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What is Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a crucial aspect of cybersecurity that enables organisations to manage access to their digital assets and sensitive information.

At its core, IAM is a security discipline that involves managing the identities and access privileges of users, systems, and applications across an organisation's IT environment. This includes creating and managing user accounts, authenticating and authorising access to resources, and enforcing security policies.

Why is IAM important?​

IAM is essential for enhancing security and reducing the risk of data breaches. IAM systems provide a framework for controlling access to information and resources within an organisation, ensuring that only authorised individuals are granted access to sensitive data, systems, and applications. IAM systems also help organisations comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards.

How does IAM work?​

IAM systems use a range of technologies and processes to manage access to resources within an organisation. This includes authentication mechanisms such as passwords, biometrics, and multifactor authentication. IAM systems also use authorisation mechanisms to control what resources users can access and what actions they can perform.

Key features of IAM systems​

IAM systems offer a range of features to help organisations manage access to resources effectively. These include:

  • User provisioning and de-provisioning
  • Role-based access control (RBAC)
  • Access request and approval workflows
  • Audit logs and reporting
  • Single sign-on (SSO) capabilities
  • Regulatory compliance

IAM is critical for helping organisations comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards such as HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI-DSS. IAM systems provide a way to enforce access controls and ensure that access is granted and revoked by organisational policies and compliance requirements.

Apporetum as an IAM Solution​

With the increasing use of cloud-based platforms, it's essential to implement robust IAM policies and procedures to ensure that only authorised individuals have access to digital assets and sensitive information. Apporetum is a cloud-based application development platform that not only provides business-centric access management procedures but also includes robust IAM features to help organisations manage access to their applications. Apporetum provides a range of IAM features built to complement of the Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) suite of capabilities to help organisations meet their access control needs. These features include user provisioning and de-provisioning, role-based access control (RBAC), access request and approval workflows, audit logs and reporting, and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities. By using these features, organisations can control access to their applications, ensuring that only authorised individuals have access and reducing the risk of data breaches.