What is IAM?

IAM (Identity and Access Management) is cloud-based authentication operated by a third-party provider such as SAASPASS. IAM helps firms decrease costs and enhance productivity across the board by streamlining their processes.

The SaaS model in IT means some feature is being delivered or served to a company through a remote connection from a third-party provider, as opposed to the feature or product being managed on site by in-house staff. Identity and security via Multi-Factor Authentication together with other features such as Enterprise Password management can similarly be provided as a service.

IAM supplies cloud-based Multi-Factor authentication and identity management to enterprises who use it. The main aim of it is to ensure users are who they claim to be while giving them the necessary access to software applications, computers and resources at the right times. If the infrastructure to make this happen is built on site, then the company has to figure out what to do every time a problem comes up. If Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) employees are changing to different types of phones, for example, the local identity provisioning has to adapt immediately. It is much simpler to implement a centralized cloud-based system created by identity experts who have already solved such problems for thousands of organizations.

IAM is used in many different ways with multi-factor authentication deployed being multiple factors to gain entry to the network, hence increasing security over single-factor authentication and access being granted in a convenient manner.

Another use is for Secure Single Sign-On. This allows users to sign on only once at the network perimeter, and with that single effort, obtain access to whichever parts of the company’s constellation of programs and resources are authorized using various methods such as the SAASPASS Web SSO, Browser Extension, Desktop Agent and/or Mobile SSO.

The third use for IAM is the SAASPASS Cloud Directory. This in essence can be used to replace Microsoft Active Directory or Microsoft Azure or can be used in tandem with them syncing a company’s user asset base to the SAASPASS Cloud.

The fourth use is the sharing centre and Enterprise Password manager, which allows companies to share manage their Enterprise Password’s in their network with Password vaulting capabilities together with the Sharing Centre which allows an admin to distribute access to digital assets such as a Twitter account across multiple users in an organization without sharing any credentials and also securing access with SAASPASS Authenticator MFA to those accounts.

The advantages of using SAASPASS IAM are numerous yet the main one is the cost benefit that it provides. Provisioning identity on site with software such as Active Directory Domain Services can be an arduous process. Your team has to keep up servers; purchase, upgrade, and install software; back up data regularly; pay hosting fees; monitor the additional turf on premises for network security; set up VPNs; and much more. With IAM, costs drop to the subscription fee and the administration work.

Besides savings, ROI for SAASPASS IAM includes improved cybersecurity and saved time with faster logins and no password resets. Whether a user is signing in from open WiFi at a hotel or airport or from a work station in the office, the process is seamless and secure. The improved security helps secure companies facing a hack or breach that might topple their business as more than 86% of breaches are password related.

Fundamentally, the cloud offers savings, efficiency, and expertise. Similar to network security monitoring or email search, identity can be moved to the cloud.

If you’re interested go to https://saaspass.com and do a company sign up, or reach out to the SAASPASS Sales team for a demo.