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How to Manage Identities when Integrating IT Tools
How to Manage Identities when Integrating IT Tools

December 6, 2023

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Digital transformation has become a central aspect of most modern organizations. It’s believed that over 90% of businesses are currently engaged in some form of digital initiative, with 87% of business leaders claiming digitization to be a top priority for their organizations.

The growing adoption of advanced IT tools, cloud-based systems and interconnected digital networks has led many organizations to rethink their IT management practices. With almost 75% of modern employers offering hybrid work arrangements, existing security and IT teams have been left to find new ways to support connectivity without exposing data vulnerabilities.

Thankfully, there are several trusted identity management solutions and digital security best practices available to modern businesses, designed to support the safe integration of novell IT tools. To learn more, here’s how to manage identities when integrating IT tools.

What is identity and access management?

Identity and access management is a term used to describe the process of ensuring only authorized persons are granted access to select computer systems. Essentially, security and IT teams will work together to ensure all employees have access to the systems associated with their roles, whilst blocking access to tools that are not deemed professionally necessary. 

In practice, authorized users are issued unique access credentials in the form of passwords, keycards, digital signatures or biometrics, with systems designed to request these indicators before access is granted. This ensures that access to sensitive information is appropriately protected, with security staff able to track credential usage to investigate suspicious activity.

Identity management issues when integrating IT tools

Potential issues can arise when integrating IT systems if appropriate protective measures are not implemented. Suitable access management protocols may be applied to separate systems, however, integration can expose vulnerabilities if IT professionals are not careful. 

For example, a siloed database may be programmed to request management credentials before files can be viewed. However, if a lower-risk system is integrated into the same technology stack, hackers may find a way to access the high-risk database via the lower-risk system.

Identity management solutions for integrating IT tools

To help security and IT professionals ensure integrated systems remain suitably protected, several trusted solutions and best practices must be considered and pursued. Below is a selection of smart identity management solutions that modern organizations should consider.

Visitor management systems

Any organization that regularly allows customers, clients or guests access to locations used to store sensitive data/systems must utilize comprehensive visitor management software. In situations where configuring and issuing standard access credentials is deemed too time or resource-intensive, visitor management systems allow teams to monitor access permissions.

When booking an appointment, guests will be issued temporary access credentials either via a physical keycard or sent directly to their smartphones. These permissions will only permit access to relevant systems/locations, with security teams able to monitor usage and revoke access remotely, ensuring malicious actors are not able to infiltrate high-security systems.

Zero trust policies 

Adopting a zero-trust security model enables organizations to ensure access requests are only ever granted to authorized users. When interacting with company-owned IT tools, users will be frequently asked to authenticate themselves. This means each time a user navigates to a different page, system or integrated tool, their permissions will be instantly reassessed.

This form of continuous authentication becomes even more important in hybrid and remote work environments, as internal security staff are unable to physically confirm user identities. Adopting a policy of zero trust ensures that even if a device is left unattended or an account is compromised, IT tools will remain inaccessible without the user’s authorized credentials.

Rule/role-based access control

In addition to a policy of zero trust, credentials issued to authorized users must be governed by rule and role-based access control models. Under these models, permissions to access certain IT tools will be determined by both the role of the user and a set of predefined rules.

For example, access to HR software will only be permitted to credentials flagged as HR staff or appropriate department managers. These models ensure that users are only ever able to access IT tools deemed necessary to perform their roles, applying a series of attributes and filters to access management systems to assist IT teams in preventing credential misuse.

Multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication is perhaps one of the most important identity management best practices to adopt when integrating IT tools. In addition to primary access credentials, users will be asked to present one or more extra forms of authentication to ensure their identity is appropriately validated. Typically, requests will be sent via a separate communication portal.

Secondary and tertiary authentication factors will usually be issued in the form of:

  • Timed access codes – A one-time code sent to the user’s email/device
  • Biometric indicators – Fingerprints / facial recognition/retina scans 
  • Security questions – User-relevant questions with preapproved answers 

Applying this additional authentication step ensures that integrated IT tools will remain inaccessible even if the user’s primary credentials become compromised. This form of identity management is deemed so successful that some experts believe multi-factor authentication may be able to prevent up to 99% of known account compromise attacks.

Automated auditing processes

Finally, to ensure that systems remain protected as new IT tools are integrated into existing technology stacks, teams should develop automated auditing processes. By designing tools that frequently review access permissions and system usage, teams can reduce the risk of vulnerabilities being exposed when new IT tools and applications are added to key systems.

This practice enables IT teams to track and analyze access logs to better understand which systems are actually required by specific users. Permissions can then be adjusted and flaws can be patched to limit attack surfaces and optimize active access management protocols.

Summary

As modern organizations continue to pursue digital transformation, adding new IT tools and applications to existing tech stacks, identity management becomes increasingly important. By implementing intelligent protections such as zero trust policies, multi-factor authentication and role-based access controls into existing systems, IT tools can be protected from threats.

Source: How to Manage Identities when Integrating IT Tools


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