This document discusses the importance of identity governance and privileged access management (PAM) for cybersecurity. It states that identity governance involves managing user access to systems and data to ensure only authorized access, while PAM focuses on securing privileged accounts that have extensive system access. The document argues that implementing these two approaches together provides enhanced visibility and control over access, helps streamline compliance with regulations, improves operational efficiency through automation, and better enables organizations to manage security risks.

1. ®
Unveiling the True Potential
of Identity: Strengthening
security through com-
plementary practices

2. ®
2
Your identity is like a fingerprint:
it is unique and only you can
leave your mark on the world
In today’s interconnected world where
organizations rely heavily on digital systems
and data, the protection of sensitive information
is paramount. The increasing sophistication of
cyber threats has made it essential for businesses
to implement robust security measures to
safeguard their assets. Two critical components
of any comprehensive security strategy are
identity governance and Privileged Access
Management (PAM).
Identity governance involves managing and
controlling access to data and systems within
an organization. It ensures that only authorized
individuals have the appropriate level of access,
reducing the risk of unauthorized breaches and
insider threats. By implementing effective identity
governance practices, organizations can gain
visibility into who has access, what roles they
occupy and the permissions they possess. This
enables them to establish and maintain strong
control over their digital resources.
Privileged accounts, on the other hand, possess
extensive access privileges and play a pivotal
role in an organization’s infrastructure. These
accounts are often targeted by attackers seeking
to gain unauthorized access to critical systems
and sensitive data. Privileged Access Management
solutions provide the necessary tools and protocols
to secure, monitor and control access to these
accounts. By implementing PAM, organizations can
mitigate the risk of unauthorized access, detect and
respond to suspicious activities and protect their
most valuable assets.
”
“
Give a man a vulnerability,
and he’ll have access for a
day. Teach a man to exploit
vulnerabilities, and he’ll have
access for a lifetime.
Unknown Hacker
Chapter 1
Introduction

3. ®
3
2.1 Managing and Controlling Access
Identity governance is crucial for organizations
seeking to maintain control over access to their
sensitive data and systems. By implementing
robust identity governance practices, organizations
can ensure that only authorized individuals can
access specific resources. This helps prevent
data breaches, intellectual property theft and
unauthorized modifications to critical systems.
Identity governance provides a framework for
managing user identities, defining roles and
responsibilities and establishing appropriate
access privileges based on job functions and
responsibilities. By granting access on an
as-needed basis and regularly reviewing access
privileges, organizations can significantly reduce
the risk of data breaches and insider threats.
2.2 Protecting Privileged Accounts
Privileged accounts, such as those belonging
to system administrators or IT managers, have
extensive access to critical systems and data. These
accounts are often targeted by attackers seeking to
gain control over an organization’s infrastructure.
PAM solutions are designed to protect privileged
accounts by enforcing strict access controls,
monitoring privileged activities and managing
privileged session recording and auditing.
By implementing PAM,
organizations can ensure
that privileged accounts are
only accessed by authorized
individuals and that their
activities are closely monitored
to detect any suspicious behavior
or policy violations.
Examples of privileged accounts include:
• Domain administrator accounts
• Root in Unix / Linux
• SAP_ALL in the SAP-area
• Database administrators (SQL)
• Web Apps (AWS, Azure Active Directory)
• Service accounts
• Application accounts
• Robotics
• Local administrators
• Built-in accounts of network
components (Switches / Firewalls)
• Break Glass accounts
Embrace the evolution of your
identity, for in the depths of
self-discovery, you shall find the
power to reshape the world
Chapter 2
The Importance of Identity
Governance and PAM
PAM
solutions are designed
to protect privileged
accounts

4. ®
4
The true revolution of our time
will not be fought with weapons,
but with the power of embracing
our individual identities and
realizing the interconnectedness
of all beings
3.1 Enhanced Visibility and Control
Integrating identity governance and PAM into a
complimentary approach provides organizations
with enhanced visibility and control over access
to sensitive data and systems. By consolidating
these two solutions, organizations can establish a
comprehensive framework that tracks and manages
user identities and privileged access. This holistic
view enables them to identify any unauthorized or
excessive access, quickly detect and respond to
security incidents and maintain a robust security
posture. Additionally, this complimentary approach
creates a clear audit trail, making it easier to
meet compliance requirements related to data
privacy and security. Organizations can track and
document who accessed what resources, when and
why, establishing a higher level of accountability in
line with regulatory standards.
3.2 Streamlined Compliance
Compliance with industry regulations and
standards is a critical requirement for organizations
across various sectors. A complimentary approach
to identity governance and PAM streamlines
compliance efforts by centralizing Identity & Access
Management (IAM) controls. By implementing
these solutions, organizations can more easily
demonstrate compliance with regulations such
as the General Data Protection Regulation
(GDPR), the Payment Card Industry Data Security
Standard (PCI DSS), Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX),
National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Cyber
Essentials Plus, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) and others. This implementation
reduces the administrative burden of managing
compliance and ensures a consistent and auditable
security framework.
3.3 Improved Efficiency
Manual Identity & Access Management processes
can be time consuming and prone to errors.
With a complimentary approach, organizations
can automate many routine tasks associated
with identity provisioning, deprovisioning and
Access Management. Automated workflows,
self-service access requests and role-based
access controls reduce the need for manual
intervention, freeing up resources and improving
operational efficiency. This allows security teams
to focus on more strategic initiatives and respond
promptly to security incidents. By implementing
a consolidated approach, organizations can
reduce the administrative burden associated with
managing compliance and ensure a consistent and
auditable security framework across their systems
and processes.
Through the use of automated workflows, self-
service access requests and role-based access
controls, organizations can streamline the
entire identity lifecycle management process.
This automation minimizes the need for manual
intervention, freeing up valuable resources and
reducing the potential for mistakes.
Chapter 3
The Benefits of a
Complimentary Approach

