The average data breach costs an organization $5MM—a potentially fatal blow to any cybersec firm. In response, businesses are adopting cloud infrastructure at an unprecedented rate. This “done fast is better than done right” mentality often results in high-risk identity and access management, and here’s why:

1. COVID-19’s ripple effect continues. The pandemic forced immediate WFH policies, and businesses often granted global access and excessive privileges as a Band-Aid solution.
2. Traditional solutions became a trap. As the digital economy grows and WFH becomes the standard, on-prem and geofencing solutions just don’t work.
3. Managing access to cloud-based infrastructure got complicated. 87% of senior business leaders are prioritizing digital transformation in the upcoming year. To match these priorities, cloud infrastructure adoption is spiking. However, a spike in adoption produces equal risk, especially when it happens too fast.

1 cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds—which means that delaying digital transformation is no longer an option.

Cloud infrastructure stakes have never been higher

90% of all cloud security failures are the result of a customer not adopting a proper cloud security posture. That posture is heavily reliant on a robust identity and access management strategy—and the tools, team, and infrastructure to support it. Without this strategy, executive leaders may experience million-dollar losses, reduced revenue, a tarnished reputation, and lost customer trust.

Given the stakes, inaction makes no sense. But the numbers say otherwise: 49% of executives cite complexity as the biggest roadblock to an effective security organization.

According to Akash Agarwal, Chief Business Officer at Procyon, “Before the proliferation of cloud, there were only a handful of privileged users … fast-forward to today, with the rapid [adoption] of cloud and with CI/CD, you can argue that every developer is a privileged user. Now, you need a frictionless PAM system to manage access without compromising security and productivity.”

The payoff is too good to ignore—organizations with the most mature cloud security practices (which includes a robust identity and access management strategy) outperform their peers by 2x.

What steps can I implement towards a robust approach to identity and access management?

Avoid the temptation to forge a new path without assessing your organization’s history. What decisions, automations, and strategies produced your current IAM situation? Take the time to ask the following questions in order to structure a plan for the future.

Has my organization identified and reduced excess privileges?

The digital economy can pivot in seconds. In this volatile environment, many organizations react by granting global access or excessive privileges, ‘just for now.’ Start by assessing what resources are being regularly accessed by each department, team, and individual. If someone isn’t accessing a resource regularly, the privilege to do so will be revoked.

Of course, take the time to host conversations to ensure you’re aware of your team’s needs. You don’t want to cut access and later realize the ability to process payroll, for instance, was tied to your hasty decision.

Has my organization identified cloud misconfigurations connected to excessive privileges?

Misconfigured privileges come with profound consequences. If an attacker gains access to an environment with misconfigured privileges, they can escalate quickly. Think of it this way: if an attacker can access an account, they can open all the doors that the approved user could under normal circumstances. When you limit the number of doors that each user has the keys to, you reduce unnecessary risk and exposure.

According to Akash Agarwal, Chief Business Officer at Procyon, “…82% of data breaches involve a human element … increasing the impetus for companies to build towards a zero-trust security posture.” That’s why it is important to invest in automated tools. These tools can seamlessly detect misconfigurations and excess privileges. Then, remediation can occur once these issues are detected. (Automations aren’t a silver bullet, either. Absolute security is a goal, not an actual destination—and any service that promises otherwise is selling a myth.)

What are your top three priorities when it comes to remediating privileges/misconfigurations that present the biggest security risks?

Let’s recap.

1. Start by prioritizing identity-based access threats to cloud storage buckets. This will serve as a strong preventative measure to combat the risk of data breaches.
2. Monitoring for configuration errors through excessive or default permissions should also be prioritized.
3. Invest in automated tools to detect misconfigurations/excessive privileges and take steps to remediate once detected.

What happens next? You’ve put in the hard work of protecting identities and privileges for cloud infrastructure, which includes investing in new tools, educating your internal teams, and building a long-term strategy. However, it’s crucial to showcase your IAM strategy to new users or customers, too—we can help.

Why you should shift security left

A robust identity and access management strategy supports easy, secure access to government benefits and services, resilient communication networks, and fresh opportunities for contracts and payment. systems.

To achieve a future supported by such a strategy, it’s critical to shift security left. What does this mean? When your organization is designing products and services, security must be an integral piece of design, instead of being treated like an afterthought. The future of cloud security relies on this paradigm shift—moving from security-minded development to developer-minded security.

If you enjoyed this article, add a comment below or continue the conversation on LinkedIn. Learn more about what Akash and his Procyon team are working on here.

