Transitioning from a legacy IAM to an interwoven Identity Fabric

With the emergence of cloud apps, identities need to be managed outside the traditional network. This has introduced new security concerns, on account of the many user identities and passwords that administrators have to manage.

IT security systems, which used to be bifurcated between securing what is “inside” the network and what’s “outside”, have been transformed into a consolidated portfolio of services that enable users to connect to anything and anyone, anywhere and at any time, while being secure, scalable and controlled.

It is therefore imperative for Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions to evolve continuously and seamlessly, to expedite the process of adapting to business in the digital era.

This is where the concept of the Identity Fabric comes in. It sews together a gradual, non-disruptive integration and migration of identity and access management.

As secure digital identities are at the core of any digital transformation, identity fabric is the way forward for a future-proof metamorphosis.

What is identity fabric?

Identity Fabric is a deployment approach that helps to continually and quickly update enterprise architectures for IAM. It is the infrastructure that enterprise IAMs use to enable access for all across multiple elements and domains, without redundant user administration.

Identity fabric is the interwoven linking of identity online, providing seamless and controlled access for everyone to every service as long as they are authorized. They are not a single technology, tool, or cloud service, but the digital identity backend that delivers all the identity services in a standardized manner and integrates with legacy IAM. It is a secure and adaptive system that manages identities and access rights.

Identity fabrics use APIs to integrate with different systems and deliver a comprehensive set of services from Directory Services to Identity Lifecycle Management, Access Management Services, to Access Governance.

The identity fabric architecture

Identity fabric architectures are designed to provide identity services that can be consumed by digital services in hybrid environments (spread across a mix of on-premises, cloud, serverless, and Internet of Things) through homogenized protocols.

Identity fabrics help to avoid siloed approaches, facilitating compliance to legal and regulatory requirements to manage personally identifiable information and corporate access to resources.

Several different but overlapping APIs make up the building blocks of the identity fabric, as it puts API capabilities at the center.

While it is recommended to design the identity fabric to use the least possible number of APIs and other components, there is likely to be a large number of components one needs to migrate as a large number of solutions fall under the IAM umbrella.

As they offer a multi-pronged approach to IAM, businesses need to gradually migrate and integrate legacy IAM services and existing apps into the identity fabric, while simultaneously building new digital services.

As companies continue to modernize identity and access management, multiple products must be integrated to deliver a holistic access management solution that works for cloud and on-premise needs. CloudNow offers tailored enterprise identity and access management solutions that work for you. Reach out to us for more information and to get started.

What is CASB? How has data security changed with the cloud?

A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) is an on-premises or cloud-based security policy point-of-enforcement. Originally, asset security was simpler since all assets were located on-premises and on the same network, but with time and with an increasingly mobile workforce, security requirements evolved and CASB rose to meet them.

A CASB offers an integrated security management solution to security enforcement such as multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, credential mapping, encryption, tokenization, malware detection, and so on.

What is CASB and how it works?

CASB, a policy enforcement center, consolidates security regardless of device, including unmanaged smartphones or personal laptops. It works through a three-step process that involves Discovery (to compile a list of all third-cloud services and users), Classification (of risk levels of each application), and Remediation (to set security requirements and take action in case of a violation).

A CASB comprises three pillars.

1. Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Gartner defines IAM simply as ‘the discipline that enables the right individuals to access the right resources at the right times for the right reasons.’ IAM solutions help maintain a database of all organization identities and restrict access to org assets based on user identity.

2. Identity Governance and Administration (IGA)

This is a policy-based approach to IAM. IGA serves to support overall IT security and regulatory compliance as well as automate workflows for provisioning and deprovisioning users.

And yes, there is a difference between IAM and IGA. IGA allows organizations to not only define and enforce IAM policy but also connect IAM functions to meet audit and compliance requirements.

3. Privileged access management (PAM)

This is a critical security control that enables organizations to simplify how they define, monitor, and manage privileged access across their IT systems, applications, and infrastructure. It helps control who has access to sensitive systems and protected information. Most employees, for instance, shouldn’t be given access to all critical systems such as production, backup, and financial at the same time.

