What is IAM?

Identity Access Management (IAM) is a crucial component of a business's overall cybersecurity and data protection strategy. IAM is the backbone of how companies oversee, maintain, and secure digital identities and the systems, data, and applications those identities can access. Effective and comprehensive identity and access management solutions help organizations of all sizes and industries secure and protect their business infrastructure and assets.

Identity and access management has several components:

Governance: Identity governance involves managing digital users and their access throughout their entire life cycle with your infrastructure and assets. IAM solutions help simplify the task by centralizing these functions.

Password management: This component governs policies, technologies, and processes for secure password generation, storage, and enforcement protocols.

Role-based access control: RBAC is an approach for restricting authorized system and data access based on a user's job title. It often accompanies the principle of least privilege — allowing access to only what a user needs for the tasks they carry out.

Segregation of duties: SoD helps companies manage cybersecurity risk by dividing tasks across multiple departments or users so that no single team or user controls an entire process.

Provisioning and deprovisioning protocols: This component governs user access by ensuring the correct permissions are present when needed and revoking credentials once they're no longer necessary.

Implementing robust IAM solutions poses several challenges for cybersecurity professionals.

Complex and fragmented IT environments

Modern business doesn't take place within the traditional on-site network boundaries anymore, as organizations have adopted new work habits and technologies. Hybrid and cloud-based environments, remote employees, and bring-your-own-device policies are now the norm.

As organizations increasingly rely on and implement these tools and approaches, managing identities across diverse platforms and endpoints becomes more complex. Visibility gaps and expanded attack surfaces exist, further increasing complexity and reinforcing the need for comprehensive IAM solutions.

A frequently evolving threat landscape

Threat actors are becoming more sophisticated with their attack techniques. Data leaks, password reuse, and credential harvesting — like phishing — are increasingly exposing more legitimate access credentials. Thread hijacking is another advanced technique that allows adversaries to breach networks by inserting themselves into legitimate routine communications.

Identity access management software is essential in protecting against these evolving threats, but businesses must go beyond a set-it-and-forget-it approach. To maximize security, regularly improving and continuously updating identity security strategies is critical.

Regulatory compliance

Following various data protection regulations is nonnegotiable. While adhering to the laws is complicated for any organization, businesses that operate cross-jurisdictionally face further complexity. National and international organizations navigate complex regulatory landscapes between frameworks like the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California's Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) and Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Infractions result in considerable fines and penalties, and consumers may also have legal grounds to bring their own civil actions against companies that violate the rules.

IAM solutions can help businesses continually monitor and assess their security strategies to remain compliant. Yet, challenges remain since the process is resource-intensive and complex. Organizations must carefully consider the capabilities of the identity and access management tools they invest in to ensure data protection that can adapt as needs and laws change.

Integration with existing tools

IT teams and cybersecurity professionals face a substantial challenge in seamlessly integrating their IAM software with existing infrastructure. A lack of full integration can lead to blind spots and security gaps. For example, it may result in limited visibility and an inability to connect an account takeover to a broader incident.

Additionally, it can be challenging to ensure that the identity access and management tools implemented can scale as the organization grows and new technologies and users come aboard. Without careful selection, existing IAM solutions incapable of scaling may compromise performance or security, creating another level of difficulty.

User experience and budget considerations

As with any new technology introduction, businesses must consider the impact on end users. Balancing easy access for legitimate users with a strong security posture grows even more complex in larger organizations with varied and diverse user roles. Solutions that generate extra difficulty or frustration will face adoption challenges. Users may also seek ways to bypass them, posing increased risks and negating the value of an IAM strategy. Additionally, implementing and maintaining robust identity and access management services and solutions can create budgetary challenges for many businesses.

Implementing and managing IAM is complex, and traditional tools and approaches have several limitations to their effectiveness in dynamic IT environments. They often face regulatory and compliance pressures and scalability issues. Amid rapid technological changes and evolving threat sophistication, existing IAM methods and solutions struggle to keep pace.

