5 Signs You Need To Upgrade Your Workforce IAM

In an era where security threats are increasing and workforces operate in digital environments spanning the globe, your identity and access management (IAM) solution needs to keep pace. An outdated system can expose your business to a range of vulnerabilities and inefficiencies. 

Here are five key signs it’s time to modernize:

Are phishing attempts and insider threats on the rise in your organization? As cyberattacks evolve, so must your defenses. Legacy IAM configurations may not provide the multi-layered security necessary to prevent unauthorized access.

Solution: Even the best credentials can be compromised by phishing attacks. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), including biometric methods like fingerprint or facial recognition, ensures stolen credentials alone aren’t enough to breach your system. However, not all security risks are external. Mitigating insider threats requires a Zero Trust security model, which continuously verifies users’ identities before granting access, no matter their location or device.

Managing access and permissions for external users, such as contractors, suppliers, and partners, can be challenging, especially if your IAM system isn’t built to handle non-employees efficiently. Without proper controls, third-party access can lead to security gaps.

Solution: Federated identity management (FIM) through an identity provider (IdP) helps organizations address this challenge and streamline access beyond their enterprise. Whether it's suppliers, business partners, or contractors, securing third-party access is essential for maintaining compliance and security. FIM solutions enable secure and compliant access for all external users, streamlining onboarding and access management solutions for B2B identities.

If different teams are managing identities for employees, contractors, and customers separately, it’s time for a change. Identity silos lead to duplicate administration efforts, more attack surfaces, and inefficient workflows. This approach increases operational complexity and can result in inconsistencies across your identity infrastructure.

If different teams are managing identities for employees, contractors, and customers separately, it’s time for a change. Identity silos lead to duplicate administration efforts, more attack surfaces, and inefficient workflows. This approach increases operational complexity and can result in inconsistencies across your identity infrastructure.

Solution: A unified IAM platform enables cohesive management of workforce, third-party, and customer identities, giving IT teams a single, efficient solution to manage all identities. It also allows you to leverage real-time monitoring and analytics to gain visibility into user identity threats and access patterns. 

Additionally, a modern workforce IAM platform that supports robust, automated lifecycle management capabilities can make your user provisioning and deprovisioning processes more efficient, improve account data management and storage, and ensure data accuracy and consistency in user identities. 

Maintaining regulatory compliance and access governance is critical for avoiding fines and mitigating security risks. If your organization struggles with inconsistent governance or audit-readiness, your IAM system may not be providing the control and automation you need. Furthermore, regulatory compliance gaps can expose your organization to legal and financial risks, especially when managing sensitive data.

Solution: Modern identity governance and administration (IGA) drives automation and makes IAM more secure, compliant, and efficient. Audit-ready reports, configurable policies, and ongoing access reviews ensure compliance with standards like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).

Are your IT and cybersecurity teams stretched too thin? High support tickets for password resets, managing remote access, and onboarding new users can consume resources that should be focused on strategic initiatives. Additionally, many organizations are also in the process of migrating from on-premises to the cloud, adding another layer of complexity for business functions that already have full plates.

Solution: Passwordless authentication can be effective at reducing the reliance on passwords and cutting down on unnecessary IT tickets, while simultaneously enhancing security and the user experience. Additionally, empowering users with self-service tools for password resets, access requests, and credential management further reduces the IT support burden, allowing your team to focus on higher-priority tasks and strategic initiatives. 

With many organizations operating in a hybrid work environment, IT and security teams need access controls that allow employees to be productive while working remotely, without compromising enterprise security or straining their resources. Adaptive access controls and context-based authentication address this by simplifying access for remote workers, dynamically adjusting security requirements based on each user’s specific context, such as location, device, and behavior.

If your IAM system is showing any of these signs, it’s time to explore a modern, scalable solution that meets the demands of your organization. Cloud-native, API-first architecture that supports your growth and secures your identities across the board is critical in today and tomorrow’s digital landscape. 

Ready to modernize your workforce IAM strategy? Get the Ultimate Guide to Workforce Identity to learn how Ping Identity’s platform can help scale, secure, and simplify organizations across a variety of use cases.