What is Identity and Access Management (IAM)?
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a framework of policies, technologies, and processes that ensures the right individuals have appropriate access to resources within an organization's digital ecosystem. At its core, IAM revolves around managing user identities, their authentication, and subsequent authorization to access specific data or systems.
Components of IAM
Identity Governance: This involves defining and managing user identities, their roles, and permissions within the organization's systems and applications.
Authentication: Authentication mechanisms verify the identities of users attempting to access resources. This can include passwords, biometric data, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and more.
Authorization: Once authenticated, users are granted appropriate access rights based on predefined policies and rules. Authorization mechanisms enforce these policies to ensure users only access what they're authorized to.
Administration: IAM systems facilitate the administration of user accounts, including provisioning (creating new accounts), de-provisioning (revoking access), and managing account lifecycle.
Auditing and Compliance: IAM solutions often include auditing capabilities to track user activities and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies.