Identity & access management (IAM) is an essential factor in enhancing security for corporate cloud environments. Security architecture with versatile IAM features can manage identity permissions with customizable credentials, including creating multi-factor authentication and issuing temporary access keys.
In an age where a ransomware attack costs a business an average of $4.91 million, identity and access management remains an important concern for business leaders. This guide reviews the definitions and best practices that companies should know to upgrade their corporate cloud security for the modern age.
User behavior monitoring is one feature that allows organizations to monitor user access more effectively by addressing the most common security gaps in modern corporate architecture.
What is the Difference Between IAM and UAM?
Identity Access Management (IAM) is closely linked to User Access Management (UAM), both of which are important factors in maintaining a secure and authenticated data infrastructure. UAM deals with the security controls that govern internal and external access to a network, including user permissions and security requisites for those trying to gain access.
IAM deals more generally with principal resource access. In a stable and secure cloud management process, IAM informs UAM. When logging into a service, the IAM process receives the authorization request to verify the user’s identity.
The complexity of the security check depends on the business’s access management system. The goal of IAM is to enforce internal controls, manage regulatory compliance, and track user activity.
In 2023, compromised business emails cost businesses over $2.9 billion. Access management systems with IAM features allow companies to monitor their multi-cloud environments on corporate devices, modern IoT (Internet of Things) devices, and multichannel networks.
With over 95% of workers requesting infrastructure for remote work opportunities, businesses have a greater responsibility to invest in stable IAM systems that protect employee credentials and other valuable data.
What are the Fundamental Features of Optimized IAM?
Optimized identity & access management systems follow general best practices that apply to cloud networks in nearly all industries. These include:
User behavior monitoring: Successful IAM solutions monitor user behavior by collecting and analyzing the activity logs of all personnel on the system. Managers can identify abnormal behavior, such as atypical login locations, unknown devices, or unusual actions, to flag potentially compromised user accounts or unauthorized users.- Safeguards to protect root user credentials: This includes securing credentials against theft by monitoring the system and using exclusive credentials for each system.
- Multi-factor authentication: MFA solutions are a core part of monitoring user privileges and enforcing conditional access policies for users.
- Temporary credentials: A system of temporary credentials allows organizations to catch access leaks quickly. These credentials can be easily revoked in case of compromise.
- Key rotation: In projects involving users with long-term credentials, rotating access keys can help prevent breaches.
- Principle of least privilege: Systems that use PoLP restrict user access to the minimum permission level they need to perform their assigned tasks. Restricting unnecessary generalization of access can prevent breaches.
Businesses invested in maintaining secure and compliant data access practices prepare and assign credentials, knowing they could be compromised. This assumption allows companies to respond quickly to threats by removing access from temporary credentials before the breach spreads.
How to Detect Suspicious Activity
When users on a business network have compromised IAM credentials, user behavior monitoring systems can detect the issue by recognizing the signs and patterns of suspicious activity. Examples of organizational breaches include:
- Phishing attempts on company emails
- Password reuse
- System misconfiguration
- Breaches on third-party networks
- Issues with hosted applications
In a business with compromised user access security, users may receive unsolicited requests for corporate credentials from messages designed to resemble legitimate technical support. They may receive suspicious emails or links to malware that open opportunities for credential breaches.
To detect unauthorized network usage, advanced behavior monitoring systems flag false positives in the network’s event log due to unknown location access or non-human validations of suspicious APIs. Credentials created explicitly to breach the system may use external IPs to trick the system into letting bad actors onto the network.
A system that can collect and analyze user activity logs and alert system administrators of flagged anomalies can spot compromised credentials or malicious external users before they cause a data breach.
Unusual location sign-ins, unknown devices, uncharacteristic login times, and unauthorized actions are all examples of user behavior that may be monitored to create a more reliable environment of identity & access management.
Contact an Experienced Cybersecurity Team to Optimize Your Identity & Access Management Process
IAM user behavior monitoring allows organizations to detect suspicious activity on their network that would otherwise go unnoticed by manual security sweeps. Advantage.Tech provides managed IT, consulting, and cybersecurity systems for over 800 clients across numerous industries.
Since phishers and bad actors have gained new methods to bypass conventional corporate security systems, organizations must respond with greater advances in user behavior monitoring to protect their employee credentials and sensitive data networks.
Contact us today to learn how advanced behavior monitoring can protect your valuable user data from the latest threats.
