The Identity Management Solution
In my first article I described the requirement for an Identity management (IdM) solution. In this article I will highlight some of the ways in which a properly implemented IdM solution can meet those requirements.
One of the very first deliverables in an IdM project is to establish the single view of an identity. Your IdM solution will integrate with all the authoritative sources for each identity attribute and bring them together in a central location to provide a single view of all the identities within your organization.
With the single view established your IdM solution will ensure that it remains consistent across the organization by syncing all relevant changes to all the interested systems. Once the single view of an identity becomes consistent across the organization the entire identity life cycle becomes extremely efficient.
New users are only captured once in the system and all changes will be propagated automatically, or by using workflow processes where approval is required to ensure that the new user has everything they need (pc, desk, telephone, access rights, accounts, etc) to start working on the very first day they arrive for duty.
A good IdM solution will provide a user self-service facility, enabling the user to eliminate their interactions with support staff throughout the change phase of the life cycle. Statistics prove that roughly 40% of all help desk calls are password related, and a self service facility will enable the users to reset their passwords themselves in a secure, authenticated manner without involving the help desk staff – thereby greatly reducing the help desk load.
Once the user hands in their resignation (or gets fired) the IdM solution will ensure that all accounts are disabled and deleted where required, and can integrate with your asset management systems to ensure that all equipment used by the staff will be collected and taken back to the stores. Not only does this reduce the security risk of dormant accounts, but also enables greater asset management by ensuring that everybody stays in the loop.
Legislative requirements around auditing are increasing and most good IdM solutions will provide end-to-end auditing straight out the box, with a select few solutions providing the capability to audit the auditor, giving you complete visibility of the changes that effect the identities and their security profiles in the organization. This will enable you to have clear visibility of the triggers that caused a user to have the access rights and privileges they have, and how they came about it.
The above are some of the benefits almost every organization can realize from implementing an IdM solution. In my next article I will discuss some of the pitfalls and problems you should be aware of when going through an IdM project.
Tags: IDM
