Identity and access management overview

Identity and access management has never been as important as it is today. Identity can be somewhat considered as the foundation for security within your organization. Although there are other methods of compromising data, simply gaining access to a user or administrative account can be destructive. If an intruder compromises an account, they now acquire the same account level of access across all systems and data. All this can take place without anyone being alerted. It is very important that you are rigid with your identity and access policies. The role of least-privilege is a must! This is a role where no access is added to your account until needed based on your job function. We cover this in more detail in the Authorization section of this chapter. Essentially, if you don't need access, you don't get it. In addition, ensuring that you separate user accounts from administrative accounts is critical. There should never be elevated...