The result is a fragmented IAM landscape, where current tools and approaches typically address only specific aspects of IAM. This inability to provide comprehensive protection against threats creates multiple integration challenges, security gaps, and blind spots.

For example, consider Single Sign On (SSO) and Multifactor Authentication (MFA) — common approaches to strengthen an organization's IAM security posture. These solutions have a narrow scope since they're focused solely on the point of entry. SSO and MFA can make sure that only the right person gets in, but they lack the capacity to monitor potential malicious activity after authentication.

As a result, these approaches cannot detect threats like lateral network movement or unauthorized data access by insiders. Additionally, adversaries can trick these systems using sophisticated techniques like phishing attacks and social engineering, where they gain access by impersonating legitimate users.

Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) and Active Directory (AD) management have similar limitations. CASB emphasizes policy enforcement, meaning the tool cannot track users across various cloud-based applications or within networks. AD management is generally restricted exclusively to the local environment, so the approach often doesn't integrate with cloud-based services to protect IAM.

Identity management (IDM) and identity access management (IAM) are two critical components of an organization's overall security framework, but they serve distinct roles in the management of user identities and access to resources. Here's how they differ:

1. Identity Management (IDM)

Identity management is focused on the lifecycle of a user’s identity within an organization. This includes the creation, maintenance, and deletion of user accounts, as well as the assignment of user roles and attributes. The goal of IDM is to ensure that each user has a unique identity in the system, and that this identity is appropriately managed throughout their time with the organization.

Key aspects of identity management include:

• User provisioning: Creating new user accounts and assigning attributes (e.g., name, email, department).
• User deprovisioning: Removing accounts when a user leaves or no longer requires access.
• Role management: Defining roles and responsibilities for users within the organization.
• Identity governance: Managing and auditing user identities for compliance and security purposes.

2. Access Management (AM)

Access management, on the other hand, is focused on controlling a user’s access to specific resources based on their identity and role. It determines what a user can access and how they are authenticated to access these resources. Access management ensures that only authorized users can access certain applications, systems, or data, and that they do so securely.

Key aspects of access management include:

• Authentication: Verifying a user's identity through methods such as passwords, biometrics, or multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Authorization: Determining whether a user has the right permissions to access a specific resource, typically based on roles or policies.
• Single Sign-On (SSO): Allowing users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple applications without needing to log in each time.
• Access policies: Defining who can access what resources and under what conditions (e.g., time of day, location).

Key Differences:

• Focus: IDM is about managing the identity and user attributes, while AM is about managing the permissions and access that identity has to resources.
• Scope: Identity management typically handles account creation, user profiles, and lifecycle management, whereas access management ensures secure access to data and systems by enforcing authentication and authorization rules.
• Dependency: Access management is dependent on identity management because access decisions are based on the identity and role of the user, which is defined by IDM.

In summary, while identity management ensures the right users exist and are properly defined, access management controls what those users can do once they are authenticated. Together, they work to secure systems and ensure that users only have access to what they are authorized to see or do.

Identity and access management (IAM) is crucial for securing an organization’s sensitive data, applications, and systems by ensuring that only authorized users can access specific resources. As modern IT environments become more complex, the importance of IAM increases. Here are the key reasons why IAM is vital for businesses today:

1. Bridging the gaps in security

Traditional IAM solutions often leave gaps due to fragmented security technologies, such as Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs), and Active Directory (AD) management. These solutions address specific needs but fail to provide a comprehensive view of user identities across diverse platforms. A holistic approach, integrating these tools with contextual threat detection and proactive risk management, ensures end-to-end visibility and protects against evolving cyber threats.

2. Unified identity management

A unified identity management system integrates SSO, MFA, CASB, and AD management to provide seamless user experience and security. This integration not only secures user access at the point of entry but also continuously monitors user activities for suspicious behavior. By linking all systems in a cohesive framework, IAM provides real-time insights into identity and access data across on-premises and cloud environments, ensuring comprehensive coverage against unauthorized access.

