Tag: identity management

Where Traditional IAMs Fall Short – And How Akku Brings Flexibility

Businesses in any industry face security and compliance issues. However, security requirements and priorities are not the same across the board. Identity and access management (IAM) represents an important part of the solution to these challenges, but again, a cookie-cutter approach to IAM does not address the unique needs of each business.

The Fatal Flaw of Traditional IAM Systems

The problem? Most IAM solutions out there lack the business flexibility you need. Your IT team has to compromise and use a rigid, all-in-one solution that may still leave security gaps because it can’t adjust to specific needs.

  • Just looking for a way to get a multi-factor authentication up and running? You’re stuck paying for a suite of other features that come with the package.
  • Struggling with a custom integration for an internal app? That’s a ‘you’ problem that your IAM provider doesn’t want to get their hands dirty with.
  • Need to create a customized approach to an IAM feature because you have a unique process? You’re out of luck – what’s available straight out of the box is what you need to work with.

One-Size-Fits-All Doesn’t Work for Security

Solutions from most top IAM vendors follow a one-size-fits-all approach. Their products are built to make them everything-for-everyone, rather than to be the optimal solution to your specific business requirements. 

Although these IAM providers have good reputations and excellent products, they don’t tailor their solutions to your needs. 

That’s fine for some, but not if your business requires specific security solutions, or if you are prioritizing certain aspects of your security posture based on budgets and lifecycle status. If that’s you, you’ll find that you end up paying for features you don’t need or fighting with tools that don’t fit your operations.

The downsides of this approach are clear:

  • Higher costs – Companies pay for multiple licenses or features they don’t need.
  • Rigid feature set – Your company processes have to adjust to suit the IAM, not the other way around.
  • Operational inefficiencies – Too many features can confuse users in their daily operations.

Why Flexibility Matters

In contrast to off-the-shelf IAM products, a flexible IAM platform enables businesses to establish access policies in accordance with their true needs. Your security policies and tools need to meet your business needs, and not be limited to the framework that your IAM vendor dictates.

With a flexible IAM solution:

  • You set the rules for your organization, not a third-party provider
  • You only pay for features you really need.
  • Your IAM fits your needs like a glove, driving operational efficiency and optimal security.

Akku – the Flexible IAM

Akku is designed to be highly flexible and customizable. In contrast to competitors, Akku enables your business to pick and choose only the features you require. Its modular design keeps you in complete control of access management without unnecessary overhead.

And taking this further, Akku even enables complete feature customization within each of our IAM modules, leaving you in complete control of your own security posture. If Akku’s features don’t meet your needs exactly, we’ll build you the customized functionality you need.

Customization extends to custom integrations too, with our team of experts on hand to help you integrate Akku with every one of your apps.

Most organizations pick from the most popular IAM brands, just because they are the biggest names. But the question remains – do they really fit your requirements? Should you be adjusting to suit the IAM, or should it be the other way around?

Don’t accept a rigid, pre-packaged solution. Adopt a flexible IAM solution like Akku.

Ready to streamline your IAM approach? Get in touch with our experts today for a demo.

Blockchain Technology: A new chapter in Identity & Access Management

Author: Baskar
Reading time: 3 mins

Why do you need an IAM? These tools help businesses manage their corporate identities and each employee’s access to different resources. Typically, these IAMs work based on a centralized database of user names and passwords. Single sign-on (SSO) works with this database to confirm identity and access permissions.

However, this database also becomes a centralized target for malicious actors. Whichever platform you’re using – your IAM solution, Active Directory, or any other identity provider – such a database is a tempting ‘honey pot’, a target for hackers.

 

Enter the Blockchain IAM

Blockchain-based IAM solutions will be able to authenticate identity without the use of passwords. Based on your organization’s DID (decentralized identifier), blockchain credentials will be recorded and tracked on the distributed, shared, immutable blockchain ledger. The public key will be stored on the blockchain servers, while the private key will be pushed to user.

In the case of Akku’s upcoming blockchain version, employees will need to enter their DID on an Akku app on their smartphone. A private key will then be pushed to their device, activating access to the app on that device, which can be used to enable login and access to all corporate assets.

Managing digital identities without a single point of vulnerability

Using the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) model, digital identities can be managed in a distributed ledger system. This ensures that there’s no single point of vulnerability for hackers to attack. Your user credentials are secured with the tamper-proof distributed ledger.

Since blockchain-recorded credentials are recorded in a distributed ledger, they cannot be altered or impersonated. This guarantees integrity of identity during authentication, and you can be sure that your authenticated users are really who they say they are.

An additional layer of security is guaranteed through passwordless authentication.

Prevention of user impersonation through passwordless authentication

Since there are no passwords involved in the user authentication process, there is no risk of passwords being compromised or hacked. Our QR code-based passwordless authentication process is seamless, immediate and extremely secure. In addition, the authentication process also offers a seamless user experience.

