Protected: How to Approach the Complexity of an Identity Management & Governance Program

The Great Unknown

Most of the challenges we face with security, and IAM in particular, are based on the diversity of the systems that must be controlled, the complexity of the disparate solutions put in place to secure access to those diverse systems, and the constantly shifting landscape of users and the ways those users choose to access those systems.

Every time a new system is introduced or a new access opportunity presents itself, we face a crossroads. On the one hand, we can do our very best to secure the new system or the new access method on its own, hopefully (emphasis on “hope”) with the ability to draw on existing security practices or technologies; or we can take a step back and redesign security across the board so that everything, including the new player, is addressed as a unified whole. The second option is ideal yet entirely impractical, while the first option is the reality of the situation and the root of the problem.