Identity security enabling enterprises

[anahilstad]

Authored by Ana Hilstad, Senior Product Marketing Manager

Historically, identity security was not discussed on an executive level. But thankfully, that has changed. This shift was apparent throughout the sessions on the expo hall floor and in many of SailPoint’s customer conversations held at the Gartner IAM Conference two weeks ago.   

The added focus on identity security as a critical component of managing cybersecurity threats has added new demands on security and IT teams. I’ve summarized the top concerns heard throughout the conference: 

• IT and security teams tend to be lean. The expectation is that IAM teams need to do more with the limited resources they have.  
• They are getting pressure to reduce the risk of negative and costly cybersecurity events by eliminating identity threats. 
• Keeping the workforce productive is a top priority. Not only are they expected to provide (or revoke) quick access as employees onboard, move roles, or leave the company but also ensure that it’s done without compromising security. 
• Identity security teams are frequently asked to provide supporting information to prove compliance with external agencies. Now, more than ever, they are also being asked to show ROI for their identity security investments.  

With identity security becoming table stakes for executives and board members, it’s clear that organizations need more than just innovative technologies to enable their identity programs. They need to understand the state of their identity security program today, what steps they need to take, and what metrics  to track to improve their program’s performance. Additionally, they need a way to tie these metrics to their overall cybersecurity posture.   

While at the Gartner IAM conference, we used our Maturity Assessment tool to poll eventgoers. We found that most companies are still in the beginning stages of building a sustainable identity security program. They may have an idea of what they need to do, but the enormity of the project is overwhelming.  Without a holistic plan that includes comprehensive technologies, expert help (from their vendor) to not only implement their new solution but also ensure their processes and policies are built to move their program forward, and a solid approach to track and report on their performance, they will lose credibility with their executives and board members. Now that IT and security teams have their executives’ attention, this IS the time to prove how they can make a difference. 

SailPoint has not only built the most comprehensive identity security cloud solution with modern technologies, AI-derived insights, and automated workflows that support a seamless user experience and intelligent decision support, but we have a keen focus on partnering with our customers to implement the processes that will have them on the path to improve their identity programs continuously.  

No matter their starting point, we work closely with customers through our Advisory Services, Business Value Assessments to the Customer Advisory Boards, Identity University classes and training, dozens of user groups and our flagship Navigate Conference. This reciprocated feedback approach has dual benefits as customers’ programs mature and our solutions continue to innovate.  

Finally, we continue to innovate and improve our dashboards so customers can track and report on their performance to their executives and prove compliance with internal auditing and external reporting. Our Access Intelligence Center has out-of-the-box metrics and authoring capabilities so both identity and audit professionals can develop KPIs based on their business needs. Again, this piece is crucial for their executive conversations to prove the importance of managing access, access risk, and the correlation to reducing cybersecurity threats.   

If you are pondering over the same challenges with no clear answers, start by taking this simple 6-question maturity assessment. You will find out where your company stands on your identity maturity journey. The next step is to schedule a demo of SailPoint’s Identity Security Cloud solution and discuss our methodology for helping our customers build an identity program that delivers significant business outcomes and addresses their top concerns.