Tackling identity – A critical step in your enterprise mobility journey

By David Barclay, National Practice Manager, Data^#3

We have introduced you to The Anywhere Workplace, presented the Data^#3 Mobility Framework and explored the challenges and solutions in each layer. In this blog, we go further into detail about identity, and why this is a vital next step your enterprise mobility journey. If you don’t get identity management right you will struggle to deliver the seamless user experience that mobility demands and could be putting your organisation at risk to security threats.

The identity management challenge

The increasing mobility of users and devices, along with the rise of Software as a Service or Cloud applications such as Office 365, Salesforce and Box means a user today will most likely need to access a combination of on-premises and Cloud based apps in their day-to-day role. Most Cloud and mobile applications lack native integration with Active Directory, so identity provisioning and access management are vital to give mobile users the right applications and content at the right time.

Every Cloud application requires a username and password – with the average user maintaining access to 6-7 applications. Also, each Cloud application will have varying password complexity requirements. In many cases, users will try to use the same password everywhere, and this increases risk significantly if one service is compromised. When a user leaves the organisation, simply deactivating their Active Directory account does not necessarily deactivate those other Software as a Service Cloud apps. This lack of transparency and control presents potentially serious security implications.

So, how do you adapt your approach to reflect the mobility reality of today? Identity management (IDM) solutions can help.

More than just managing credentials  

While the symptom of the challenges above is difficulties with managing usernames and passwords, the reality is that identity management solutions offer so much more with capabilities including:

• Single sign-on: One username and password across all applications and resources
• Policy-based access: Conditional access based on location, networks, application types and the level of device management
• Enhanced security methods: Extending authentication to leverage biometric and video capabilities
• Self-service: Empowering users to manage their identity.

Effective identity management is a win-win scenario that keeps users happy and efficient, while you achieve the security and management control that your organisation needs.

Which identity management solution is right for you?

The decision on which identity management solution is appropriate for your organisation needs to be driven by your broader mobility requirements. Getting identity right is fundamental to achieving The Anywhere Workplace, ensuring that there is collaboration between teams responsible for mobility, security, end user computing and identity strategies for your organisation.

Grappling with how to tackle identity and mobility? Talk to the Data^#3 team about The Anywhere Workplace.