Everything has its own theme day nowadays. We just passed Mar10 day (march 10th), better known as Super Mario Day, and will soon say “May the fourth be with you” during Star Wars Day on May 4th.
Those are all fun happenings during the year, but a special day for Identity Management? That does not sound fun and cozy like the cinnamon bun day (October 4th). Well, maybe not. But the second Tuesday of April, Aril 9th this year, is meant to raise awareness for something that will increase security, lower costs, make your users happier, and potentially save your organization.
What is identity management day?
In short, Identity Management Day was founded in 2021 by the Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA). The entire purpose of this theme day is to put a spotlight on identities and how to protect them from things like fraud, identity theft, and data leaks. This goes for organizations managing said identities and individuals looking to protect themselves.
What do you do on identity management day?
Since the whole point is to raise awareness, education is the thing to look for here.
Individuals can look at instructions on securing important accounts with more than just passwords. Learn how to set up multi-factor authentication to protect your accounts and, by extension, your identity.
For organizations, one day is not really enough to “fix” your identity management. But it is a good day to start looking at what you have today and how it can be improved. We have gathered a few starting points for you.
The Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) are hosting an entire day of free sessions centered on identity management. Sign up here
A shorter, but no less important, session is our own webinar about how you manage the entire lifecycle of digital identities, from creation through changes to deletion.
Most organizations use several applications, both legacy and cloud ones. Collecting them all under one single identity and login through single sign-on will make your users happier and dramatically increase your security. Learn how that works
Why is identity management important?
We are biased here since identity and access management is what we do and love. However, it is an important area to monitor for several reasons.
Security. Knowing that a person is who they say they are, is critical for security. Robust identity management, with strong authentication and rules for what said identity gets access to, is foundational for any security strategy.
Compliance. Standards like ISO27001 and regulations like DORA and NIS2 are built on securing and keeping track of your digital identities.
Lower costs. Redundant or even former users in an organization often have licenses tied to their user profiles. You can save significant time and lower licensing costs by continuously checking for users who might no longer be with the organization or who have switched roles.
Efficiency. Modern IAM means you can automate several processes to save time. You can also enjoy single sign-on for all your applications, self-service processes, and so on. This saves time for the IT department and makes your users happier when they can focus on their work.
So, while identity management day 2024 may share the same date as more light-hearted theme days such as Unicorn Day or the international ASMR Day, it is perhaps the most important theme day to raise awareness of the future of individuals and organizations alike.
Let us work together to harness your digital identities and increase your security for next year and beyond.