How IAM Is Fortifying Remote Access Security
Much has been written over the past couple of years about how global events have revolutionised the way businesses operate and accelerated the shift to remote working. It’s now accepted practice in organisations around the world, and is five times more common than it was just five years ago. While remote working offers many benefits, it’s introduced a number of cyber security challenges. With teams spread across different locations (and in some cases, different countries), the need for a secure way of accessing data and resources is more important than ever. This is where IAM (Identity and Access Management) comes into play, ensuring that remote access security doesn’t mean compromising your organisation’s cyber defences.
The Importance of IAM
As mentioned above, IAM is pivotal when it comes to managing and controlling access to any organisation’s resources. This is especially true in a remote work setting, as traditional cyber security strategies are no longer enough. With employees needing to access resources from the office, from home, and other locations – using work devices and personal devices – it can be challenging to ensure only authorised users are accessing sensitive data.
IAM solutions, however, offer a centralised platform for businesses to manage user identities, enforce access policies, and monitor user activity. This way, organisations are able to enforce least privilege access, ensuring that users can only access the resources they need, and reducing the risk of data breaches. Multi-factor authentication can be used to add an extra layer of security, requiring users to verify their identity through multiple methods, like a password or a one-time code sent to their mobile device. IAM also allows businesses to monitor user activity, and respond to any suspicious behaviour quickly and securely. Many of today’s businesses are also turning to Remote Privileged Access Management (RPAM). This form of IAM has been designed to solve the challenges of remote access security by managing and monitoring privileged user accounts with access to critical systems and data.
What is RPAM?
RPAM has been designed to address the challenges of securing remote access for users who require access to sensitive data and critical systems. Unlike traditional Privileged Access Management (PAM) or remote access solutions like Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), RPAM offers administrators even more oversight and control over who’s accessing their network. With the help of an RPAM solution, like those offered by our cyber partner Cyolo, access is granted to verified identities following the principle of least privilege. This stops users – even authenticated ones – from being able to carry out actions that might be seen as suspicious or risky. This effectively reduces an organisation’s attack surface, and the chance of a data breach or cyber attack.
RPAM offers robust access and authentication features to manage remote privileged user identities. As pointed out by Cyolo in one of their recent blogs, RPAM also offers recording and auditing capabilities, which are essential to comply with regional and industry-specific mandates. It’s useful for organisations working in both the IT and OT environments, as these can be challenging to secure with more traditional cyber security solutions. More and more businesses are turning to RPAM, and a recent Gartner report predicted that “by 2026, organisations applying least privilege principle approaches to remote privileged access management (RPAM) use cases will reduce their risk exposure by more than 50%.”
Leading the Way in RPAM Solutions
At Infosec K2K, we understand the challenges of remote access security, as well as the critical need for robust IAM and RPAM solutions. That’s why we’ve partnered with leading cyber security companies – like Cyolo – to offer our clients RPAM solutions that can be tailored to the needs of their own remote work environments. With the help of our IAM solutions, our clients enjoy a more centralised control over user identities. As well as streamlining who can access your organisation’s resources, IAM also reduces the risk of data breaches in your network.
Cyolo’s RPAM solutions, meanwhile, have been created to improve remote access security with a privileged account filter. They have also been specifically tailored for OT environments. This way, they can ensure remote privileged access no matter what device is being used. With an RPAM solution, hybrid organisations can efficiently manage privileged account access without worrying about compromising productivity. RPAM extends secure remote access to all users and devices, whether at the office or at home, for all parts of your organisation.
The rise of remote work has fundamentally changed the cyber security landscape, requiring organisations of all sizes to rethink their approach to how they protect their resources. IAM and RPAM solutions play a crucial role in remote access security, enforcing access policies, protecting sensitive data, and reducing the risks associated with remote work. Here at Infosec K2K, we’re committed to helping our clients navigate these challenges with comprehensive solutions designed to meet the unique needs of your remote workforce.
Whatever solution you’re looking for, we can help. The experts at Infosec K2K can offer you specialist guidance, and help you find the product that’s the best fit for you.
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