A large number of organizations are now off-loading Identity and Access Management (IAM) workloads to vendors with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) operating models. While the move could be influenced by operating costs, it also has a bearing on the IAM space requiring specialized skills and continuous upgrades in order to mitigate cyber-security threats. Additionally, many critical business applications that are difficult to, or cannot be transitioned to cloud remain in traditional deployment patterns including on-premise. These applications also require specialised skills and security integration.
Depending on business needs, organisations may allow their users to single-sign-on (SSO) to third-party applications. This means that the user’s browser session can now be re-directed to a website hosted by a third-party. Additionally, end-users may be signing-in from a host of devices including mobile or Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). This creates several vulnerabilities which, when not remediated, can potentially lead to data-theft, insecure data access points, DoS attacks, malicious software attacks and other such significant breaches. Every CTO’s nightmare will become a reality without suitable mitigation mechanisms in place.
Web based transactions are prone to malicious user attacks and can potentially result in loss of user data and or revenue. A hacker could take over the session and access applications that contain business critical and confidential information. Users can also have their credentials stolen or be subject to phishing or domain-spoofing attacks. Government regulations could now place the onus of securing communications on individual organisations. Consequently, having the capability to detect and mitigate risk is crucial.