CISOs say that when creating cybersecurity policies, it is easy to be in a reactive mode and provide solutions for problems relevant to an existing data breach; however, what is more, needed is a proactive approach
Developing a cybersecurity policy in a “reactive” manner is not sufficient in the current scenarios. Enterprises are required to adopt strategies that can effectively mitigate threats and issues even before they emerge.
CIOs believe that effective future-proofing requires moving outside of the reactive mindsets and adjusting to the new normal. Identity-Centric security policy is important in the new reality with the expansion of cloud services, connected systems, and increased consumerization of IT services.
The necessity for enterprise security to evolve
In the current scenario, identity is the basic and vital link between devices, cloud applications, and users. CIOs need to evolve, and the leaders who placed identity at the center point of a defense-in-depth are seeing positive results. Only a few enterprises that adopted a forward-thinking security policy have experienced identity-based breach compared to enterprises with “reactive” strategies.
CIOs say that forward-thinking organizations work to reduce the possibility of a failure or security breach by using an identity-centric security strategy. The need for joining the group of these organizations could be attributed to – updates to network architecture and the perimeter as cloud adoption, using mobile tech, and higher cases of remote workforces have increased the attack surfaces. Companies need to protect the network from the rise of credential theft campaigns.
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As employees and end-users access and interact with corporate networks in different manners. Integration with identity and access management infrastructure enabled with security solutions helps enterprises to make smart decisions related to access and policy implementation.
A vital part of this strategy is deploying the identity factor between the resource and the actor via different technology layers like applications, network infrastructure, and endpoints. Different details like device characteristics, geographic position, and the number of login attempts are all important elements in the overall picture. They should be monitoring the user as they attempt to access a specific system or application.
When someone with legal documentation tries to access the system, it is permissible. Still, when a non-authorized person with no historical login attempts tries to access the network from a strange location or device, the associated risk level increases substantially.
CIOs effectively reduce the potential for the lateral movement of hackers inside the network and intrusions, both when the identity-centric strategy is adopted. A successful future-proofing security measure will protect the corporate infrastructure and behave as a connector between services, technologies, and users.
Embracing forward-thinking by prioritizing identity
CIOs acknowledge that it is easy to understand that they need to move out of the reactive mindset, but it’s difficult to understand how to do it!
Experienced CIOs say the journey consists of below five steps.
Detecting, defining, and analyzing the identity types: Enterprises deal with identities not restricted to human beings alone. Before developing the strategy, all such identities need to be taken into account; it can vary from scripts to end point users to applications.
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Understanding the risk and liability related to each identity type: Assessing risks from each identity type and detecting any potential blind spots.
Establishing the state of security outcomes: CIOs must constantly analyze the ISDA list of security outcomes, to detect security strategies and architecture gaps. It is important to emphasize cooperation and dialogue between departments to prevent operational and security silos.
Developing the roadmap: CIOs need to create the road map and prioritize, where the main focus of budget and energy is required. Core functions like governance and authentication need to be the highest priority needs.
Deployment of the security outcomes: Once the CIOs are clear about the initial step, they should regularly evaluate the current touchpoint in the journey. As the enterprise grows, the identity-centric strategy will also change.
