Cyber threats and cyber attacks are becoming more and more sophisticated, which means organizations are facing greater security risks than ever before. The need to remain up to date with the very latest in cybersecurity solutions is paramount for organizations to protect their sensitive and proprietary data. The most effective way to achieve this level of cybersecurity is to use layered security, and one of the most effective layers to implement is context-based identity management.
What Is Context-Based Identity Management?
Identity management consists of authenticating a user’s identity and authorizing their access to specific systems and data. The most effective way to do this is to use multifactor authentication. Context-based identity management takes this to the next level by compiling analytic data to build risk assessment right into the decision to grant access to users. This analytic data includes data such as the user’s typical behavior and the device and/or network they are logging in from.
How Context-Based Identity Management Works
Context-based identity management is an automated aspect of authentication and authorization that makes it possible to collect contextual data each time a user accesses your network. This contextual information will be collected in real-time from a variety of sources, including environmental, proximity, and sensory data and a user’s:
- Location
- Preferences
- Behavior
- Profile
- Other characteristics
This information will make it possible to more accurately authenticate the identity of the person trying to access the system and provide them with the authorization required to do their job. For example, if they are trying to access the system from a public Wi-Fi network rather than the office network or their home network, access can be denied if this is not in line with the user’s typical behavior.
Why Use Context-Based Identity Management
Context-based identity management allows you to implement user authentication and authorization at a granular level. It can be customized to each user, making it possible to detect risks and threats based on the context of each user. Examples of how context-based identity management can be used include the following:
- Greater mobile security – With workers working from multiple devices, you can analyze the devices typically used by users, whether at the office, at home, on a business trip, or in the field.
- Easy access to required resources – If a user frequently changes roles in the workplace, is assigned to a temporary project, or is apprenticing for a new role, access can be granted as needed based on the specific needs of that employee.
- Employee on vacation or leave – When an employee goes on vacation or requires a leave of absence, their accounts can be locked.
- Selective access granted – A user that requires access to certain systems and data can be granted access, but any changes in context will cause immediate termination of that access.
- Unauthorized access denied – Any unauthorized access or access that looks suspicious based on the user’s typical contextual use will be denied.
Ultimately, context-based identity management allows you to determine more accurately who the user is, where they are located, how they are trying to connect, what they want access to, and when they are requesting access. This information helps you confirm the identity of the user and reduce the risk of an unauthorized person gaining access to your systems.
Contact Platinum Technologies today to find out how we can help you make the most of context-based identity management to protect your company’s systems and data.
