find that in many cases, fear of adoption is a bigger hurdle than cost of implementation or features provided by the IAM. They believe that their workers simply don’t know how to use MFA, and that it’s too much effort to provide regular updates and training to fix this gap.

In our experience, fear of adoption prevents more investments in cybersecurity applications than budget or other concerns.

Prioritizing productivity over security

While Akku or other IAM solutions secure access to applications and data, there is a certain amount of involvement needed from your IT team. A classic example is the password change self-service functionality. This functionality allows your users to manage, update and change their own passwords. 

At Akku, our policy is against self-service for password management. This is an intentional choice as it risks allowing users to set weak security questions or repeat common passwords used in other personal accounts. This, further, risks hacking through social engineering or credential stuffing attacks. In addition, when users know that they can reset their passwords at any time, they feel that their responsibility to secure their account and credentials is not as urgent. When they have to disturb their IT administrator every time they forget their password, this feels like a much more serious problem!

However, centralization of password management is inefficient for IT admin teams. In our experience, around 0.2% of users forget their passwords, every day. For an enterprise of 5,000 users, that results in upto 10 password reset requests, every day. As a result, some organizations tend to prioritize team efficiency or productivity over cybersecurity, by allowing users to manage their own passwords.

This raises the question: are you prioritizing your cybersecurity or team productivity? At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own cybersecurity. Taking the decision to invest in Akku or any other security infrastructure is an important step, but you need to keep the focus on cybersecurity on an ongoing basis. 

Security is a long term commitment, not addressed by a single investment. Talk to our team today for a holistic consultation on the next steps towards a more secure organization.

Web content filtering: The benefits to hybrid organizations

The main objectives behind web content filtering are accuracy, scalability, and maintainability and unless you have the right service provider working with your organization, these three objectives are going to be hard to meet.

It’s because the three are like cogs in the wheel, and every one of them counts. Accurate blocking makes scalability and maintenance difficult, while easily scalable and maintainable content filtering systems may not be as accurate. 

That’s why content filtering as a service is constantly evolving to address all of these issues and ensure enterprises have a multi-layered defense strategy in place against viruses, malware, phishing attacks, and so on.

First, let’s look at why your hybrid organization needs it

  • Managing compliance requirements:
    By blocking offensive or distracting sites such as social networking platforms and video streaming services on a corporate network you are improving employee productivity as well as ensuring you are managing compliance requirements.
  • Managing bandwidth:
    Web content filtering and YouTube category-based filtering enable organizations to track and regulate access to websites based on their content categories, it can prevent the use of high bandwidth sites like streaming sites that can reduce network performance.
  • Managing cyber threats:
    Web content protects the network by blocking sites that are high-risk, spam, and malicious websites, as well as preventing data leakage. Websites can be blocked by category. For example, websites that come under categories such as Social Media or Entertainment can be blocked.

So, why not just use a firewall, you may wonder.

Well, you can, but the firewall will naturally block particular websites based on defined rules, and that means you cannot allow sub-categories within the website to be whitelisted. For instance, say, a channel on youtube. If your firewall is set to block youtube, the site as a whole will be inaccessible.

The second reason a firewall may not be a perfect choice is that it depends on the internet connection, not on the user or device. And in this era of hybrid working, firewalls can be bypassed if users connect to their home internet.

What you want is to keep the company devices safe and protect them from the risk of compromise even if they access the net from an outside firewall.

Use content filtering the right way

Content filtering is a tool and like any tool, knowing how to use it correctly will help you accomplish your goal. The right service provider can help you navigate the realm of web content filtering.

Take Akku’s content filter for instance. It can be configured to whitelist and blacklist sites. Even within the whitelisted sites, like for instance, YouTube, the Akku filter allows specifically whitelisted channels or categories, blocking all the other irrelevant ones. Akku’s filter uses a proxy server to read each video’s metadata to only allow viewing YouTube content that is allowed, for instance, some reference data or upskilling resources. The filter also allows you to restrict employees by user category defined on Akku’s identity access management solution.

In the hybrid work environment, content filtering by user works better than a firewall internet connection-based content filtering. It’s also helpful for companies too small to invest in on-prem firewalls.

Akku’s dedicated sales specialists are always ready to help with any information you need on content filtering. Contact us to find out more.