As we move beyond passwords for authentication, you gain a number of benefits:

  • Security from easy-to-hack passwords, poor password policy compliance, common passwords, etc
  • Streamlined login process as they avoid password resets and other requests to IT support team
  • No risk of compromised passwords and user impersonation

The blockchain is the next big thing in cybersecurity, and Akku is excited to be at the forefront of this revolution. The private decentralized, immutable ledger feature of blockchain technology changes the IAM landscape considerably.

Talk to our team of experts about how to get started on your blockchain journey. Get in touch with us today.

Here’s why your apps built with no-code platforms need an external IAM

Have you heard of no-code application builders? They are ideal for minor applications without heavy technological requirements. These no-code apps can be taken to market much faster, are cheaper to develop and can deliver a great experience in many cases.

However, while they are easy to build and use, securing apps made with a no-code app builder requires an external IAM.

Access management for internal applications

Consider a desktop-based application such as MS Access, which is used for combining, processing and editing large groups of data from different sources. It’s largely being replaced by web-based equivalents. This kind of small internal application has a clear function, and is therefore easy to build using a no-code development tool.

Internal applications such as data management tools, onboarding tools and other HR applications are often considered lower priority as they are purely internal in use. Therefore, low-budget no-code app builder tools are used in these cases.

However, these applications process a great deal of valuable internal data, and it’s important to take their security seriously and guard access to them. That’s why it’s important to implement a strong IAM tool for all your internal-facing applications.

The risk of web-based applications

With web-based apps, whether or not it’s developed with a no-code tool, you have the freedom to deploy the application on cloud servers on flexible pricing models, and access them from anywhere. Since such apps are hosted on the cloud, it can be risky to access them directly without a VPN.

Tiny no-code app builders don’t invest the necessary time and effort into security and privacy, which is why it’s difficult to set up good protection for such apps. Additionally, the user working on a no-code app builder typically doesn’t have the necessary time and knowledge to do so.

Syncing your IAM

While some well-known no-code app builders offer plugins to integrate with external IAM through SAML and OAuth2, others do not. In cases where such plugins exist, you can use any external IAM system.

When the plugins do not exist, however, and especially in cases where you would rather reduce the coding footprint of your project, consider an IAM product like Akku. Since Akku is a customizable solution, you can use it as a gateway for any major or minor internal or external application, even when the app being used does not support SAML, OAuth2 or OIDC. 

Your minor internal applications often contain or process the most valuable data at your organization. Protect them with an external IAM that’s easy to set up, integrates with any setup, and restricts access to these key internal corporate resources. Protect them with Akku, the customizable IAM.



Exploring the Difference Between Identity Management and Access Management

Only a small percentage of people across industries understand the difference between Identity Management and Access Management. The two concepts are certainly related and intricately interwoven, but they are still distinct in meaning and function. 
Continue reading Exploring the Difference Between Identity Management and Access Management

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

To Implement or Ignore: MFA for Custom Apps & Websites

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is one of the most highly recommended security measures in this age of brute-force attacks, data breaches and other such cyber attacks. And while some off-the-shelf SaaS applications may already come with a built-in MFA feature, when it comes to a custom-built application or website, businesses have to make the tough decision between reinforced security and the high cost at which it comes.

Continue reading To Implement or Ignore: MFA for Custom Apps & Websites

Working Online? Watch out for Identity Theft!

Identity theft is as real as your identity and as dangerous as the one who steals it. It occurs when an unauthorized person or entity uses your personal information to assume your identity and commit fraud and other criminal activities including stealing from you, or from others in your name.

What does an identity thief steal?

Your name, address, credit card or bank account information, and even information that might otherwise seem harmless, such as photographs, information about your family members or your date of birth could be used in harmful ways in the wrong hands.

How does identity theft happen?

Identity thieves are well-organized, tech-savvy, creative and have seemingly innocent online personalities. They can steal information, simply by requesting it from an unassuming person or by using technological attacks to capture millions of records from enterprises. Sometimes, a stolen wallet or a carelessly-thrown receipt or letter can also lead to identity theft.

Here are some of the ways in which an identity theft may take place in your organization:

Data Breaches

A data breach, accidental or malicious, can have a heavy cost on both the organization involved and the individuals whose data is compromised.

Improper security on company-owned devices or devices that have access to your organization’s data is one of the leading causes of data breaches that lead to identity theft.

Phishing

Phishing involves sending deceptive emails with links to malicious websites that may either request or steal your information. If one of your employees is manipulated by such an email and clicks on a link it provides, it can be dangerous to the organization itself.

Even if your organization’s email can manage to keep out such mails from employee inboxes, if your employee has access to their personal email at the workplace, they are at the risk of being compromised.

