IAM stands for Identity and Access Management, which is a set of policies, processes, and technologies used to manage digital identities and control access to data or systems. IAM enables organizations to ensure that only authorized users have access to their resources and that access is granted based on the user’s role, job function, and other factors.
IAM solutions typically include several components, such as:
- Identity Governance and Administration (IGA): This component manages user identities and access privileges, including user provisioning and deprovisioning, access requests, and access certifications.
- Access Management (AM): This component controls user access to applications, data, and systems, including single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and adaptive access controls.
- Privileged Access Management (PAM): This component manages access to privileged accounts, such as administrator accounts, and controls the actions that privileged users can perform within the system.
IAM solutions can be implemented using a variety of tools and technologies, such as directories, access control systems, and policy management tools. IAM is an important component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as it helps organizations to protect sensitive data and systems from unauthorized access and reduces the risk of data breaches and other cyber attacks.
