Unlocking the Power of Secure Identities with Identity-as-a-Service

Companies have increasingly turned to cloud services due to the various benefits they offer, such as scalability and cost savings. Similarly, cybersecurity is also moving in a similar direction, with increased adoption as companies seek up-to-date solutions to stay ahead of evolving threats. One such offering is identity-as-a-service (IDaaS), where a Managed Service Provider (MSP) leverages Magic Quadrant-leading technologies to deliver identity security to help companies achieve their desired business outcomes.

The adoption of IDaaS is increasing rapidly across organizations of all sizes and industries as hybrid working, multiplatform, and multi-device strategies make managing identities more complex and costly than previously. This is supported by findings from Statista, which state that the market size of IDaaS was valued at over 5.77 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 and is expected to exceed 25 billion U.S. dollars by 2030. As companies explore the value of IDaaS and start their IDaaS journey, there are several considerations to keep in mind to unlock the full potential and benefits of this technology.

The Benefits of IDaaS

Identity security solutions bring a myriad of benefits to businesses from cost savings and flexibility to improved integration between technologies and increased security, in addition to helping companies to meet compliance requirements. IDaaS also makes it easier for companies to meet cyber insurance requirements as the total cost of ownership (TCO) and time to value are significantly reduced compared to traditional deployment models.

Further benefits to be gained from IDaaS include enhanced operational support, superior user experience and the ability to meet specific SLAs which range from getting the identity service up and running to delivering ongoing maintenance of the system and regularly updating identities as necessary.

Another advantage of opting for IDaaS is the seamless security features it offers, which range from single sign-on and access management to Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) and Privileged Access Management (PAM). This layer of security is critical in protecting organizations against internal and external security threats as it quickly helps identify potential exposures such as inappropriate access to files or data, policy violations, and alerts or unsecured data and applications. With IDaaS in place, an IDaaS MSP can take generative AI data provided by the ISVs to proactively alert to potential threats thereby empowering them to remediate any threats and eliminate risks immediately.

Challenges in Implementing IDaaS

The business landscape has changed, adding complexity on the security front. Nonetheless, this shift is driving companies to recognize the value of limiting customization options and adopting standard processes to improve their security posture.

However, companies are concerned about handing over control of their security through solutions like IDaaS. This hesitation may encourage them to consider alternatives that are viewed as a safer option. Yet, the global shortage in Identity Security skills across multiple vendors will prevent many companies from being able to build out and manage Identity Security by themselves. In addition to managing this process internally, it will also be a major challenge to integrate IDaaS with the organization’s existing Identity Security or broad cyber solutions, which require in-depth technical knowledge and skills to implement.

Another challenge in implementing identity security solutions is the vast and complex nature of these tools. Many enterprises struggle to manage the many tools or have issues with the interoperability of these tools, which often prevents them from being fully deployed. These solutions include Access Management, Identity Governance, and Privileged Access Management, can significantly improve an organization’s security posture if effectively deployed.

However, many organizations lack the skills to fully integrate these solutions. Typically, enterprises have over 70 security tools and yet across these organizations over 50 of these have never been fully deployed. This is a major threat to an organization’s security and becomes more important as companies continue to increase the number of non-human identities in the network, adding further complexities to securing networks against unauthorized access and potential breaches. However, when implemented strategically, IDaaS can help address these challenges.

Strategic Adoption of IDaaS

When striving to attain Identity Security, many organizations take a problem-solving approach to overcoming specific identity management challenges, however, they would benefit from adopting a more programmatic and strategic approach to identity security. This starts by considering the broader Identity Security needs relative to their risk and industries and ensures they align IDaaS investments with the overall business objectives.

It is important to explore various Magic Quadrant-leading tools to achieve the desired outcomes. However, the best way for companies to accomplish this is by partnering with a qualified Managed Services Partner that leverages IDaaS. This partner should take a programmatic approach and have deep technical skills across a multitude of technologies.

It is also vital that companies have line of sight of future identity requirements to implement a solution that is futureproof and able to meet their needs over the long term. This also requires conducting ongoing maintenance to ensure that the technology is working at its optimum level and conducting relevant internal housekeeping to minimize potential challenges or threats. This is particularly relevant as the threat landscape continues to evolve. As such, it is beneficial for organizations to stay abreast of new identity technologies coming into the market and see how best to leverage them for their business.

Maximizing the Benefits of IDaaS

Identity management can no longer only focus on protecting individuals’ identities; it must extend beyond this to govern everything from machine identities to digital identities and devices. IDaaS is a valuable tool in helping to achieve this, bringing additional benefits such as lower complexity, lower TCO, frequency of feature updates, and enhanced security when working with a qualified partner that understands the complexities of Identity Security and IDaaS integration.

Maximizing the benefits of IDaaS requires careful deliberation and strategic planning, which can best be achieved by working with a managed services partner. Ultimately, when combining IDaaS with managed services, companies get the best of both worlds as they gain a long-term partner with extensive cybersecurity knowledge throughout the journey to help navigate an Identity Security transformation. These solutions are fast becoming the norm and will employ more advanced methods like biometrics and behavioral analytics to verify identities. As such, advanced Identity Security will be crucial in managing access to resources and lay the foundation for an Identity Security Framework.

The adoption of IDaaS is rapidly increasing as companies seek to enhance their cybersecurity measures. However, the skills shortage and complexities of these tools are hampering adoption, and in some cases preventing full deployment, of these tools. To address these challenges, companies must approach the implementation of IDaaS strategically and should use a managed service partner who has extensive experience and expertise in IDaaS to simplify the process and help align this security investment to the overall business objectives.