The need for instant long-distance communications is over a century old. However, you probably wouldn’t use a telegraph to try to send a text message. While the overarching needs of users remain roughly fixed, the solutions fulfilling those needs undergo constant evolution. This is equally true within the realm of identity management, where cybersecurity, user-friendliness, and compliance are constant challenges requiring resolution. As a result, the range of relevant IAM solutions constantly evolves in response to the changing tides of the market and threat landscape.
The pace of transformation accelerates exponentially as new security threats arise. As a result, expectations increase for streamlined and transparent experiences. This, in turn, leads to IT environments growing more complex to support business initiatives like zero trust, meeting compliance, and cloud transformation.
Over the course of IT evolution, identity has become a key business driver across organizations. Previously, identity was shorthand for basic account management. In the modern context, identity management is the new perimeter for cybersecurity, user experience, and business enablement. Businesses are using IAM solutions to help them accomplish several goals.
These include:
- Managing identities, profiles, and attributes
- Enabling access to resources
- Managing runtime access to applications and application programming interfaces (APIs)
Now that identity and access management has emerged as the focal point of modern cybersecurity, IAM solutions have taken center stage.
3 IAM Solutions to Look Out for in 2024
With the rapid pace of technological change and the widening scope of identity, it’s hard to stay on the cutting edge of IAM solution trends. Ping Identity recently invited the Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) from leading enterprises to share the six trends they believe will shape the future of identity.
- Passwordless IAM Solutions
A simple password-based security system does little to defend against a determined attacker. Whether through social engineering or brute force attacks, passwords are rife with vulnerabilities. When individuals interact online, they frequently do things that attackers would never do. These include paying bills, ordering small items, or sending notes to family. Passwordless authentication solutions recognize contextual data to assign risk and a corresponding level of authentication. This data includes pieces of information which indicate people’s true identities, including geolocation, time of day, and the device used. Experts predict that adaptive and contextual authentication methods —for both individuals and enterprises—are going to require a password only when necessary.
- Behavioral Analytics and Machine Learning
It used to be that you could grab a latte in the morning and hop into a cab with no one knowing who you were. Uber, Amazon, and many others have changed that forever. People increasingly interact with the world in an authenticated context, which means that the companies with which they interact have a lot of information about their behavior.
Machine learning gives businesses an even bigger opportunity to apply data in different ways. This foundational technology enables a new branch of IAM solutions: applied identity analytics. These solutions aim to remove frustrations and friction from customers’ daily lives by remembering who they are, what they like, and when they’re likely to access services. It also protects users from breach events when used to enable ITDR solutions. However, this development has sparked a parallel conversation about the dangers of mass surveillance by private parties. The ultimate balance to be struck remains a topic of debate.
- Decentralized Identities and Distributed Ledger Technologies
The trajectory of distributed ledgers and their place in identity management remains murky. However, many companies are eagerly playing with the technology and trying new things. Major companies have expressed substantial interest in decentralized identities The development could enable considerable networking value particularly in spaces where global coordination is needed. However, since everything that is associated with a decentralized identity is immutable, it is important that users remember the privacy and security implications of blockchain solutions as they build new things.
3 Proven IAM Policy Paradigms
The policies which govern IAM solutions are just as important as the technologies which enable them. A shift in mindset can be just as impactful to the efficiency and security of an enterprise as the shiniest of new systems. Consider these three approaches to modern data management.
- Identity Proofing
For thousands of years, identity proofing has required people to show up at a physical location and have their identity documents inspected. This method does not scale well in the age of the internet. Basic online interactions require a multitude of authentication processes. An entire industry of password managers has arisen around resolving this issue for consumers. However, the core issue of secure online identity verification remains. New methods of remote proofing and social proofing such as Zero Trust, Single Sign-On, and Multi-factor Authentication change the way people trust each other online.
- Consent and Privacy
Modern customers are savvier about understanding how and when their data is stored. This is especially relevant as more of them have been victims of compromised identities. One of the most common wakeup calls for enterprises to invest in IAM solutions is the dreaded data breach. New regulations require that companies gather consent to store personally identifiable information and then only use that information for agreed-upon purposes. The days of 100-page terms of service are gone. Expect to see short, clear requests for as-needed information during a transaction.
- IAM Solutions for the Internet of Things
As identity becomes the new perimeter for both security and privacy, it is increasingly critical that the industry gets device identity right. The number of devices individuals carry and install in their homes is growing dramatically, and the enterprise use cases are exploding—from production line monitors to water sensors to medical devices. Users require new norms and policies to differentiate between trusted users, threats, and different members of a household.
Is your Enterprise In-Line with IAM Solution Trends?
How many of these six developments are currently invested in within your enterprise? Do you understand the risks you take by lagging your competition and, worse still, behind threat actors looking to compromise your systems? Investing in your IAM solutions tightens up security, boosts employee productivity, improves employee experience, and brings more visibility for IT.
The first step to getting a handle on the future state of your system is simple. You must get a clear picture of your current state. An identity assessment from Simeio does not just provide you with an expert and objective view of your identity fabric. It also outlines the most valuable identity investments you should make. This allows you to tighten up your perimeter and remove friction from identity management.
