subject: Identity Information Management Security Concerns [print this page] Identity management security concerns are reaching critical mass as more and more companies support remote workers and multiple platforms. In the not-so-recent past, our networks were fortresses, located in one geographical spot, making it easier to defend against attackers.
The complexity of today's global IT environment makes it difficult to identify attackers, much less mount a formidable identity management defense. Gone are the days when a good IT Administrator, a couple levels of security and a firewall protected your company and assets.
Clearly it is no longer just a few road warriors dialing into the corporate network, flooding the Help Desk with service and identity management requests such as password resets. The majority of employees now require access to key company systems, global address lists, and e-mail or web from home or abroad.
According to the Gartner Group, 35% of all help desk calls are password or identity management related. Consequently, up to 30-40% of the password reset calls to the Help Desk can be off-loaded using a self-service password reset solution. Empowering users to reset their passwords frees Administrators and Help Desk staff to focus on securing the network, and simultaneously eliminates human error by properly authenticating the user requesting the reset.
In times when identity management and user authentication is critical, security breaches can be devastating to a company, and easily prevented with the right tools.
In a recent survey by the Yankee Group, 60% of enterprises have widespread remote access - where 50% or more of the workforce have remote access to the internal network. A mere three years ago, Phil Hochmuth, Network Security Senior Analyst, of the Yankee Group stated that less than 25% of organizations supported widespread remote access.
Concerns arise as employees begin to work anywhere and everywhere, using wireless networks that are popular with an increasingly mobile workforce. Historically, IT focused security on the "network," and now must instead focus security concerns on the "user" as the web is now the primary conduit of attack activity.
With the frequency of security breaches increasing at alarming rates due to the globalization of business and open networks, as well as remote and mobile users, there has never been a better time to evaluate tools that ease identity information management and mitigate your security risks.
IT administrators are tasked with ensuring that all computer users have full access to all systems while at the same time holding the line on security. What features and functions are they looking for?
Smart solutions must:
- Ensure secure identity information management and authentication
- Provide anytime/ anywhere secure, web-based access