5. ®
5
Automated workflows ensure that identity requests
and access approvals follow predefined and
consistent processes. This not only saves time but
also enhances security by enforcing standardized
controls. Self-service access requests empower
employees to request and manage their own access
rights within predefined boundaries, reducing the
burden on IT and administrative staff.
Role-based access controls provide granular
and efficient Access Management by associating
specific permissions and privileges with predefined
roles. This approach simplifies the process of
granting and revoking access rights, as permissions
are assigned based on job responsibilities and
organizational policies. It also reduces the risk of
unauthorized access and helps ensure compliance
with the principle of least privilege.
By implementing a consolidated IAM approach,
organizations can achieve better compliance
management. The complimentary system allows
for consistent enforcement of access policies,
user provisioning and deprovisioning procedures
across various systems and applications. This
standardization facilitates auditing and reporting,
making it easier to demonstrate compliance with
industry regulations such as GDPR, PCI DSS, SOX,
NCSC, Cyber Essentials Plus, NIST and others.
Furthermore, with automated IAM processes in
place, security teams can devote more time and
resources to strategic initiatives, proactive threat
hunting and incident response. They can respond
promptly to security incidents, analyze potential
risks and implement necessary security measures,
bolstering the overall security posture of the
organization.
3.4 Better Risk Management
Integrating identity governance and PAM enhances
an organization’s risk management capabilities
by eliminating redundancy and providing
comprehensive protection against unauthorized
access. This integration combines access controls
from identity governance with the safeguarding
of privileged accounts through PAM, resulting in a
more robust risk mitigation strategy. The approach
enables proactive identification and remediation of
potential threats, thereby reducing the likelihood
of data breaches, insider threats and other
security incidents.
PAM focuses specifically on securing and managing
privileged accounts, which possess elevated access
privileges to critical systems, sensitive data and
administrative functions. Attackers often target
these privileged accounts due to the extensive
control and access they provide. By integrating
PAM into the risk management framework,
organizations can implement additional security
measures like privileged session management, just-
in-time access provisioning and password vaulting.
These features further enhance
risk management capabilities by
preventing unauthorized access,
enforcing the principle of least
privilege and protecting sensitive
credentials from compromise.
Through the integration of identity governance and
PAM, organizations gain the ability to proactively
address emerging risks and vulnerabilities. They
can also implement security measures such as
regular access reviews, strong authentication
methods and timely removal of access rights for
departing employees. This proactive approach
helps organizations stay ahead of evolving threats
and ensures the protection of their sensitive data
and critical systems.
By combining identity governance and PAM,
organizations establish a powerful risk management
framework that streamlines operations, eliminates
redundancy and maximizes security. This
integration eliminates gaps in access controls
and privileged account protection, mitigating
the risk of unauthorized access, insider threats
and data breaches. Organizations that maintain a
proactive and responsive stance toward emerging
risks can effectively safeguard their sensitive
data and systems, thereby maintaining a strong
security posture.

6. ®
In today’s evolving threat landscape, a
complimentary approach to identity governance
and Privileged Access Management is vital for
organizations seeking to maintain a secure and
compliant environment. By integrating these
solutions, organizations can enhance visibility and
control, streamline compliance efforts, improve
operational efficiency and effectively manage
security risks. Implementing a complimentary
approach enables organizations to protect their
sensitive data and systems from unauthorized
access, reducing the likelihood of costly security
incidents.
It is important to recognize that this book provides
an overview of identity governance and Privileged
Access Management and their benefits when
complimentary. For detailed implementation
guidelines and best practices, it is recommended to
consult professional resources and security experts
in the field.
About One Identity
One Identity delivers unified identity security
solutions that help customers strengthen their
overall cybersecurity posture and protect the
people, applications and data essential to business.
Our Unified Identity Security Platform brings
together best-in-class Identity Governance and
Administration (IGA), Access Management (AM),
Privileged Access Management (PAM) and Active
Directory Management (AD Mgmt) capabilities to
enable organizations to shift from a fragmented
to a holistic approach to identity security. One
Identity is trusted and proven on a global scale –
managing more than 500 million identities for more
than 11,000 organizations worldwide. For more
information, visit www.oneidentity.com.
The true power of identity
lies not in conforming to
the expectations of society,
but in embracing the
limitless potential of being
authentically yourself
Chapter 4
Conclusion
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