BONUS EBOOK: Identity as a Service (IDaaS) for Dummies
Companies today deal with a large volume of customer and employee details —this influx of personal data presents a unique number of challenges when aiming to protect information.
When discussing ways to avoid data breaches and protect customer identity and user identity, we repeatedly hear the phrase identity as a service (or IDaaS). In the wake of scandals about leaked data, many companies turn to an identity as a service solution to secure their managed services and provide identity governance.
But what is Identity as a Service (IDaaS), and what are its benefits? What do these providers offer that can help you in such a challenging environment?
Every organisation that requires employees and customers to use a login box must have some form of identity and access management (IAM) system. IAM solutions help companies keep track of users access and control access to data and services. But in recent years, managing identity and secure access has become more complicated with the use of multiple accounts across different devices. Today, identity management is inextricably bound to security, user experience (UX), and scalability.
To cope with the challenge of maintaining IAM systems, more and more organisations are turning to Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) cloud-based service.
Identity as a Service or IDaaS is cloud-based authentication that a third-party provider manages and is much more than just single sign-on (SSO). IDaaS solutions supply cloud-based authentication or identity management to companies that subscribe to their service.
IDaaS makes it easier for enterprises to manage who has access to their sensitive data and gives users the right kinds of access to software applications, files, or other resources at the correct times. It is especially suited for the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) model and remote working, which involve different devices, for example. IDaaS services make things simpler and more straight-forward with a centralised cloud-based system created by identity experts who have already solved such problems for hundreds of organisations.
Such IDaaS services mean that the company is essentially purchasing an API (Application Programming Interface). This IAM (Identity and Access Management) service ensures that the authorised user is authenticated to access the company's resources in a controlled environment. The user can be an employee, customer or any third party related to the company. An IDaaS service confirms that the process of accessing the information by the authorised user is seamless on or off-premises.
The use of an IDaaS service offers several significant benefits to organisations – from cost savings, access to industry-leading expertise, and efficiency. Dealing with identity at an enterprise level using the software can be costly, but deploying an IDaaS solution like Okta can significantly reduce fees to provision and maintain identity management at the highest level.
Using a ready-made IDaaS solution can help manage costs as organisations can still use their services, enabling them to invest in all the latest technology and continuously innovate.
With an IDaaS provider, there are also the added benefits of security and efficiency with significant savings in time, with fewer password resets and more trusted logins by your users. No matter where a user is logging in from, the process will be secure and seamless.
Moving identity management to the cloud offers significant savings for many enterprises. Identity as a Service will continue to evolve and grow, but for now, it provides companies with a way to improve user experience and cost-effectively boost security.
Core Aspects of IDaaS
Existing IDaaS solutions provide a variety of features and functionality. These differ from vendor to vendor, but the most common functions and components of identity as a service include:
Password Management and Authentication: IDaaS services support password management and authentication, an essential requirement of access and identity management. This may include multi-factor user authentication via biometrics, passwords, or digital access cards across various access points and devices.
Multi-tenant, Cloud-Based Architecture: IDaaS solutions operate on a cloud-based platform and thus service multiple customer organisations with system fixes, performance improvements, new features, and updates to customers in real-time.
Analytics and Intelligence: Advanced identity management encompasses multiple verticals, giving insights into the use of access privileges among users, as well as information on application, responsibilities, data usage, and more.
Compliance, Risk, and Governance: By leveraging the intelligence and automation capabilities of IDaaS systems, businesses can better manage compliance, risk, and governance.
All in all, IDaaS leads to improved security and cost-efficiency. It safeguards companies from inadequate data security and misuse of information. IDaaS is evolving rapidly as IDaaS solutions are adding new features to their service offering. We're likely to see improved identity management in the months to come as the service continues to evolve to help companies manage the changing security threats.