Understanding Identity and Access Management

(IAM)
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a comprehensive
framework of policies, processes, technologies, and tools designed
to ensure the right individuals or entities are granted appropriate
access to resources and data within an organization's information
systems. IAM aims to facilitate secure and seamless interactions
between users, applications, and services while safeguarding
sensitive information from unauthorized access.
Importance of IAM in Modern Organizations

IAM plays a critical role in
today's interconnected and
data-driven world.
As organizations embrace
digital transformation and
adopt cloud-based services,
the need to protect sensitive
data and resources from cyber
threats becomes paramount.
IAM serves as the foundational
layer of an organization's
cybersecurity strategy,
ensuring the confidentiality,
integrity, and availability of
critical assets.
 Key Objectives of IAM

Security Enhancement: IAM

User Productivity: IAM enables
efficient user onboarding,
access requests, and password
management, leading to
increased user productivity and
05
satisfaction.
ensures that only authorized
01 users can access resources,
minimizing the risk of data
breaches and unauthorized
activities.
02

Centralized Access Control: IAM

04
centralizes access management, 03
reducing administrative
overhead and ensuring
consistent security policies
across the organization.
 Key Objectives of IAM

01

Risk Mitigation: By
Regulatory Compliance: IAM
05 implementing strong
solutions assist organizations in 02 authentication and access
meeting various compliance
controls, IAM helps mitigate the
requirements, such as GDPR,
risk of identity theft, phishing
HIPAA, and PCI DSS, by
attacks, and insider threats.
enforcing data access controls
and maintaining audit trails.
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03
Introduction to Identity and Access Management
(IAM)
This presentation provides an overview of IAM and its components
 IAM Components

Identification Authorization
02

01 03
Authentication Accountability

04
Identification

Recognition and association of Assigning unique identifiers Foundation for authentication

individuals, systems, or entities such as usernames or email and authorization
with digital identities addresses
Authentication

● Verification of claimed identity

● Ensuring entities are who they claim
to be
● Methods include passwords,
biometrics, smart cards, and onetime
passcodes
● Multifactor authentication (MFA)
provides additional security
Authorization

Determining resource accessibility and actions based

01 on policies, roles, and attributes

02 Granting or denying access rights and privileges

 Accountability

Tracking and recording

IAM activities
01
02 Tracing actions back to
specific users or entities

Ensuring accountability for 03

unauthorized or suspicious
activities
IAM Lifecycle
The management of identities and access rights follows a cyclical
process throughout a user's lifecycle within an organization. This
lifecycle can be divided into three main stages:
Provisioning
● During user onboarding or account creation, IAM systems facilitate the
provisioning process, where new users are granted appropriate access
rights and privileges based on their roles and responsibilities within the
organization.
Maintenance
● As users change roles, departments, or
responsibilities, IAM systems handle
access updates and modifications. This
includes granting additional
permissions, adjusting privileges, or
revoking access as needed to maintain
security and compliance.
De-provisioning
● When a user leaves the organization or no longer requires access, IAM
ensures proper deprovisioning. Access is revoked, accounts are disabled,
and any residual permissions are removed to minimize potential security
risks.
Improved Security
IAM establishes strong
authentication mechanisms,
reducing the risk of
unauthorized access and
identity-related attacks, such
as phishing and credential
stuffing.
Centralized access control
ensures consistent and
well-defined security policies,
minimizing potential security
gaps.
Multi-factor authentication
(MFA) adds an extra layer of
security, safeguarding against
password-related
vulnerabilities.
Enhanced Compliance

● IAM solutions assist organizations in

meeting regulatory compliance
requirements, such as GDPR, HIPAA,
SOX, and more.
● Auditing and accountability features
provide detailed logs of user
activities, facilitating compliance
audits and demonstrating adherence
to data protection regulations.
User Experience Improvement

Self-service password reset and account recovery

01 options empower users to manage their own
accounts, reducing the burden on IT support.

02 Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities allow users to access

multiple applications and services with a single set of
credentials, reducing password fatigue and
enhancing user convenience.
Productivity Gains

● Efficient user provisioning and

deprovisioning processes streamline
user onboarding and offboarding,
enhancing workforce productivity.
● Rolebased access control (RBAC)
ensures users have the necessary
privileges for their roles, preventing
unnecessary delays caused by
access-related issues.
IAM Presentation
This presentation provides an overview of IAM (Identity and Access
Management) and its benefits and challenges.
Cost Savings

Centralized access management reduces

01 administrative overhead and streamlines
identity-related processes, resulting in cost savings.

02 IAM helps organizations reduce security incidents

and mitigate the financial impact of data breaches
and cyberattacks.
Cloud Readiness

Integration with cloud identity providers and

01 standard protocols like SAML and OAuth facilitates
seamless collaboration between different cloud
services.

02 IAM plays a crucial role in enabling secure cloud

adoption by providing a unified approach to
managing identities across cloud and on-premises
environments.
IAM Challenges: Complexity, User
Friction, and Scalability
● IAM implementations can become
complex due to the diverse range of
users, applications, and devices
requiring access.
● Integration with legacy systems and
thirdparty applications may pose
challenges during implementation.
● Striking a balance between security and
user experience is crucial to avoid user
frustration and resistance to IAM
adoption.
IAM Challenges: Complexity, User
Friction, and Scalability
● IAM systems must scale effectively to
accommodate growing user bases and
increasing numbers of devices and
applications.

● Ensuring high availability and

performance during peak usage is
essential for a successful IAM
implementation.
Thank you for your time and attention 🙂
Thank you for your time and attention 🙂