What’s


Identity and Access Management (IAM) brings greater efficiency and accuracy


I


dentity and Access Management enables the right individuals to access the right resources


at the right times and for the right reasons across a company’s IT infrastructure.


Why it is really new


This technology pulls together, for example, the IT security and Access Control credentials, by ensuring the appropriate access to resources across an increasingly assorted number of technology environments that also meet the increasingly rigorous compliance requirements.


What benefits it brings A A


s you wander around the exhibition halls during the season of security events, you can see many thousands


of offerings from security technology companies. But is there anything really new in 2017? We asked a number of senior security experts for their view.


Electronic security industry finally starts to use automation


t last the security industry is starting to use automation to improve efficiency in


ways that have been standard practice in the manufacturing and IT sectors for years. In an IT department for example, it would be unthinkable to manually collect the IP configuration from a set of workstations, or for a manufacturing plant to have human workers assembling microscopic electronics by hand. Of course, these jobs are automated, taking advantage of the efficiency, accuracy, and eventually the cost savings, that machines and computers can bring.


Yet until recently, automation has been absent from the electronic security industry. Technical drawings are routinely marked up by hand, with device counting and configuration manually processed – often inaccurately – into documentation. When you add costing into the equation it is easy to see how the final pricing for a given job can vary wildly between vendors. And it doesn’t stop there: when the documentation is processed into end-system programming – by hand – additional time is spent, not to mention the increased potential for error.


16 © CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – SUMMER 2017


It’s a familiar problem for global businesses striving for consistency in their security systems, and until recently, there was no answer, other than to micro-manage vendors across regions, adding time that is uncosted and hard to come by.


Now though, we are finally seeing automation make its way into our industry. With automated generation of documentation and system programming, vendors are able to use their technical workforce more, concentrating on the challenging aspects of an installation rather than data entry tasks. Automation gives end users peace of mind that their defined “standard” is being adhered to regardless of geographical location, and improves the efficiency of vendors. Sophisticated automated systems bring enormous benefits and the entire supply chain. It's been a long time coming, but now automation is here, it's here to stay.


Patrick Biggin Head of Research & Innovation QCIC Group


Essentially, this is about access management allowing employers to link, for example, an employee’s access card (other credentials) and their computer terminal. An employer cannot log into their terminal unless they have used their credentials to enter the room. Likewise, once the “IT System” realises that the employee has left a room, then the terminal they were logged into will automatically log out (if not already done).


Identity and Access Management also introduces a much more efficient use of the credentials across an IT system where the creation, deletion or modification of a user’s identity can be administered centrally, influencing each component of a federated system. As an example, when a new employee joins a company, identity and access management will enable the administrator to add their credentials only once instead of on each individual system, bringing greater efficiency and accuracy.


Peter Ainsworth Director, EMEA Marketing Tyco Security Products


www. c i t y s e cur i t yma ga z in e . com


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