3. Contextual threat detection

Identity-related threats, such as account takeovers (ATO) and insider threats, can be difficult to detect with traditional methods. Incorporating advanced contextual threat detection powered by machine learning and behavioral analytics allows IAM systems to understand the normal behavior patterns of users. Anomalies in activity, such as access attempts at unusual times or from unusual locations, are flagged in real-time, enabling security teams to respond proactively and reduce risk.

4. Proactive risk management

IAM is not just about reacting to breaches but also about preventing them through proactive risk management. Regular audits, continuous monitoring, and automated compliance checks ensure that security policies are consistently applied and updated. With adaptive policies that evolve with the threat landscape, IAM helps organizations stay ahead of potential security risks, reducing the likelihood of identity-related breaches.

Identity and access management is essential for safeguarding an organization's resources by providing secure, continuous monitoring of user access. By adopting a holistic approach to IAM, organizations can ensure comprehensive protection, enhance user security, and respond quickly to emerging threats.

Yes, Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a crucial component of cybersecurity. IAM focuses on ensuring that only authorized individuals or entities can access specific resources within an organization's IT environment. It plays a key role in protecting sensitive data, systems, and networks by managing user identities, controlling access, and enforcing security policies.

IAM solutions typically include tools and processes for:

• Authentication: Verifying the identity of users before granting access (e.g., passwords, multi-factor authentication).
• Authorization: Defining and managing what users are allowed to do after they are authenticated (e.g., access levels and permissions).
• Account Management: Managing user accounts and ensuring proper deactivation or modification when necessary.
• Monitoring and Auditing: Tracking user activities to detect suspicious behavior or potential security breaches.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) compliance, also known as identity compliance, refers to the adherence to regulatory standards and organizational policies that govern how user identities and access permissions are managed within an organization. IAM compliance ensures that only authorized users have access to specific resources, data, and applications, while also providing controls to prevent unauthorized access and ensure that user actions are tracked and auditable.

Key aspects of IAM compliance include:

• Regulatory Adherence: Organizations must comply with various regulatory frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and others, which dictate how sensitive data should be accessed, stored, and protected. IAM helps enforce access policies that align with these regulations.
• User Authentication and Authorization: Ensuring that proper authentication methods (e.g., multi-factor authentication) are in place and that access permissions are appropriately granted based on the principle of least privilege.
• Audit and Monitoring: IAM compliance requires organizations to monitor and log user activities, ensuring that all access and actions within systems are traceable. This helps in detecting potential breaches or violations of access policies.

A key tool in maintaining IAM compliance in cloud environments is Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs). These solutions act as gatekeepers, controlling access to cloud services and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. CASBs enforce security policies, monitor data flow to and from cloud applications, and help organizations meet compliance requirements. However, CASBs often focus primarily on policy enforcement and may lack the ability to track user identities across different applications or networks. This gap in visibility can hinder the detection of sophisticated threats that exploit identity vulnerabilities across the infrastructure.

Identity compliance through IAM involves meeting regulatory requirements for user access management, and while CASBs play a significant role, organizations must also ensure comprehensive visibility and control across all layers of the infrastructure to mitigate identity-related risks.

Darktrace / IDENTITY is a comprehensive IAM solution built specifically for the demands of modern IT environments.

We take a holistic approach to IAM, empowering you to proactively manage your risks based on your unique infrastructure and tech stack. Darktrace / IDENTITY leverages Self-Learning AI technology to detect and stop threats across traditional on-premise networks and cloud-based applications.

Our technology learns the patterns and behaviors normal for your users and environment so it can quickly recognize and respond to irregularities to mitigate risks. With integrated identity protection, contextual threat detection, and autonomous response, Darktrace / IDENTITY closes the security gaps other IAM tools leave behind.

Darktrace has been the pioneer in AI-powered cybersecurity since 2013. Our ground-breaking innovations help over 10,000 businesses in 110 countries protect their digital environments with comprehensive, intelligent solutions.

Learn more about IAM and Darktrace / IDENTITY by downloading our solution brief or exploring the topic on our blog.