Public Wi-Fi Connections

One of the problems with allowing your employees to work remotely is the possibility that they may be working from places that offer open or free public wireless internet connectivity. A criminal who also has access to the same network could also be able to observe all of your employee’s activities.

Mishandled Passwords

Carelessness with passwords, whether in terms of the creation of weak passwords or the way they are stored, can make your employees and your organization susceptible to identity theft.

Read our blog on Everything You Need to Know about Secure Passwords to know more about keeping passwords safe.

How can you prevent identity theft?

When it comes to preventing identity theft, the first step to take is to sensitize your employees on the different ways in which it can happen. Studies have proven that employees are the preferred channels that identity thieves use when they target organizations.

From your end, you also need to:

  • Set a strong password policy across your enterprise applications, to ensure that your organization is not compromised through your employees’ use of weak passwords
  • Use two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication to enhance the security of applications carrying sensitive data
  • Ensure that your DNS filter works effectively to block out malicious websites that your employees may try to access
  • Block access to employees’ personal emails at work, so that there a lesser chance of data compromise and data breaches through phishing
  • Set up IP-based or device-based restrictions so that unauthorized persons are kept out of your applications when they try to access them from unsafe locations or unrecognized devices

An identity and access management solution (IAM) like Akku can help you take control of all the preventive methods listed above, all in one go.

Get in touch with us through sales@akku.work if you wish to know more about how Akku can help protect your organization from identity theft through identity/access management.

Cloud Security 101: Identity and Access Management

An Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution allows organizations to manage user access to critical data. It is an intermediate layer between your users and your applications/data.

Deploying an IAM solution a proven way to improve network security in an organization. A good IAM solution should also reduce the time spent by your IT team to grant access for individual applications, thereby improving architectural simplicity and reducing the load on your servers. This also means that your users have to remember only one set of credentials to access several applications in your on-premise or cloud network.

What should you expect from a good IAM solution?

Streamlined User Access

An effective IAM solution should greatly reduce hassle by providing a slick and time efficient method to validate users. It should be able to do this without compromising on security, allowing only legitimate users to access your network from on-premise or remote systems.

Conventionally, at organizations that have numerous applications on their network, users need to remember multiple sets of credentials, which is inconvenient, but more secure. An effective IAM solution should be able to strike the right balance between the two extremes of convenience and security.

With a single set of user credentials to access all permitted applications and data, memorizing multiple credentials is avoided, improving productivity and ease of use.

Improved Security

Another important feature you should look out for is the ability to control user access to your network. This is typically delivered through device- and IP-based restrictions, which give you the ability to provide access only from specific devices or IP addresses to your network. In addition to simply whitelisting specific requests, an IAM solution should also be able to permanently block illegal access from blacklisted devices and IPs.

Seamless Admin Control

An identity and access management solution should give the administrators of your network a simple and intuitive dashboard with all the controls needed to secure your network and manage access across it. This can go a long way in reducing the cost and time for your IT team.

This includes managing creating and removing user accounts, as well as controlling the level of access provided to each individual user.

Identity and Access Management by Akku

Akku by CloudNow is a state-of-the-art Identity and Access Management solution for all your user management needs. Its powerful SSO function simplifies user identity and access management, IP- and device-based restrictions prevent unwarranted access, multi-factor authentication reinforces security, and a range of other versatile features put you in complete control of your network. Get in touch with us now to know more!

Is Your Data Secure? No…

As per a survey by Forrester Research (Forrester Consulting Thought Leadership Paper, February 2017), in the last 4 years, out of every three organizations, two have had an average of at least 5 breaches. There are nearly 6 billion data records that were stolen and lost in the past 10 years. According to www.breachlevelindex.com, an average of 165,000 records are compromised every hour. According to this article published on www.csoonline.com, global cybercrime related damage is expected to exceed US$ 6 trillion annually by the year 2021.

How can IAM help protect data?

  • Identification: Users make their claim on their identity by entering a username and verify through an authentication process
  • Authentication: Authentication may be a password or may rely on advanced technologies, such as biometric and token-based authentication
  • Authorization: The IAM system must then verify the user’s authorization to perform the requested activity and also ensure that users perform actions only within their scope of authority

Together, these three processes combine to ensure that specified users have the access they need to do their jobs, while unauthorized users are kept away from sensitive resources and information. Effective IAM solutions help enterprises facilitate secure, efficient access to technology resources across these diverse systems.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the information security discipline that allows users access to appropriate technology resources, at the right time. It incorporates three major concepts:

According to this article on BizTech magazine, improved data security is one of the three main reasons to deploy an IAM solution.

The article highlights the fact that consolidating authentication and authorization functionality on a single platform provides IT professionals with a consistent method for managing user access. And when a user leaves an organization, IT administrators may revoke their access in the centralized IAM solution with the confidence that this revocation will immediately take effect across all of the technology platforms integrated with that IAM platform.

So implement an identity and access management solution at your organization to take a major step towards improved data security.