Privileged accounts can access valuable data and perform special actions, often with low tracking or control. PAM solutions centralize the management of administrator profiles and enforce a least privilege access policy.

To better understand what the CASB concept really means, and how you can adopt it as you secure your SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS environments, contact Akku today.

Password Spray Attacks: What Are They & How To Avoid Them?

Ever wondered why organizations emphasize the importance of setting a complicated password as opposed to something convenient like ‘password123’? In today’s world, hackers are getting creative with their cybersecurity attacks. One type of attack that has gained a lot of traction in the past year is ‘password spraying’ – a type of brute force attack in the cybersecurity realm that goes beyond the traditional forms of hacking into an account. 

Picture this – in the past, hackers would attempt to gain unauthorized access to a single account by constantly guessing the password in a short period of time. But with organizations bringing measures such as locking an account when three or more attempts have been made, the user gets notified about any attempted security breach.  Continue reading Password Spray Attacks: What Are They & How To Avoid Them?

Cybersecurity Trends 2020: What’s in Store

The year 2019 has been a significant one in the technology world, with several high profile cases grabbing headlines. In fact, according to a recent article by DataQuest India, there were at least four areas of interest which were highlighted this year – Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) threats, showstopper vulnerabilities like in the case of URGENT/11, speculative execution vulnerabilities such as Meltdown and Spectre, and finally the many ransomware attacks. 

As we move on to a whole new decade, it’s important to take stock of what the past decade has taught us and what the future has in store. In the cybersecurity world, experts bear past experiences in mind and routinely predict a number of innovative techniques that could be used to infiltrate security systems. Each year, different methods and new approaches are introduced or discussed, touching upon all those concerns about data protection and the challenges ahead.  Continue reading Cybersecurity Trends 2020: What’s in Store

Understanding Offensive Security

Approximately two billion records were stolen between July and October 2019. That’s just in one quarter of a year! This is several times more than what was stolen last year – half a billion records. Even as organizations continue to invent new technology and pump in more and more funds (an estimated $124 billion in 2019) to secure data, the number of breaches also continues to rise – at an alarming rate!

It’s becoming evident that cybersecurity software solutions alone are not enough anymore. There is an urgent need to train employees and bring in experts who can close the loopholes left by software solutions. Therein arises the concept of offensive security. Continue reading Understanding Offensive Security

Why an IAM solution is a Crucial Investment for Financial Services Organizations

Today, migrating to the cloud is a crucial stage in a financial enterprise’s growth and development. It is, quite simply, the most efficient way of running operations. With this in mind, financial services organizations are investing significant resources in cloud-based technologies, including infrastructure, platform, and software as a service. Continue reading Why an IAM solution is a Crucial Investment for Financial Services Organizations

Begin Here to Build a Trusted Business

According to the PwC 21st Annual Global Survey, reliability, congruence, consistency, and transparency are the four pillars for building trust among customers and other stakeholders. The same survey also found that 65% of CEOs are concerned about declining trust in business. If you have the same concern, here are some useful suggestions!

Continue reading Begin Here to Build a Trusted Business

Security or Functionality? Security Risks with Digital Transformation

Digital transformation has been adopted by most companies from around the world, resulting in a more connected and innovative business environment. Today, digital transformation essentially involves an organization’s adoption of IoT, cloud computing, machine learning, and AI.  Continue reading Security or Functionality? Security Risks with Digital Transformation

How Technology Can Simplify IT Security

Just last year, the popular Q&A site Quora suffered a data breach, as reported by Techworld in their article on UK’s most infamous data breaches. This just goes to show that even the best of businesses are finding it a challenge to secure their data and vital business information in this age of digital advancements.

IT security is, no doubt, an overwhelming, daunting, and expensive task. With cybercriminals getting more advanced and sophisticated, organizations are struggling to find security solutions that will effectively counter them. Continue reading How Technology Can Simplify IT Security

Data Protection & Data Privacy – A difference that matters

Data protection and data privacy are so closely linked that people (and sometimes even organizations) tend to think of them as synonyms. However, understanding the difference between the two is crucial to ensuring that both protection and privacy are maintained. Continue reading Data Protection & Data Privacy – A difference that matters