Is your agency delivering the right return on your marketing investment? We combine strategy, execution, and knowledge into award-winning marketing solutions. Contact us today and find out how Position² can help you grow.

63% of all internal data breaches within organizations are a result of compromised usernames and passwords—the indicators of a flawed security foundation that cybersec firms can ill afford. Without a robust identity access management strategy for your cloud infrastructure, your consumer data, confidential information, and trade secrets may be protected with nothing more than “password123”. However, the issue is even bigger than that.

A holistic cloud infrastructure security plan includes the following pillars:

• Security-first culture
• Zero trust
• Well-equipped team
• Risk-based approach
• Strong identity access management strategy

All the usual cloud security concerns persist within IAM: losing millions of dollars in remediation and revenue, a tarnished professional reputation, and losing customer trust. When it comes to identity and access management, though, the stakes are infinitely higher.

In this blog, we’ll cover actionable risks, your top priorities when developing a strategy, and 3 steps towards a robust approach to identity and access management.

300 million victims were impacted by data breaches in 2021.

Government regulations mandate that companies handle consumers’ personal information in a secure, ethical fashion. In situations where ethical behavior comes into question, executive leaders that didn’t invest in IAM strategy and prioritize transparency may face legal repercussions. (For instance, a federal jury recently convicted Joe Sullivan, former CISO of Uber, for charges related to covering up a data breach.)

To address the stakes, focus on actionable risks, such as:

1. Unauthorized access

2. Data breaches, leakage, and loss

3. Consumer identity theft

4. Account hijacking

With millions of data breach victims in any given year, developing an IAM strategy for your organization has never been more crucial.

The top 3 priorities when developing an IAM strategy

Historically, IAM was viewed as a tedious compliance process. Organizations can’t afford to treat IAM like a necessary evil anymore. To progress, IAM must be centered as a primary pillar of a holistic cloud security strategy. Fighting outdated perceptions of identity and access management slows you down—that’s why it’s important to show your work to demonstrate value and increases your chances of long-term adoption.

Your end users or customers often represent a challenge, too. For maximum safety, it may be tempting to force users through multiple identity verification steps … which makes users feel frustrated, not protected!

With such a nuanced landscape, it’s important to focus on your top three priorities when you develop an IAM strategy: increased visibility, improved security, and improved compliance with data regulations.

What steps can I implement toward a robust approach to identity and access management?

A measured approach to IAM strategy relies on three priorities: business, people, and process.

1. Take care of your business

Start by assessing the internal and external factors that drive your business. In your industry—and your organization—what outcomes indicate success? Your IAM strategy must work with, not against, business goals. Once you’ve identified your destination, it’s time to audit your current digital strategy. What is your organization’s current state of governance, risk, and compliance?

2. Support your people

The human element of your IAM strategy is crucial. Often, organizations run into trouble when they don’t support the headcount (or education needed) to actually implement their initiatives.

Talk to your current security and IT team. Does the current structure and headcount match your organization’s needs? Even if you have enough people, they may not be properly trained. Or they may need access to different tools to support your vision. According to Akash Agarwal, Chief Business Officer at Procyon, “…there are multiple tools on the market that are helping customers eliminate passwords. Technologies like Trusted Platform Module encrypt your password in the hardware chip of the device … or [solutions] that cryptographically encrypt your credentials, eliminating the need for passwords.” Providing the tech your team needs is a critical investment.

3. Assess your process

When users or customers engage with your organization, what does that experience look like? Plot out their experience from start to finish, accounting for every single touchpoint they deal with as new, current, or recurring customers.

Then, identify what your IAM process currently looks like, and compare it to the current customer experience. When conducting this audit, identify chances for automation to replace current manual processes. 95% of data breaches are a result of human error, not technical failures. Giving automation a chance to do what they do best – play by the rules – is a great first layer of defense for your organization.

Where do I go from here?

When you build an IAM strategy, remember the end goal: an innovative, equitable, safe digital economy. That’s what we are all striving for, an ecosystem where organizations, developers, users, and consumers can interact safely and efficiently in a forward-thinking digital ecosystem.

A successful IAM strategy prioritizes security, privacy, and consent: the three tenets of well-structured digital identity solutions within the cloud infrastructure. When these steps are properly implemented, IAM strategies should serve as a tool to perpetuate inclusion and equity.

If you enjoyed this article, add a comment below or continue the conversation on LinkedIn. Learn more about what Akash and his Procyon team are working on here.

Is your agency delivering the right return on your marketing investment? We combine strategy, execution, and knowledge into award-winning marketing solutions. Contact us today and find out how Position² can help you grow.