EDITOR ’ S QUESTION

The easiest way for malicious hackers to access a company ’ s digital assets is through stolen credentials . Compromised identities are the top reason organisations are infiltrated . Therefore , controlling user access is one of the IT department ’ s most critical responsibilities , made more complex by the constant need to balance efficiency , productivity , and security .

Finding the balance between giving verified users easy access to IT resources without compromising security remains a challenge for IT admins .

This is by no means an easy task . Modern IT environments are now incredibly diverse . As a result , security strategies have shifted from securing the physical network perimeter to defending a large , disparate attack surface , comprising devices , on-prem / cloud resources , operating systems and networks .

Although a distributed environment brings flexibility , it presents IT teams with an immense challenge and

demands a completely different approach when it comes to Identity Management

A modern Identity Management platform helps IT teams centralise control over user access while also protecting credentials .

When users and their digital identities are not centrally managed , it ’ s virtually impossible to get visibility into their resource access privileges , which devices they ’ re using to access company resources and whether their systems and software are appropriately updated and patched . Centralising Identity Management ensures that IT teams can monitor the access privileges across their organisation and allows them to implement robust security measures whilst creating a frictionless experience for users .

An effective , long-term IM strategy uses risk assessment and contextual intelligence to guide IT admins on when to challenge users without standing in the way of a flexible , smooth working experience . p

DENIS DORVAL , VICE PRESIDENT , INTERNATIONAL EMEA & APAC , JUMPCLOUD

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